Nationally-recognised experts in regulatory issues from public law and inquests to education law
3PB's public and regulatory team are nationally recognised experts, prosecuting and defending matters brought by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Health and Safety Executive, Care Quality Commission, local authorities and other regulatory bodies including medical regulators.
Our education team is ranked in all legal directories and has a range of counsel that can assist with discrimination claims, Judicial review, safeguarding, all special educational needs requirements and admission and exclusions issues. This team is extremely active and on hand to assist with all manner of enquiries in an efficient manner. Our work includes tribunal, county court, high court and disciplinary/independent review proceedings, often working with some the country most prestigious universities and independent schools.
Members of the team advise on a broad spectrum of education, professional discipline, inquest, health and safety, marine law and public law enquiries.
As the importance of public and administrative law has increased and the scope of regulatory legislation expanded, so 3PB's expertise has continued to expand to meet the new challenges presented. We advise individuals challenging government or regulators as well as representing government departments (including the Official Solicitor), local authorities, the NHS and Police Authorities.
Members of our sub-teams are specialists in their areas and have recently handled ground breaking cases such as:
- representing the Firearms Licensing Officer in the Keyham/Plymouth shootings inquest
- four 3PB barristers acting for Ofsted in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
- acting for Her Majesty’s Coastguards in the Gaia-Pope inquest
- representing the Church of England against retired vicar Dr Stephen Sizer following his antisemitic posts
- acting for Anthony Donadio against the GMC in a High Court appeal
- acting in a very high profile licensing appeal for a nightclub in the Midlands
Our barristers bring a recognised depth of expert knowledge and formidable advocacy skills, drawn from long experience in courts, committees and tribunals of every level and description as well as sterling client service and exceptional work rates.
The team are available via any of our six UK centres: London, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Oxford and Winchester. We are also well equipped with the technology to facilitate virtual meetings, conferences and proceedings where required/possible.
Our Public and Regulatory Barristers...
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Today, Tuesday 11th June, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) handed down its judgment in Nealon & Hallam v United Kingdom. The applicants alleged that refusals of compensation under the statutory compensation scheme for miscarriages of justice in England & Wales involved violations of the presumption of innocence in Article 6(2) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Their arguments were rejected in judicial review proceedings in the High...
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Ben Amunwa, specialist public law barrister at 3PB Barristers, led by Tim Buley KC of Landmark Chambers, represented Liberty, the second intervener, in Smith v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWHC 1137 (Admin). Ben writes about the High Court’s decision in this case, and its finding that key parts of the Police, Crime, Sentencing Courts Act 2022 amendments to Part V of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, were unlawful....
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Welcome to 3PB's Professional Discipline newsletter edited by Daniel Brown, featuring analysis from Daniel Brown on Social Work England’s abuse of its power as a regulatory body in Meade v (1) Westminster City Council & (2) Social Work England (Case Numbers: 2201792/2022 and 2211483/2022). Sunyana Sharma considers the CoA's decision in Disclosure and Barring Service (‘DBS’) v. RI [2024] EWCA Civ 95, which confirms the Upper Tribunal's entitlement to decide that an appellant's denial of wrongdoing was credible and constituted a mistake of fact. Dr Tagbo Ilozue reviews Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care v (1) General Dental Coun-cil (2) Naveed Patel [2024] EWHC 243 (Admin) on the proper approach to sanction in professional disciplinary cases based on convictions for serious offences.
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3PB are pleased to announce that three barristers have become full tenants of the 250-barrister national chambers. Rhiannon Frowde, Kate Davies and Charlotte Steer (pictured left to right from the top) have all successfully completed their probationary tenancies with 3PB, having done all or some of their pupillages at other chambers. Former medical research fellow Rhiannon Frowde (call:2022) is based from 3PB's London office and will continue to focus on clinical negligence and personal injury...
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Ben Amunwa, specialist public law barrister at 3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings) has analysed the recent case of DXK v SSHD [2024] EWHC 579 (Admin), a judicial review brought by an asylum seeking expectant mother against the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The case concerns the system of allocation of asylum support accommodation to pregnant women and new mothers under sections 4 and 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The Court...
