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James Leonard KC

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James Leonard KC, leading Oliver Powell, secure conviction on behalf of the MCA 

James Leonard KC, leading Oliver Powell, secure conviction on behalf of the MCA 

James Leonard KC and Oliver Powell, instructed by Simon Belfield of DWF, appeared on behalf of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (‘MCA’), at Southampton Crown Court. After a 4 ½ week trial, a jury unanimously convicted Intrada Ships Management Ltd of failing to take all reasonable steps to secure that a ship was operated in a safe manner. Background On 13 December 2021, at about 3.25am UK time, the Scot Carrier, a UK registered general cargo vessel, and the Karin Høj, a Danish registered barge, were in the Baltic Sea just off the South coast of Sweden. They had just reached the southerly end of the Bornholm Traffic Separation Scheme (‘TSS’) and were both heading in the same south-westerly direction.…

News 13 Dec, 2024

James Leonard KC instructed in the inquests into the deaths of patients of breast surgeon Ian Paterson

James Leonard KC instructed in the inquests into the deaths of patients of breast surgeon Ian Paterson

James Leonard KC has been instructed in the 62 inquests into the conduct of former consultant breast surgeon Ian Paterson, an NHS doctor also operating in the private sector. Ian Paterson, a former consultant breast surgeon, was jailed for 20 years in 2017 after being convicted of 20 counts of wounding with intent. The surgeon was employed by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and practised in the private sector. He was appointed as a consultant at Solihull Hospital in 1998 and practised there until May 2011. More than 560 patient deaths have been considered so far by a multi-disciplinary team of medical experts, leading, so far, to the opening of 62 inquests in relation to the way in…

News 18 Oct, 2024

James Leonard KC represents the RNLI in a high profile Inquest in Bournemouth

James Leonard KC represents the RNLI in high profile inquest in Bournemouth

James Leonard KC represented the RNLI in a high profile inquest after the deaths of a 12 and 17 year old who drowned after an “intense” rip current at Bournemouth Beach in March 2023. Following an Inquest, Dorset senior coroner Rachael Griffin said she was satisfied nothing further could have been done to prevent their deaths following the “unexpected anomaly of nature”. She praised the “brave, prompt and determined intervention” of the lifeguards on duty, without which “more lives would undoubtedly have been lost”. James Leonard KC represented the Royal National Lifeboat Institution whose general manager, Peter Dawes stated, “Sunnah and Joe followed all the safety advice on the beach but still lost their lives – this is a stark…

News 15 Oct, 2024

Outer Temple's Helen Pugh, James Leonard KC and Charlotte Elves were instructed in Commercial Bank of Dubai SC & Ors v Al Sari. The Court of Appeal handed down judgment which clarifies the law on alternative service in contempt proceedings.

Court of Appeal provides important clarification in contempt proceedings; Commercial Bank of Dubai SC & Ors v Al Sari

Outer Temple’s Helen Pugh, James Leonard KC and Charlotte Elves were instructed in Commercial Bank of Dubai SC & Ors v Al Sari. The Court of Appeal handed down judgment which clarifies the law on alternative service in contempt proceedings. The Court of Appeal have clarified the law on alternative service in contempt proceedings in an important judgment handed down in Commercial Bank of Dubai SC & Ors v Al Sari [2024] EWCA Civ 643. The Court of Appeal accepted the submission of the 1st Appellant (represented on appeal by Helen Pugh of Outer Temple Chambers) and 2nd Appellant (represented on appeal by James Leonard KC and Charlotte Elves) that an order permitting alternative service in a previous phase of…

News 13 Jun, 2024

Outer Temple's Health and Safety law specialist, James Leonard KC, represented Melfort Construction Services Ltd in a four-week trial at Lincoln Crown Court following the death of an employee on site.

James Leonard KC represents construction company in Health & Safety case following death of employee on site

Outer Temple’s Health and Safety law specialist, James Leonard KC, represented Melfort Construction Services Ltd in a four-week trial at Lincoln Crown Court following the death of an employee on site. James Leonard KC represented Melfort Construction Services Ltd in a four-week trial at Lincoln Crown Court. The allegation was a failure on the part of Melfort, a specialist groundworks contractor, to ensure the health and safety of an employee who sadly died at a construction site in Lincoln in 2020. The employee was working for Melfort Construction as a dump truck driver and Melfort Construction had been sub-contracted to the Lindum Group to carry out groundwork. The employee was driving his front-loaded dump truck when he opened the barriers…

News 6 Dec, 2023

Outer Temple Chambers shortlisted in the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2022

