Watching the watchmen – at the sharp end with the lawyers on public inquiries

Public inquiries have the power to seek truth in tragedy and scandal, but could a rigid process and weak leadership be undermining their authority? We talk to the professionals at the sharp end

It was supposed to find the facts amid decades of cover-ups and abuse of the most vulnerable in society, but in recent months the former chair of one of the most complicated inquiries in British history was branded a disgrace and its lead counsel departed trailing controversy and legal threats.