Sally Hancock
Profile
Sally is a partner in the regulatory team based in our Manchester office. She qualified in England and Wales in 2000 and joined Kennedys in January 2023 from Clyde & Co (formerly BLM).
Sally specialises in regulatory defence work, particularly corporate/gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety, fire safety and motor crime investigations and prosecutions, together with inquests.
She advises and represents corporate and individual clients across all industries as well as public bodies and is known for her strategic and technical expertise in complex and sensitive matters. Her advice extends from initial crisis management to ongoing strategy, reputation management, coordinating with the police and regulators, interviews under caution and representation at court.
Sally has a consistently high profile client base across all sectors and works closely with her clients to ensure a strong and collaborative approach. She is dedicated to protecting her clients’ interests and reputations and is continuously mindful of the critical issues they face when confronted with a regulatory investigation or prosecution.
Sally is an accomplished speaker at national and trade health and safety events and regularly delivers bespoke training across a broad spectrum of regulatory and inquest topics including crisis management, sentencing, corporate manslaughter and directors in the dock.
Sally is a member of the Health and Safety Lawyers Association and the Forum of Insurance Lawyers.
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Market recognition
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Leading Individual and recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (North West)'The Legal 500 UK 2024
- A Leading Individual for Health and Safety (North West)
The Legal 500 2023 - A Leading Individual for Health and Safety (North West)
Sally has “great judgment and communication skills”, “a good eye for detail” and is “gentle but firm in cases involving fatalities”.
The Legal 500 2022
Awards
Work highlights
- R v Huntley Mount Engineering Limited [2015]. Advising and representing the company in relation to a charge of corporate manslaughter following the death of a young apprentice who sustained fatal head injuries whilst operating a machine at work.
- Representing an individual prosecuted for health and safety offences following a fatal fall from height on the site of a self build project. The individual avoided an immediate custodial sentence after entering a guilty plea. The prosecution was preceded by a complex inquest hearing at which representation was also provided.
- Representing an organisation in relation to a complex inquest into the death of a young autistic adult who was alcohol dependent and whose death raised issues in relation to the interaction and coordination between multiple agencies.
- Advising and representing a hospice in relation to a sensitive inquest following the death of three individuals following a fire at the premises which involved lengthy and complex Article 2 submissions.
- Representing a construction company faced with investigations into corporate manslaughter and health and safety offences following the death of an individual in a fire at a nightclub. The police, Health and Safety Executive and fire service took no further action.