Regulatory

Our team represents businesses and individuals across a wide range of regulatory investigations and enforcement actions. This includes investigations by the Environment Agency for environmental offences such as pollution and waste management; investigations by the Health and Safety Executive and the police for workplace health and safety failures; and Trading Standards investigations covering consumer rights, fair trading, food safety, age-restricted products, misselling and trade mark offences.

We also handle investigations brought by other sector-specific regulatory bodies and authorities.

Contact us before you respond. How you respond to the first contact from a regulatory body can significantly affect how the investigation develops. Regulatory bodies have the power to request documents and information, compel attendance at interview, and in some circumstances enter and search premises.

Getting advice before you respond means we can help you understand your obligations, identify what you are and are not required to provide, and engage with the regulator in a way that serves your interests.

Civil regulatory sanctions are imposed by a regulatory body and can include fines, enforcement notices, conditions, suspension of licences or permissions, and prohibition orders. Criminal prosecutions are brought by a prosecuting authority and can result in imprisonment, fines and a criminal record.

Many regulatory frameworks allow for both, and a regulatory investigation can lead to a criminal prosecution if evidence of criminal conduct comes to light. Our team handles both and represents clients in either type of proceedings.

An interview under caution is a formal interview in which the interviewer must inform you that what you say may be used as evidence. Many regulatory bodies conduct interviews under caution under the same framework as the police, using the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

You have the right to legal representation before and during the interview. We prepare clients thoroughly for regulatory interviews and attend with them throughout. We strongly advise against attending any interview under caution without a solicitor.

Yes. We represent clients throughout regulatory proceedings, including if court proceedings have already been commenced. If you have not had legal advice from the outset, it is still worth contacting us. We review the evidence and the case against you, advise on your options, and work to achieve the best possible outcome.

In serious cases involving the possibility of imprisonment, our team has Higher Courts Rights, meaning we can represent you in the higher courts if needed.