Steven North
Steven.North@kennedyslaw.com
+44 161 819 2622
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Profile
Steven is a Legal Director in the regulatory team based in our Manchester office. He qualified in England and Wales in 2011, joining Kennedys from Clyde & Co in April 2021.
His practice is focused on all health and safety incidents including joint police/HSE corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter investigations, serious and fatal workplace incidents, and general regulatory compliance.
Steven represents individuals and businesses from all industry sectors who find themselves under investigation, or being prosecuted by regulators such as the Health and Safety Executive, the Police, the Environment Agency, Trading Standards and local authorities.
Steven also specialises heavily in road traffic and transport law and is frequently involved in high-profile, complex and fatal driving cases.
Steven’s background as a criminal lawyer means that he has the ability and expertise to represent client’s investigated and/or prosecuted for any criminal matter.
Qualifications/Education
- Qualified in England and Wales in 2011
- LLB in Law in 2005
Steven North’s knowledge and experience of the criminal courts is right up there with the best.
Market recognition
- Recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (North West)'
The Legal 500 UK 2024 - Recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (North West)'
"Steven North’s knowledge and experience of the criminal courts is right up there with the best, which makes [the team] go-to lawyers, particularly for manslaughter cases."
"Steven North [is] exceptionally highly regarded; the team already has a very significant and established client base, and they are involved in some of the largest and most complex current health and safety investigations across the country."
The Legal 500 UK 2023 - Recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (North West)'
"Steven North has provided unlimited support to our policyholders, kept them fully informed of all court procedure and what to expect. This is an invaluable service."
The Legal 500 UK 2020 - Rising Star for 'Health and Safety (North West)'
The Legal 500 UK 2020 - Rising Star for 'Health and Safety (North West)'
The Legal 500 UK 2019
Awards
Work highlights
- Successfully appealing against the sentence of a large organisation following a prosecution brought by the Office of Rail and Road. The incident related to an employee falling from a ladder whilst conducting maintenance works on a stretch of London railway line. Steven was able to secure a reduction of £100,000 from the initial fine imposed.
- Representing a farming partnership in respect of a corporate/gross negligence manslaughter investigation following the deaths of two farm workers who were found submerged in an underground slurry reception pit.
- Assisting a large, well-known food manufacturer in relation to a corporate manslaughter investigation following the death of a contractor who cut into a methanol tank using a flame cutting device.
- Securing the acquittal of an employee of a specialist road marking business following a fatal road traffic collision. The case was ultimately discontinued following a successful submission of no case to answer by the defence.
- Assisting a construction company in relation to a HSE investigation following an incident on a construction site when an excavator attachment fell from a machine onto an employee resulting in amputation of the lower leg.
- Advising a fabrication company in relation to a large scale HSE investigation into the effect of air contamination, noise, and vibration following the diagnoses of two employees for lung disease and hand arm vibration.
Construction and engineering
Healthcare
Insurance and reinsurance
Public sector
Transport and logistics