Vince Blake-Barnard > Park Square Barristers > Leeds, England > Barrister Profile

Vince Blake-Barnard

0113 2459763

Work Department

Criminal, Personal Injury, Commercial & Chancery, and Regulatory & Public

Position

Crime

Vince Blake-Barnard has a broad criminal practice in which he represents both prosecution and defendant. He is a Grade 2 prosecutor, regularly instructed on many matters by local authorities throughout Yorkshire in both the magistrates’ and crown courts.

In particular, Vince has vast experience and clients in all matters linked to local-authority work, including benefit fraud, environmental health, food safety, and issues linked to housing and licensing infringements and anti-social behaviour.

In addition to his local-authority practice, Vince has undertaken defence work for a number of business against the Health and Safety Executive, the Security Industry Authority and fire authorities.

Personal Injury
Vince has a developing practice in personal injury (PI work), professional negligence and industrial diseases. He will advise on liability and quantum, and regularly appears in small-claim, fast-track and multi-track hearings.

Commercial & Chancery
Vince has advised and represented social landlords and local authorities in a wide range of housing-related work including possessions, demotions, injunctions and anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs). He also has experience in homelessness appeals. He brings vast experience of local authorities to bear in matters relating to planning enforcement, building regulations and housing enforcement.

Regulatory & Public
Vince has an extensive regulatory and coroner’s practice. He specialises in the licensing of the sale of alcohol and of taxis; planning, housing & construction; sports and swimming clubs; and coroners’ inquests.

Vince has an extensive practice representing taxi drivers in West Yorkshire against decisions to refuse, suspend or revoke their taxi licenses. Besides representing at appeal, Vince undertakes the initial hearing before the licensing committee – an area in which he excels, having advised such committees for over 10 years in his role as a local-government solicitor. The majority of his clients instruct Vince through Public Access, making representation more affordable.

In East Riding of Yorkshire Council v Dearlove [2012] EWHC 278 (Admin), Vince acted in a successful case stated against Beverley Magistrates with regards to test-purchase operations by the licensing authority against unlicensed taxi drivers.

Vince has been heavily involved with a number of amateur sporting clubs in relation to their investigations and policies. He regularly represents swimming clubs before the Amateur Swimming Association.

He is regularly instructed to represent police and families in both Article 2 Middleton or narrower Jamieson inquests. Following Mr Barnard experience within Local Authorities, he has an all round insight in the workings or both Local Authority and Police structures. He has experience of dealing with fire arm / sexual harm prevention orders appeals for the police and taxi licencing appeals for both private individuals and Local Authorities.

Vince is largely instruct by the Police and other Public Bodies such as HMRC, he also undertakes independent Counsel advisory work, in the capacity of “special counsel” in matters relating to Public Internets Immunity and Legal Professional Privilege. Cases often involve large scale operations which spans months rather weeks which include VAT and other frauds. Dealing with both high profile and sensitive cases involving the above as well as special procedure search warrants and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Career

Call 2012 (Solicitor 2003)

Appointments:
Grade 2 Prosecutor

Memberships

North Eastern Circuit

Education

1996
University of Lincoln, BA (Hons) Law & Business

1997
College of Law, York, Legal Practice Course