Pascal Bates > Chambers of Stephen Hockman KC and Mark Watson KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
Six Pump Court Offices
Six Pump Court
TEMPLE
LONDON
EC4Y 7AR
England
Pascal Bates

Position
Prosecuting and defending regulatory prosecutions brought by national and local enforcement agencies, at first instance and on appeal – primarily health and safety but also railway, fire, food, trading standards and environment: eg. Taunton Deane BC v WH Smith (2018), HSE v Claxton Engineering Services and others (quadruple fatality at Great Yarmouth) (2017). Advised HSE/ORR on the structural collapse onto the railway at Gerrards Cross. Enforcement Notice appeals: e.g. Cooperative Group Food v Steward (Three Rivers DC) (2017). Disputes about primary authority arrangements. Confidential/strategic advice on regulatory/commercial matters: eg. hydrocarbon pipeline safety; enforceability of non-compete clauses; joint venture agreement between developers. Inquests: eg. In re Fairweather (2018). Disclosure/PII in both civil and criminal contexts. General common and public law with an emphasis on statutory construction: eg. rights to UK passports; allocation of statutory powers between rival public bodies; extent of investigators’ powers; application of EU/UK controls to imported foods. Commercial contract and property: eg. ICFL v Trafalgar Leisure (2018), Halberstam v Gladstar [2015] EWHC 179 (QB), Meretz Investments v ACP [2008] Ch 244, Haller v Deutsche Bank. Contested probate.
Career
MA (Cantab); called 1994; Standing Counsel to HSE & ORR; A List for Environment Agency; Occasional Lecturer UCL
Education
MA (Cantab).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Health and safety
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1Pascal Bates – Six Pump Court ‘Pascal’s intellect and legal knowledge is formidable. He will leave no stone unturned and he is able to deal with anything on his feet. He works incredibly hard and will always go above and beyond to do the best job possible.’
At Six Pump Court, members are often instructed by local authorities and regulatory bodies, such as the Health and Safety Executive, in cases involving allegations of manslaughter and regulatory breaches, among other areas. Mark Watson KC was instructed by CPS Special Casework in the prosecution of a waste company following a worker being fatally injured as a result of being run over by a reversing lorry; the company was convicted of corporate manslaughter and other related health and safety offences in 2022, and received a £640,000 fine in 2023. Elsewhere in chambers, Pascal Bates acted on behalf of Great Yarmouth Borough Council and the Health and Safety Executive in a joint prosecution arising from the death of a young child following the explosion of an inflatable trampoline.