Martin Jones > Hugh James > Cardiff, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

Hugh James is primarily focused on regulatory prosecution, an area that the firm has, in recent years, gained particular acclaim as a result of Justin Davies‘ eclectic work for prosecutors in relation to health and safety, environmental health, food safety and trading standards, among others. ‘Personable, warm and witty yet firm and unshakeable in court’, Davies is best-known for his fire-safety work, recently adding a number of English fire and rescue services to a client base that already includes South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, and Mid & West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. He also regularly handles work for the Driver & Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) and the Welsh government (including on fisheries regulation), as does the ‘highly competent’ Leah Ellison , who regularly assists Davies on larger cases, as well as developing her own caseload. Martin Jones  heads up the firm’s overarching regulatory department and is the main contact for defendant work, including as it relates to fraud and money laundering.

The ‘well-resourced and knowledgeable’ team at Hugh James provides ‘top-class client care’ to a range of prosecuting entities across a myriad health and safety matters. ‘Highly competent’ senior associate Justin Davies is key to this work, not only by virtue of his ‘niche knowledge of fire safety law’ but also his prosecution work for the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency and local authorities in cases relating to food safety and housing safety. Martin Jones heads up the overarching regulatory offering and is most active from a health and safety perspective on the defence side , adding particular insight as a result of his former work as an HSE solicitor agent.  

Deploying a multi-disciplinary service that leans into the firm’s impressive full service credentials, including a number of lawyers who have former in-house expertise, the team at Hugh James is well-positioned to provide ‘responsive and reliable advice’ to central and local government, health boards, and education bodies across the full scope of their social and commercial requirements. Regulatory work remains a strong driver to the firm’s offering, with department head Martin Jones  continuing to advise Social Care Wales across a myriad matters. Along with Justin Davies, who himself specialises in fire safety work, Jones is also pivotal to the firm’s work for a myriad non-police prosecutors throughout Wales and England. ‘Industrious, uncompromising and hugely intelligent’ newly promoted partner Sara Tomaszewski continues to excel in the social care sector, regularly representing South Wales-based local authorities in safeguarding cases, often undertaking her own advocacy. The firm also handles a significant amount of property-related public sector mandates, including Caroline O’Flaherty‘s work for Welsh and English registered social landlords, and construction partner Ioan Prydderch‘s frequent engagements on contentious and non-contentious matters for core firmwide clients including Natural Resources Wales.

Hugh James provides comprehensive legal services to both online and land-based gaming and betting clients, with particular strengths in sports betting, licensing, and high-value IP licensing. The firm supports a diverse clientele, including international clients, across areas such as corporate law, regulatory and compliance matters, property, anti-money laundering, and dispute resolution. The practice is spearheaded by Aled Walters, who is noted for his expertise in commercial, IP, and M&A transactions within the sector. Martin Jones offers specialised advice on all aspects of gambling licensing, guiding clients through the process of obtaining licences from the Gambling Commission and ensuring operators meet their ongoing compliance obligations.