Charlotte Davies

Charlotte began her career at the bar in London where she practised for a number of years before relocating to Cornwall.

Her practice areas include personal injury; credit hire; property; contract & commercial; bankruptcy & insolvency; licensing matters, and general common law. Charlotte takes on cases at all levels, and regularly travels to courts around the country.  

Charlotte has a busy specialist inquest practice, having represented all types of Interested Persons, including at Article 2 and jury inquests. She regularly appears in high profile inquests, many of which have involved Leading Counsel. 

Charlotte sits as a Deputy District Judge and as a First Tier Tribunal Judge within the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber. As a Tribunal Judge Charlotte hears appeals on behalf of patients detained in psychiatric units under the Mental Health Act1983. She is the author of "A Practical Guide to the Mental Health Tribunal" published by Law Brief Publishing. 

Charlotte is on the steering committee of the Western Circuit Women's Forum, heading up the mentoring programme, and was a 2020 Social Mobility Advocate for the Bar Council. 

• LLB (Hons) LLM (London)
• Called to the Bar: 2007 Middle Temple
• Deputy District Judge
• First Tier Tribunal Judge within the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber

Inquests

Charlotte has significant experience in acting for interested parties at inquest hearings. She has represented clients, including families, local authorities, corporations, and other interested persons, at multi-day hearings including under Article 2 and with juries, and alongside Leading Counsel. 

Recent cases of note include:

Pender, Klempar & Mullen[2024] -Charlotte represented Cornwall Council in a long running and high profile consolidated s.2 inquest relating to three drownings on beaches in Cornwall during Covid. The findings were referred to the chair of the UK Covid-19Inquiry by the Senior Coroner for Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, and a Prevention of Future Deaths Report served on the government. Numerous other agencies appeared as Interested Persons, including the National Trust, represented by Leading Counsel, the RNLI, and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency 

JM [2024] - Charlotte provided detailed written advice on prospects of a judicial review claim following an inquest into the death of a man in his forties who had been recorded as dying of natural causes. JM was ventilator-dependent following a car accident 20years prior.

RW [2023] - Charlotte was instructed by Devon County Council to appear at the final hearing arising froma death by suicide.

GK [2023] -the Chief Constable of Devon & Cornwall Police instructed Charlotte in a multi-day s.2 jury inquest involving a death by suicide. The inquest was recategorised as a Jamieson inquest following submissions. 

KB [2023] -Pre-Inquest Review Hearing on behalf of the family of a woman who had died from a drug overdose. Issues included awaiting the findings of a Domestic Homicide Review, and whether the inquest should be Article 2. 

JD [2023] & JB [2022] - Charlotte represented Cornwall Council at two inquests arising from the deaths of young boys by suicide during Covid lockdown. Both inquests took place before the Senior Coroner for Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, with the Chief Constable of Devon & Cornwall Police, and SWAST both represented. 

Previous inquests include representing British Telecom at a s.2 inquest where a child had text 999 before taking his own life; appearing for the family at a jury inquest involving Leading Counsel at Windsor Coroner's Court following an industrial accident in which a man had been killed in a carpet factory; appearing for the family at an inquest involving the death of a woman who had been hit by car having run out into the road after her dog; representing the family of a boy who had hanged himself in local woodland after school; and appearing at numerous inquests arising from road traffic collisions.

Charlotte accepts instructions at all stages of the inquest process, including attendance at PIR hearings. She has also provided written advices on judicial review claims and applications under s.13 Coroner's Act 1988. She is the author of a series of articles on inquest basics, which can be found on Chambers' website and LinkedIn. 

Personal Injury

Charlotte is a very experienced personal injury practitioner and regularly advises and represents clients in high value claims, including matters worth over £1m.

Charlotte acts for both Claimants and Defendants and is happy to consider work on a CFA basis where appropriate. She has particular expertise in dealing with cases involving allegations of fundamental dishonesty.

Commercial & Insolvency

In terms of commercial matters, Charlotte has experience in both London and the South West, including in multi-track building and loan disputes.

Charlotte appeared in the High Court in the widely reported appeal of Langhelle v Wolf Rock [2020] EWHC 2500 (Ch) which involved a long running and complex multimillion pound corporate insolvency dispute.

Charlotte also has significant experience in personal insolvency and bankruptcy matters. 

As preferred Counsel for a national law firm, Charlotte is regularly instructed in credit hire matters and appears in courts all over the country in such cases. 

Real Property

Charlotte is regularly instructed in boundary dispute matters, often appearing in injunctive relief proceedings as well as final hearings. Charlotte is often instructed at early stages of litigation to provide tactical and pragmatic advice to both Claimants and Defendants in such matters. 

Landlord & Tenant

Charlotte has experience in all areas of landlord and tenant law and is happy to provide both advice and representation.

Public Law

Charlotte is currently instructed by Plymouth City Council in the long-running litigation surrounding the renaming of Sir John Hawkins Square, which has gained global interest and media coverage.

Charlotte successfully represented PCC at first instance following an appeal under the Public Health Act 1925 against the proposed renaming of Sir John Hawkins Square. The Appellant launched Judicial Review proceedings in the High Court arising from an aborted Case Stated process. Following success within the JR proceedings, she was then instructed to provide written representations to the Court of Appeal. Following discontinuance by the Appellant in the Court of Appeal, further proceedings were issued to set aside the original first instance decision, and thereafter to appeal by way of Case Stated. Charlotte was again successful on behalf of PCC at both stages. Further JR proceedings were issued, with Charlotte again successfully representing PCC. An Extended Civil Restraint Order was made against the appealing party. Charlotte remains instructed to deal with outstanding matters, and whilst the renaming process continues. 

Licensing

Having represented applicants, the local authority and the police at numerous multi-day licensing hearings, Charlotte is an experienced advocate in this area. As well as dealing with premises licenses (at the initial committee stage, right through to final court hearings), Charlotte has also acted in matters involving taxi licensing. Recent work includes a four-day hearing for the local authority against the owner of a sex shop; representing the police in an appeal against the extension of late-night opening hours of a takeaway premises within a Cumulative Impact Zone; representing the owner of a well-known local bar in proceedings brought by the local authority after the premises stayed open after the clocks went back; and defending a taxi driver after his licence was revoked following his arrest for child pornography offences. 

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