Outer Temple Chambers is delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted as an ‘Outstanding Set’ in Diversity & Inclusion, by the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2022. Congratulations also to James Leonard, Naomi Ling, Matthew McDonagh, and Justina Stewart, who have been shortlisted for individual awards. Chambers & Partners announced the shortlist ahead of the Awards Ceremony on 17th November in London. Naomi Ling, Employment Naomi Ling has been shortlisted as ‘Employment Junior of the Year’ in recognition of her outstanding Employment practice last year. She is a highly sought-after employment barrister with over 20 years of experience in this area. Recent instructions of note include; Abdar v Morrisons, McCloud v Lord Chancellor, Turley v Port of Felixstowe James Leonard, Health…

News 1 Sep, 2022

James Leonard, leading Oliver Powell, secure halftime acquittals in gross negligence manslaughter case 

James Leonard and Oliver Powell, instructed by Chris Baranowski of DAC Beachcroft, appeared on behalf of Mr Gary Robinson, the former director of Complete Demolition Ltd, at the Central Criminal Crown Court. Mr Robinson was indicted on two counts: (1) gross negligence manslaughter; and (2) section 37 of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (‘HSWA 1974’). Background: On 23 August 2018 Robert Stoian went to work as a labourer for Complete Demolition Ltd (‘the Company’). The Company been contracted to remove the internal fittings on the fifth floor of the Global Switch Building in Docklands, East London. This included; the studded partition walls, the suspended ceiling and raised floor.  Embedded in one of the partition walls was a glazed unit which was 5.1m wide,…

News 9 May, 2022

Publication of the Third edition of Lissack and Horlick on Bribery and Corruption

We are delighted to announce that the Third edition of Lissack and Horlick on Bribery and Corruption has been published by LexisNexis Butterworths. The practitioner’s book was edited by Fiona Horlick QC and Richard Lissack QC, and was contributed to by a number of Outer Temple members. In 2010, the UK’s law on bribery changed from a collection of ancient statutes, distorted in some cases by contradictory authority, to a single statute often regarded as one of the most rigorous, and wide-ranging in application, in the world. Since coming into force in 2011, numerous prosecutions were brought on the basis of the Bribery Act as well as five of the eight deferred prosecution agreements reached in the UK to date. It…

External Publications 30 Sep, 2020

James Leonard successfully defended the Master of the Isle of Wight Red Funnell ferry

James Leonard successfully defended the Master of the Isle of Wight Red Funnell ferry in relation to charges brought by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency following a collision in September 2018, just outside Southampton Water, between his vessel, the Red Falcon and a 30 foot motor cruiser named the Phoenix. The collision risked the lives of four people on board the Phoenix but the Court was persuaded that fault for the collision lay with the helm of the Phoenix and that it was satisfied Capt Drummond had kept a proper lookout within the meaning of the International Regulations relating to Collisions at Sea and was not in breach of section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. The Court ordered…

News 12 Dec, 2019

James Leonard appears at the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry

James Leonard appeared at the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry in London on the 6th June 2018 and made an Opening Statement on behalf of CS Stokes Associates Limited, one of the Core Participants. James invited the Chair, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, to consider, amongst other issues, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and Fire Risk Assessments. His address can be found here. James’ Health & Safety and Environmental work leads to appearances in Courts at every level but his caseload is at the higher end of the scale of seriousness. Those cases invariably include fatalities in the work place, allegations of gross negligence manslaughter and offences under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. His work is extensive and nationwide,…

News 12 Jun, 2018

OTC Members invited to speak on HSLA Spring Seminar Programme

A number of members of the Health & Safety Team at Outer Temple Chambers have been invited to give seminars as part of The Health & Safety Lawyers Association (‘HSLA’) spring seminar programme. This year, the programme will attract over 200 delegates across five separate seminars. On 26 April 2018, Ben Compton QC and Tim Green gave a seminar on Dismissal & Disclosure. The event was hosted by DWF in Birmingham, and will be repeated at Osborne Clarke in London on 14 June 2018 and at Eversheds in Leeds on 21 June 2018. The talk covers the powers of the Crown Court to dismiss charges before arraignment, disclosure before arraignment, defence statements, and digital & expert disclosure. On 17 May…

News 30 May, 2018

Corporate fine for Health & Safety fatality reduced by Court of Appeal

In a recent Health & Safety case heard by the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, the Court accepted submissions that the Judge had wrongly characterised the culpability of ATE Truck & Trailer Sales Ltd as ‘high’, and reduced it to ‘low’. The Court of Appeal also reduced a finding of High Likelihood of harm to Medium leading to a reduction in fine from £475,000 to £200,000. Some useful and informative remarks were presented on the approach to be taken when the Prosecution and Defence reach agreement about issues relevant to a sentencing Guideline. James Leonard represented ATE Truck and Trailer Sales Ltd and was instructed by Sean Elson and Louise Mansfield of Pinsent Masons, Birmingham. am. The full judgment can…

News 13 Apr, 2018

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