Profile

Susan is a Senior Associate in Kennedys’ London office. She trained at Kennedys and qualified in England and Wales in 1998.

She specialises in advising and representing clients in manslaughter, corporate manslaughter, health, safety and environmental investigations and prosecutions, and in advising and representing clients at inquests and public inquiries. She has experience of a wide range of industry sectors including transport, construction and demolition, crane, waste and recycling, fire and rescue, healthcare, food and retail.

Susan has been involved in some of the major prosecutions for manslaughter and health and safety offences. She has acted for rail companies in prosecutions, inquiries and inquests, including those arising out of the rail crashes at Ladbroke Grove, Hatfield and Potters Bar.

She is a member of the Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association, the London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association and the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL).

... ‘industrious and experienced’.

Qualifications and admissions

  • Qualified as a Solicitor in England and Wales in 1998

Market recognition

  • Rising Star and recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (London)'
    "Senior associate Susan Cha is a key name within the team".
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Rising Star and recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Transport: Rail (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2021
  • Recommended Lawyer for 'Rail (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2019/20
  • Recommended Lawyer for 'Rail (London)'
    "Susan Cha [who] is ‘industrious and experienced’."
    The Legal 500 UK 2018/19

Work highlights

• Successfully defended a senior fire officer on charges of manslaughter following the deaths of four fire fighters at a food packaging plant in Atherstone on Stour.
• Represented soldiers in the Al Sweady public inquiry held to investigate claims of unlawful killing and of torture and abuse of Iraqi civilians.
• Represented an international aerospace company in a corporate manslaughter prosecution.
• Represented a director in a prosecution for environmental breaches arising out of waste transfer operations at sites in Swindon.
• Represented and successfully defended a senior manager on manslaughter and health and safety charges arising out of the Hatfield train derailment.
• Represented a company and its director in a Health and Safety Executive prosecution following a crane collapse in Battersea.