Ben Mills > Chambers of Sara Lewis KC > Birmingham, England > Barrister Profile
St Philips Chambers Offices
St Philips Chambers
55 TEMPLE ROW
BIRMINGHAM
B2 5LS
England
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Ben Mills
Work Department
Regulatory
Position
For over a decade Ben has been consistently recognised by the industry directories as a leader in his field. He enjoys a thriving practice, both prosecuting and defending, predominantly in regulatory crime (health and safety, trading standards, fraud, environmental crime and inquests) along with associated complex confiscation proceedings. He has been appointed to the highest tier (Panel A) on the Attorney General’s Unified List of Prosecuting Advocates. At the core of his practice is an acute attention to his client’s best interests and a tireless commitment to his cases.
He was Junior Counsel in X [2013] 2Cr.App.R.15, the leading authority on the CPUT Regulations and the application of recklessness to corporate entities and WCC v Quami [2020] EWCA Crim 819: determination of ‘Harm’ in Fraud Sentencing Guidelines when targeting vulnerable consumers.
He appeared in the leading health and safety cases Tata Steel [2017] EWCA Crim 70, Diamond Box [2017] EWCA Crim 1904, Lear [2018] 2Cr.App.R.11; Faltec [2019] [2019] EWCA (Crim) 520, and the environmental law case of EA v McIntosh [2019] EWCA Crim 231 which addressed the sentencing of directors and the relevance of available assets to costs applications.
Twice nominated for Birmingham Law Society’s Barrister of the Year. He has been a Recorder of the Crown Court since 2016.
He is the Deputy Head of the St Philips Regulatory Group and head of St Philips Chambers recruitment committee.
Career
Called 2000, Inner Temple; Law Commission Research Assistant 2000-2001; joined St Philips Chambers 2001; appointed to the Attorney General’s Unified List of Prosecuting Advocates (Panel A); January 2016 appointed as a Recorder of the Crown Court; Deputy Head of the St Philips Regulatory Group. Publications of note: contributing editor: ‘Consumer and Trading Standards: Law and Practice’, Jordans/LexisNexis 2013 to 2019.
Languages
Fluent French.
Memberships
Midland Circuit.
Education
Birmingham University (BA Hons, English and Philosophy, 2(:1)); BPP Law School, Lincoln’s Inn (diploma in law).
Leisure
Outside work, Ben enjoys life as a semi-professional musician and is a keen sportsman.
Lawyer Rankings
Regional Bar > Midland Circuit > Business and regulatory crime (including health and safety)
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1Ben Mills –St Philips Chambers ‘Ben is well versed in handling some of the most serious cases concerning fatalities in the workplace and environmental issues. His presentation is detailed yet concise, and his knowledge of difficult issues is impressive.’
St Philips Chambers is home to a team of ‘experienced regulatory lawyers‘, which is particularly well regarded for handling prosecution work. Jonathan Barker is ‘a persuasive advocate‘, and Joseph Millington’s practice takes in environmental criminal matters. Ben Mills is representing the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive in an ongoing case arising from a major explosion in an anaerobic digestion facility, resulting in two employees receiving catastrophic injuries. Ben Williams has considerable experience in prosecuting on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive in cases involving workplace fatalities.