Hayley Saunders

Partner, Regulatory

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.

Qualified at Greenwood - 2005; Greenwoods – 2003 to 2007; Shoosmiths – 2007 to date year made partner in present firm: 2016

Health and Safety Lawyers Association, UKELA, Food Law Group

Downham Market High School, Norfolk; Northampton University (LLB Hons) 2002;De Montfort University, Leicester (LPC) 2003