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3PB's Ben Amunwa, who specialises in public law, education and employment, was instructed by Deighton Pierce Glynn (DPG) in this latest chapter of a long-running sequence of cases challenging the “no recourse to public funds” policy. In a judgment with potentially wide implications for damages claims for breaches of fundamental human rights, the Court of Appeal in ASY & Others v Home Office [2024] EWCA Civ 373 has held that there is a right to...
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3PB's crime and regulatory barrister Nicholas Cotter (pictured here) saw the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) drop its Section 7 HSWA Prosecution against a former employee of Crediton Dairy. The Dairy and another company had pleaded guilty and been fined for failing to remove asbestos correctly. However the HSE sought to continue its prosecution of the company employee, who had pleaded not guilty and the matter was proceeding to trial. However, after the production of...
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3PB are delighted to announce that crime and regulatory barrister Gemma White has been appointed by Robert Courts KC MP HM Solicitor General, to the Treasury Counsel Monitoree Scheme, for a period of 3 years from 1 April 2024. Treasury Counsel are a team of specialist advocates who prosecute many of the most serious and complex cases in the country, and advise and appear on behalf of the Law Officers and other government departments. Advocates...
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3 Paper Buildings (3PB) is delighted to announce that leading public law, education and employment barrister Ben Amunwa (2013 call) has joined chambers, from The 36 Group. Ben is a popular choice for high profile and landmark litigation, often involving multiple parties and novel points of law. He provides practical advice on resolving disputes to a wide range of clients. He has been ranked in the Chambers UK Bar Guide for Public and Administrative Law...
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3PB's Criminal and Regulatory teams are delighted to announce that Sarah Brown, a specialist crime and Court Martials barrister, has joined the national chambers and starts in January 2024. Sarah, pictured here, has experience in a broad spectrum of cases including serious sexual offences, offences against the person, dishonesty, AWOL and desertion. Sarah has frequently been instructed to travel abroad to provide representation, especially to the Courts Martial in Germany and regularly represents service personnel...
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3PB (3 Paper Buildings) barrister Robert Courts MP has been appointed HM's Solicitor General for England and Wales. Robert has been MP for Witney since 2016 and replaces fellow 3PB alumnus Michael Tomlinson KC MP, who moves to the Home Office to be a Minister of State. Robert was called to the Bar in 2003 and is a door tenant (non-working/associate member) at 3 Paper Buildings, where he practiced in personal injury/clinical negligence and public...
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Victoria Hamblen, specialist environmental/public law and commercial law barrister at 3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings), has reviewed the growth in strategic climate litigation and how it affects business defendants for Sustainable Growth (SG) Voice. In her commentary, Victoria discusses the growth in climate law and disputes and the significant impact that strategic climate litigation can have on corporations, citing real life examples of cases which were successfully brought and those refused permission to proceed. Victoria...
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Judicial Review in Education: a webinar series 16 May | 17 June | 9 July | 11am
Date: Tuesday 9th Jul 2024 Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Venue: On Zoom Judicial Review in Education: a webinar series on 16 May | 17 June | 9 July | 11am You are invited to attend 3PB's webinar series on Judicial Review in Education, hosted by 3PB's Administrative and Public Law and Education Law teams. Each one hour webinar will be dedicated to a particular type of education judicial review challenge, hosted by two of our specialist Education and Administrative and Public Law barristers, who will discuss how to approach…
Recommendations
Legal 500 2020
Regulatory, health and safety, and licensing: Members of 3PB are particularly experienced in health and safety cases, receiving both prosecution and defence instructions. Notable areas of specialism include maritime prosecutions and care home deaths, where David Richards and Nicholas Cotter are the key names to note respectively. Notable recent cases include Richards' prosecution of a yacht operator for the gross negligence manslaughter of four sailors lost at sea, and Cotter's defence of a care home after three patients died; the home was accused of negligent care following injuries sustained by the deceased upon falling out of a window.
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