Public and Regulatory News

Ahead of Armed Forces day this Saturday 29th June, 3PB Barristers are delighted to announce their close cooperation with solicitors Bower & Bailey to provide first class legal assistance to Armed Forces Personnel – across the whole spectrum of legal specialisms. Both firms will sign on Wednesday 3rd July the Armed Forces Covenant, pledging support to Armed Services Personnel through the supply of legal services and charity work. National barristers chambers 3PB have established strong...

Susan Jones represented the former managing director of a small construction company, in a Jury inquest touching the death of a sub contractor who fell from a ladder on a construction site. The Jury heard that there had been breaches of safe working practices and that a colleague saw the deceased prior to the fall not holding the ladder and it looked as though something was wrong with him. Following conclusion of the evidence, Susan invited...

Ten specialist members of 200-strong 3PB Barristers will today be training more than 50 lawyers from leading law firm Irwin Mitchell’s highly-regarded Medical Negligence, Family Law, Court of Protection/Public Law and Travel (Serious Injury) teams at 3PB's Colmore Building offices in Birmingham.    

Following a terrible fire at Newgrange Care Home in Hertfordshire, in which two elderly residents died, regulatory and health and safety barrister Nicholas Cotter acted for the care home manager Alison Wood. Mrs Wood pleaded not guilty to five Fire Reform Order offences. Significant expert evidence was then considered to help determine issues of causation, fire compartment, building regulations and regulatory fault in the tragic loss of life. The CPS indicated before trial that they would offer no...

Independent bus operator Abus - which runs bus services in Bristol, Bath, North Somerset and further afield - turned to 3PB’s public and regulatory barrister Nick Cotter when the business faced possible suspension of its licence and closure of the business. Abus’ boss Alan Peters appealed the ruling from the Traffic Commissioner who controls and polices bus and haulage firm licences. The Traffic Commissioner Kevin Rooney had earlier held a public inquiry into the management...

National chambers 3PB Barristers is delighted to announce the appointment of three of its barristers to the list of Specialist Regulatory Advocates in Health and Safety and Environmental Law. David Richards (call 1989), who recently acted in the Cheeki Rafiki case has been appointed to the panel’s A list. Elisabeth Bussey-Jones (call 1997), who has conducted over 200 inquests in her role as a coroner and Tom Horder (call 2004), who has represented parties in...

Judgment was given last week in Dymoke v Association for Dance Movement Pyschotherapy UK Ltd [2019] EWHC 94 (QB) by Mr Justice Popplewell. The case concerned a company limited by guarantee and, in the context of a decision to terminate a member's membership, an argument based on the existence of an implied term concerning the manner of the termination. The trial judge held that an implied term existed. 3PB public and regulatory law barrister Nicholas...

Graham Gilbert examines the relevance of a proposed amendment to the Offensive Weapons Bill currently making its way through Parliament, which will seek to introduce “Knife Crime Prevention Orders". Click here to read Graham's analysis. Click here to view Graham’s profile.

3PB barrister Mathew Gullick was junior counsel for the Justice Secretary in The Queen (on the applications of Hallam and Nealon) v Secretary of State for Justice [2019] UKSC 2 in which the Supreme Court, by a 5-2 majority, has ruled that the definition of “miscarriage of justice” in section 133(1ZA) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 is not incompatible with Article 6(2) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) (the presumption of innocence). ...

3 Paper Buildings (3PB Barristers) has continued its expansion with the arrival of Jonathan Underhill who joins chambers as an expert criminal and financial crime barrister from Foundry Chambers (formerly 9-12 Bell Yard). He was called to the Bar in 2008, Jonathan is highly rated for financial crime and POCA cases, regulatory cases and criminal casework. Jonathan is regularly instructed to act for the Specialist Fraud Division of the CPS as well as HMRC most...

Tom Horder has represented a building contractor in a HSE prosecution arising from damage to a gas main. During the subsequent repair works escaping gas ignited. On 6.11.18 At Folkstone Magistrates’ court Southern Gas Networks (the Co-defendant Company) was fined £1.2m and the building contractor £60,000. Click here to view Tom Horder's profile.

Michael Vere-Hodge QC, instructed by Central Bedfordshire Council, successfully prosecuted registered charity and spiritual organisation Science of the Soul. In April 2014, a volunteer was using a scaffolding platform to inspect lighting at the organisation’s main UK site at Haynes Park. The volunteer tragically fell from the scaffolding sustaining fatal injury. Subsequent investigation revealed that the scaffolding tower was fundamentally unsafe and that the nominated supervisor was an elderly gentleman with poor eyesight who was...