Guy Bastable > Burges Salmon LLP > Bristol, England > Lawyer Profile

Fielding a team spread across London and Bristol, Burges Salmon LLP‘s corporate crime and investigations team excels in its representation of corporates in a range of complex and often national financial crime cases, criminal cases surrounding environmental and health and safety legislation including corporate manslaughter issues, and cross-border sanctions matters. The corporate crime team is headed up by Guy Bastable, who has extensive experience in crisis management and internal investigations as well as areas such as anti-money laundering compliance, insider trading and market abuse. David Hall, who is head of the disputes, planning and construction department, is also active in the space, advising on matters including cases relating to cyber-fraud attacks, data protection issues and asset recovery. Covering regulatory enforcement and corporate crime work, senior associate Sam Aldous is another key member of the team.

Described as ‘one of the top teams in the UK’, Burges Salmon LLP‘s practice covers the full spectrum of environmental matters encompassing water issues, power station decommissioning work and redevelopments as well as sizeable mandates relating to the waste industry. Practice head Michael Barlow ‘knows environmental law inside out’ and has been especially active advising the water sector on regulatory investigations relating to sewage overflows. Ian Truman has specialist knowledge on nuclear regulation and radiological environmental permitting, while Ross Fairley and Ian Salter are highly regarded environmental lawyers, focusing on net zero and nuclear law respectively. Corporate crime ‘heavyweight’ Guy Bastable is a key contact, and senior associate Sarah Sackville Hamilton covers a range of regulatory and contractual matter. Victoria Barnes is also noted, particularly for environmental investigations and disputes.

At the helm of Burges Salmon LLP‘s Bristol-based practice is dispute resolution specialist Ann Metherall, who is well-regarded for her experience in handling the full remit of domestic and international health and safety matters, particularly those in the rail sector; Metherall also heads up the firm’s 24-hour major incident response offering. The team is formed of ‘highly talented lawyers’ and is well-placed to act on fatal and catastrophic matters under public scrutiny, spanning sectors from the energy and transport industries, to the leisure sector. Guy Bastable is another key practitioner, who harnesses expertise in regulatory and criminal investigation cases, with fire safety, food safety and environmental protection issues being some notable areas of focus. ‘Standout lawyer’ Charlotte Whitaker is also worthy of mention for her work on multi-fatality litigation, and Sam Aldous also contributes to the firm’s key work.

The team at Burges Salmon LLP advises across all areas of environmental work, from contaminated land remediation and liability issues, to environmental disputes and prosecutions. Other key workstreams for the  group include climate change and carbon law, nature-based solutions, and environmental compliance. Practice head Michael Barlow draws praise for ‘tirelessly seeking good outcomes for clients‘. Ross Fairley has expertise in major environmental law and net zero matters, while Ian Salter has recently become particularly well known for his expertise in nuclear law. Guy Bastable regularly works across all areas of corporate crime and regulatory investigations, with a major part of his practice covering environmental protection. Other key figures include Ian Truman, who stands out for his expertise in radiological environmental permitting, and Sarah Sackville Hamilton, who works with clients to navigate regulatory and contractual issues, and to bring forward net zero/sustainability projects.