Clerk Details

  • Clerk Name: Stuart Pringle
  • Clerk Telephone: 01962 868 884
  • Clerk Email: [email protected]

Public and Regulatory

Tom’s familiarity with both civil and criminal jurisdictions makes him uniquely placed to traverse the rigours of Regulatory Law. He regularly accepts instructions across the spectrum of regulatory and quasi-criminal matters: trading standards, licensing, fire regulation, environmental law, Health & Safety, planning enforcement and maritime.

Tom has particular expertise dealing with breaches of tree preservation orders and works undertaken in conservation areas. He was a member of TSOL’s ‘Junior Junior’ panel and has extensive experience of the judicial review process.

Tom is ranked as a leading individual in the legal directories: “calm, measured and conspicuously good for his year of call.” (Legal 500, 2021); “a forceful, hard-working, tactically astute advocate.” (Legal 500, 2022); “his eloquence in court captivates the jury” (Chambers UK, 2023).

Recent cases

BCP v A: Trading standards prosecution relating to the possession of counterfeit cigarettes valued in excess of £200,000.

BCP v A, A & A: A prosecution concerning alleged breaches of an enforcement notice.

Hampshire Constabulary v X : Representing a high-street gentleman’s club in their hearing before the licensing sub-committee following the suspension of their SEVL licence. By adopting a collaborative approach the venue was able to reopen shortly after the hearing.

London Borough of Ealing v X Ltd: Tom was instructed to represent a successful tree surgery company for destroying a protected tree. The company had previously been represented by Tier 1 firm of solicitors who had advised them to plead to the charges and pay damages in excess of £30,000. The company came to Tom for a second opinion and thereafter instructed him on a direct access basis following his advice that the prosecution had made a significant error in their charging decision. After representations were made to the Prosecution, all charges were dropped against Tom’s client.

Poole Borough Council v Wilson: Breach of a tree preservation order. This case is believed to be the first contested confiscation hearing in England and Wales where the issue was the extent of the Defendant’s ‘benefit’ resulting from the increase in light to his property occasioned by the Defendant’s wilful damage of a tree. Tom acted for the prosecution. The Case received national media attention including this in the Daily Telegraph and The Times.

R v B: Trading Standards prosecution under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

R v L: Prosecution for failing to comply with a restriction imposed by a Prohibition Notice under Article 31 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

  • Recommendations

    Thomas Evans boasts impressive experience acting as lead counsel in criminal proceedings and appearing in the Court of Appeal. His practice covers organised crime, charges of homicide, GBH and arson.
    Strengths: “He is able to quickly grasp complex technological information and detail.” “Thomas's advocacy skills are excellent.”

    Chambers UK 2024/Crime/Western Bar

    Strengths: “He is a very skilled advocate and cerebral counsel.”
    “Thomas is an extremely accomplished, knowledgeable and hard-working barrister who goes over and above in case preparation.”
    “Thomas is a rising star. He is bright, tenacious and very effective in court.”

    Chambers UK 2023/Crime/Western Bar

    Thomas Evans boasts impressive experience acting as lead counsel in criminal proceedings and appearing in the Court of Appeal. He handles a wide range of cases, including those relating to charges of homicide, GBH and arson.
    Strengths: "His eloquence in court captivates the jury."
    Recent work: Appeared on behalf of a defendant charged with causing death by careless driving.

    Chambers UK 2022/Crime/Western Bar

    'demonstrates an agility of mind and perspicacity possessed by very few indeed’.

    'He has masses of common sense and gets to the nub of cases very quickly. He is highly intelligent, a very effective advocate, and judges like him.'

    Legal 500 2024/Crime (General and Fraud)/Leading Junior/ Western Circuit

    ‘A dedicated advocate who is well liked by clients.’

    Legal 500 2023/Crime (General and Fraud)/Leading Junior/Western Circuit

    ‘A forceful, hard-working, tactically astute advocate.’

    Legal 500 2022/Crime (General and Fraud)/Leading Junior/Western Circuit

    ‘Tom is always well-prepared and on top of his brief. He has clearly thought about it in detail. His speeches are assured and well-constructed. He is calm, measured and conspicuously good at his job for his level of call. He engenders confidence in the trial judge, jury, client and opponents alike. A very good and talented barrister.’

    Legal 500 2021/Crime

     

    "Mr Evans came to 'his fore' when cross-examining the defendant. I have been party to many a prosecution cross-examination, but his delivery and attention to detail was the best I have ever witnessed, it was clever and directed at the appropriate level. I was most impressed that the defence barrister was to comment that the cross-examination was "forensic and exact". His direct cross-examination ultimately caused the defendant to enter a "guilty" plea mid-way through his evidence."

    CPS court case - Officer in the case.

    “Just a quick letter to say thank you for the result we had in court. The barrister you gave me was brilliant and couldn’t have done better. Please tell Mr Evans I said thank you, his final speech was amazing with great attention to detail.” Lay client acquitted of s.18 GBH to instructing solicitor.

    "Tom - I just wanted to say thank you for all your efforts.

    I have always found the law fascinating.  My grandmother was one of the first female Magistrates, my grandfather, father and brother are all lawyers.  So I have always been surrounded in the language of the law and during many lunches and suppers we would debate the meaning of certain words.

    Yesterday was a fantastic example of a Barrister using diplomacy and tenacity in equal measure to make your point in regards to the substantive / significant point of law.  It will no doubt become an incidental footnote in just another legal brief - but it was an important matter that needed to be brought to the courts attention and one which you made eloquently and resolutely.  

    Your job must be incredibly rewarding when the court makes a decision that both the prosecution and defence believe to be best for all parties.  I believed we reached that equilibrium yesterday and I will always be indebted to you for helping the judge reach that decision."
    Lay client who narrowly avoided an immediate sentence of imprisonment following his guilty pleas to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

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