Hayley Saunders > Shoosmiths LLP > Birmingham, England > Lawyer Profile
Shoosmiths LLP Offices
103 COLMORE ROW
BIRMINGHAM
B3 3AG
England
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Hayley Saunders
Work Department
Partner, Regulatory
Position
Hayley is a specialist regulatory criminal defence lawyer advising leading companies, directors and individuals on all aspects of regulatory compliance across a range of sectors including retail, food, manufacturing and construction.
Her extensive experience includes investigations and prosecutions in areas as diverse as corporate and gross negligence manslaughter; health and safety; fire safety; inquests; waste management and environmental matters; trading standards; food safety; advertising compliance and sales promotions; and anti-bribery legislation.
Hayley advises at all stages of the criminal investigation including crisis management; interviews under caution; appeals against enforcement notices and conducts her own advocacy in the criminal and Coroners’ courts.
Hayley provides robust and pragmatic commercial advice and her recent work includes:
- successfully defending a site manager charged with gross negligence manslaughter following the death of a member of the public at a construction site;
- representing a national food retailer at in inquest into the death of a teenager who died from an allergic reaction;
- representing a supported living and care home provider throughout the health and safety investigation and inquest into the death of a service user;
- representing a national retailer in relation to a number of food safety prosecutions arising out of pest infestations; and
- representing a number of retailers prosecuted for placing unsafe electrical products onto the EU market.
Hayley qualified in 2005 and joined Shoosmiths in 2007 from Greenwoods LLP where she provided extensive regulatory advice to Network Rail. Hayley has spent time on secondment at the McDonald’s legal team and has experience of prosecuting on behalf of government authorities and private prosecutors giving her a great insight into the different considerations from ‘both sides of the fence’.
Hayley regularly speaks at public events including the Safety Expo at London ExCeL and annual IOSH events. Hayley is currently part of the research team at Cranfield University undertaking a study on Contractor Management.
Career
Qualified at Greenwood – 2005; Greenwoods – 2003 to 2007; Shoosmiths – 2007 to date year made partner in present firm: 2016
Memberships
Health and Safety Lawyers Association, UKELA, Food Law Group
Education
Downham Market High School, Norfolk; Northampton University (LLB Hons) 2002;De Montfort University, Leicester (LPC) 2003
Leisure
Tennis, running, cooking
Lawyer Rankings
West Midlands > Employment > Health and safety
(Leading individuals)The ‘first-rate’ team at Shoosmiths LLP is ‘great and active’ and is ‘client and solution focused’. It is headed by the ‘very experienced’ Roy Tozer who continues to lead the firm’s team that is involved in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, while also working for some other key and significant clients. Hayley Saunders is ‘excellent’ and she regularly conducts her own advocacy – her work spans both contentious and non-contentious matters across a wide range of industries. Saunders often advises on investigations and prosecutions for manslaughter in addition to health and safety offences. New addition to the team at senior associate level, Kirsty Hughes, is also well-regarded.
London > Employment > Health and safety
(Leading individuals)The practice at Shoosmiths LLP is co-led by Birmingham-based Roy Tozer, ‘talented lawyer’ Hayley Saunders and Sarah Bridgman. Its workload namely involves assisting regulatory bodies in complex and high-profile prosecution cases often involving fatalities and serious injuries. The team’s lucrative client roster includes names such as IKEA and McDonald’s, for whom Philip Ryan is a go-to advisor. In addition to its contentious work, the team advises clients on significant business developments, which is a key focus area for ‘exceptional solicitor’ Charles Arrand. Principal associate Joanne Sear is described by clients as ‘brilliant to work with’, and is developing a strong reputation for her abilities advising renowned clients following serious incidents.
Lawyer Rankings
- Health and safety West Midlands > Employment
- Leading individuals West Midlands > Employment > Health and safety
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Insurance > Clinical negligence: claimant
- Real estate > Environment
- Employment > Health and safety
- Finance > Insolvency and corporate recovery
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
Firm Rankings
- Finance > Banking and finance
- Dispute resolution > Banking litigation
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: Birmingham
- Real estate > Construction
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: Birmingham
- Public sector > Education
- Employment > Employment
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property
- Real estate > Planning
- Real estate > Property litigation
- Real estate > Commercial property: Birmingham
- Real estate > Social housing
- Insurance > Personal injury: claimant
- Employment > Pensions