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The team provides around-the-clock practical and commercial advice to businesses of all sizes (from multi-national PLCs to sole traders) and to individuals, often in the immediate aftermath of fatal or serious non-fatal workplace incidents.
Our UK team is widely recognised as a national market leader, and is top tier ranked by the leading legal directories. The team is described in the directories as ‘a league above its rivals’ and as having the ‘greatest experience of health and safety litigation, strength and depth, hugely experienced partners and diligent senior associates”.
Our leaders, all of whom are recognised in the directories as ‘notable practitioners’ and/or ‘leading individuals’ are praised for their ‘practical’, ‘astute’ and ‘sensible’ legal advice. Our team of dedicated defence lawyers are highly skilled and experienced in dealing with all enforcing authorities including the police and the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) from the day of an incident, through an investigation and, where charges are brought, through the court process.
We are trusted advisors to clients who operate across a variety of industry sectors including construction, hospitality, retail, railways, healthcare, local government entities, quarries, waste and manufacturing. We defend and advise our clients facing investigations and proceedings for corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, HSE prosecutions, food standards, environmental matters, coroner's inquests and public inquiries.
Over the years we have represented numerous very large and publically exposed organisations which have suffered high profile incidents. As a consequence we are well equipped to provide advice in relation to PR and communications with a view to managing the media exposure to minimise any potential negative commercial impact.
The team, which has a global reach, also regularly provides non-contentious risk management and commercial advice on health and safety issues both in the UK and in relation to cross-border matters, as well as training for our clients and their employees on various aspects of workplace health and safety law. The team has developed a Corporate Crisis Pack for its clients to employ in the event of a crisis in order to best protect both the company’s position and any individuals who might be exposed.
Through our experience we understand and appreciate the impact that a workplace incident can have on those involved and our team of specialists are able to advise and support individuals at all levels of the corporate structure from the worker on the ground to the board director.
Our lawyers regularly lecture and write articles on workplace health and safety issues and corporate manslaughter.
