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The group at DWF in Manchester advises on complex health and safety cases in a wide range of sectors, from education to care. The team’s workload includes representing clients in connection with high-profile public inquiries and investigations into cases of fatal and serious injury in the workplace. Joanne Witheford is noted for her work defending companies and directors in relation to serious workplace incident matters, while Amanda Lea focuses on gross negligence manslaughter investigations and sentencings. Steffan Groch has considerable experience defending companies, directors and managers in prosecutions brought by the HSE, local authorities and the Crown Prosecution Service. Vikki Woodfine advises on safeguarding and multi-agency investigations, particularly in the education and care sectors. Groch and Woodfine oversee the group alongside Liverpool-based regulatory specialist Gary Smith. Simon Belfield moved to the Birmingham office in December 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘I was helped and advised by Joanne Witheford and Katie Harris alongside Zara Salmon. I felt listened-to during meetings, Katie was careful to build a relationship with me which was very important as I was delicate and fragile throughout the process. My mental health was taken into consideration at all times.’
‘Both Katie and Zara took time to get to know me, my background, experience and skills.'
Key clients
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- Royal & Sun Alliance (RSA)
Work highlights
Advising the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in relation to the Metropolitan Police criminal investigation arising from the Grenfell Tower fire.