Hayley Saunders > Shoosmiths LLP > Birmingham, England > Lawyer Profile

At Shoosmiths LLP, Hayley Saunders leads the ‘very approachable‘ team, which provides ‘superb and timely support, going that extra mile to ensure best outcomes’. It receives a regular stream of instructions from corporate clients, with niche safety expertise in sectors such as defence, construction, petrochemical and manufacturing. Saunders has an excellent practice which spans both contentious and non-contentious work. She is noted for her skill at handling investigations and prosecutions for manslaughter, and for her defence of many health and safety offences. In addition, she frequently provides compliance advice to various corporates. Senior associate Kirsty Hughes, who ‘can explain complex legal issues in a straightforward way’, is also recommended. Roy Tozer is now a consultant at the firm.

With a ‘wealth of experience’, Shoosmiths LLP is highly regarded for its experience advising high-profile clients across the spectrum of health and safety matters. The team is led by Birmingham-based Hayley Saunders, following the retirement of Roy Tozer last year, and boasts both contentious and non-contentious advisory expertise, particularly in sectors such as defence, automotive, healthcare, construction and manufacturing. Charles Arrand, based in Milton Keynes, is an experienced regulatory crime practitioner, familiar with a broad array of health and safety investigations, prosecutions, inquests and inquiries. Philip Ryan, in the Thames Valley, advises clients, ranging from large corporates to SMEs, on serious and fatal accidents including prosecution and defence, as well as assisting with risk strategy. Joanne Sear, also in the Thames Valley, has a strong practice in inquests, as well as health and safety compliance. Rubina Zaidi, based in Milton Keynes, regularly assists regulatory bodies in health and safety prosecutions, as well as defending these.

The group at Shoosmiths LLP is considered ‘second-to-none’ by clients and is headed up by the ‘exceptional, no-nonsense lawyer’ Hayley Saunders, who works from the firm’s Birmingham hub and has strong expertise in providing non-contentious compliance advice and in defending clients in investigations and prosecutions. Major disaster response and management is a key area of specialism for the team, and one of Phil Ryan‘s prominent focus areas, while regulatory crime specialist Charles Arrand is described as ‘a star of the regulatory field’. Rubina Zaidi is also noteworthy for her work assisting with national public inquiries. Joanne Sear departed to an in-house role in June 2024, and former co-lead Roy Tozer retired from practice in June 2023.

Shoosmiths LLP is able to draw on a range of cross-practice expertise to deal with product liability litigation and regulatory issues, ranging from product development and marketing to product concerns and recalls, and associated claims. The team acts for key players in a range of sectors, including automotive, retail, consumer goods and manufacturing. Hayley Saunders heads up the team, which also includes ‘commercially astute and very capable litigator‘ Paul Eccles, who is an insurance specialist, and Stephen Johnstone, who is proficient in regulated product labelling and advertising matters.