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Business And Regulatory Crime (including Health And Safety)

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Deans Court Chambers
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Exchange Chambers
Lincoln House Chambers

Leading Silks

Michael Hayton KC –Deans Court Chambers 
John Jones KC – Exchange Chambers ‘His preparation in cases is meticulous, his client care is impeccable and his advocacy is always forceful and formidable. The go-to KC.’
Nigel Lawrence KC – 7 Harrington Street 'Nigel has complete mastery of the technical side of the subject matter. He is a true specialist with a completely rounded view on how to prosecute a lot for HSE. He is extremely hard working and is very good with clients.'

Leading Juniors

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Rosalind Scott Bell –Deans Court Chambers
Elizabeth Dudley-Jones - Deans Court Chambers
Tom Gent – Deans Court Chambers ‘Tom has no weaknesses. His analytical skills are second to none, he is thorough, spectacular on his feet, quietly brilliant and tactically astute.’
Leila Ghahhary – Lincoln House Chambers ‘Leila is incredibly approachable and communicative, and it is very easy to develop a positive working relationship with her. Her written and oral advice is both concise and comprehensive, and provided in a manner which is appropriate to the recipient, be that a lay or professional client. She is brilliant on her feet and has a commanding presence in court.’
Simon Gurney – Lincoln House Chambers ‘Simon is an outstanding barrister, exceptionally bright and fantastic, both on paper and in front of a jury. He is a master tactician, a very calm and persuasive advocate and puts clients at ease without difficulty, and an extremely professional barrister.’
Joseph Hart – Deans Court Chambers ‘Joseph is good with clients and gives them confidence, provides clear advice and doesn’t sit on the fence, fights the client’s corner, works well with instructing solicitors and is good to work with.’
Peter Smith – Deans Court Chambers ‘Peter is robust, has an eye for detail and has great experience and knowledge in the specialist area of HSE sentencing guidelines.’
Austin Welch – Lincoln House Chambers ‘Austin is incredibly hard working, giving his time generously and diligently to a case. His technical knowledge of business and regulatory law is second to none; he is a quick thinking master strategist, who easily finds the best way through any legal or practical issue. He immediately gains the confidence of his clients with his straightforward and tactful approach. He is a compelling advocate.’
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Michael Lavery – Exchange Chambers
David Pojur – St John’s Buildings ‘David is very knowledgeable and puts together robust legal argument.’
Ian Whitehurst – Exchange Chambers ‘Ian is tactically astute and his advice, advocacy and written work are excellent. He has a very co-operative style of working with solicitors which is reassuring to both the solicitor and the client in terms of knowing that matters are always clear and dealt with. There is never a concern that he will miss something – he misses nothing.’

Rising Stars

Lee Hughes – Lincoln House Chambers ‘Lee has a keen eye for detail and is both approachable and professional with clients. He is up front and open when delivering his advice and represents his clients with great tenacity. Lee is does not blind clients with complicated legal language; his advice is always succinct and easy to understand.’
Lucy Wright – Crown Office Chambers  ‘Lucy immerses herself in the case, mastering every document and drilling down into every detail. She has a phenomenal work ethic and has built up a reputation as being a sought-after junior for the bigger cases. She is always on the lookout for the killer point which may unlock a case, she is able to balance a diamond-sharp legal mind with sympathetic handling of an anxious client. One to watch as she will make it to the top in this area.’

Business and regulatory crime (including health and safety) in Regional Bar

Deans Court Chambers

Deans Court Chambers offers a wide range of business and regulatory crime  expertise, with its members prosecuting and defending clients in cases involving corporate and gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety fatalities, environmental offences, trading standards, HSE prohibition improvement notices and food safety cases. Joseph Hart ‘s practice focuses on crime and regulatory cases, and he is active in representing DEFRA and local authorities. Peter Smith is a defence specialist in health and safety matters, and recently defended in the case of R(HSE) v Nasmyth Technologies Ltd, which concerned workplace injuries following a leakage of hydrofluoric acid.

Testimonials

Set

‘Easily the strongest set in the NW for H&S defence work.’

‘The set is able to attract a wide range of high quality work due to the complementary skills of several senior junior barristers. They attract work from insurer funded and private paying clients alike.’

Exchange Chambers

The financial fraud and crime team at Exchange Chambers represent clients in a wide range of cases, including bribery and corporate, investment, tax and insurance fraud, as well as cartel activity. John Jones KC has a strong practice in money laundering, corporate fraud and insider dealing. Ian Whitehurst  has a focus on health and safety, environmental, information and revenue law, as is displayed in his prosecuting of a construction company that failed to undertake safety measures to protect an exterior wall to their construction site, which subsequently collapsed, crushing a small child on the way to school (HSE v Gurmfitt Properties). 

Testimonials

Set

‘Exchange Chambers is a great set with a wealth of experienced barristers specialising in different areas.’

‘Exchange Chambers is a superb set. It provides a full-strength service across three major Northern cities. It is able to offer strength in depth across a wide spectrum of practice areas.’

‘Exchange Chambers’ size means it can always offer Counsel who are recognised as leaders in their respective fields. It regularly holds accredited seminars throughout a year across each of its practice areas.’

‘Exchange Chambers is an excellent set.’

‘The set is very strong and any returns are dealt with properly by experienced counsel. There is a breadth of expertise in the set, with some very big-hitters in most areas of the law.’

Clerking

‘Chambers has a very experienced, settled and skilled Criminal clerking team. The Clerks are well resourced, proactive and effective.’

Lincoln House Chambers

Lincoln House Chambers’ regulatory team has substantial expertise in handling both prosecution and defence work in Environment Agency, Trading Standards and DEFRA cases, as well as health and safety cases, including death in custody inquests and gross negligence manslaughter matters. Health and safety enforcement specialist Austin Welch represents clients from the construction, retail and transport industries and is defending Eddie Stobart Ltd in a prosecution relating to asbestos exposure. Leila Ghahhary’s practice focuses on local government, regulatory, health and safety, trading standards and licensing matters. Lee Hughes has a strong health and safety practice, handling cases involving fatalities. Craig Hassall KC joined the set from Park Square Barristers Ltd. in August 2021.

Testimonials

Set

‘Lincoln House goes beyond any other set in terms of all-round quality, with all the barristers possessing great intelligence, skill and expertise.’

‘Lincoln House Chambers are a fantastic set based in the North West with a national outreach.’

‘Lincoln House Chambers is very accommodating and reliable when it comes to instructing appropriate counsel.’

‘Lincoln House are the go-to set for criminal defence and regulatory work in the North West. They are always willing to discuss cases before an instruction to ensure the best possible barrister is allocated to the case.’

‘Lincoln House Chambers has a strong business and regulatory team. The breadth and depth of knowledge at Lincoln House places it as a leading regional set.’

Clerking

‘The team of clerks headed by David Wright are amongst the best in the business. They are polite, courteous and responsive, and always endeavour to provide a top quality service.’