Boutique law firm, specialising in health & safety law and regulatory defence
Our health & safety lawyers and regulatory defence lawyers help organisations, their directors and senior managers in England & Wales facing investigation and possible prosecution
Covid-19
Our health & safety lawyers have been busy advising on Covid-19
Our Vision.
“an unrivalled combination of quality and value”
Quality Lawyers
Quality Service
Value for Money
“Turnstone Law’s streamlined approach cherry picks for you the best that the solicitors’ and barristers’ professions can offer, to deliver an unrivalled combination of quality and value.”
We cover a range of criminal regulatory areas, including:
Health & Safety and Fire Safety
Our health & safety lawyers and fire safety lawyers provide advice to employers and managers on all aspects of health and safety law and fire safety law:
- Policies, systems and procedures to reduce exposure to liability
- Emergency response to incidents, including 24/7/365 availability
- Commissioning privileged incident investigation reports
- Representation and support for regulator interviews (e.g. Health & Safety Executive, local authorities, fire authorities and Police)
- Advocacy in all courts
- Challenging Health & Safety Executive Fee for Intervention Notices
- Appealing Improvement and Prohibition Notices
- Defending health & safety, fire safety and corporate manslaughter prosecutions
- Representation at coroner’s inquests and public inquiries
- Defending executive and non-executive directors
- Training
With the introduction of £multi-million fines for the largest companies, as well as guideline jail terms in excess of 10 years for managers convicted of manslaughter, it has never been more important to know that you are getting the best advice from your health & safety lawyers.
Our team of specialist health and safety solicitors and barristers, with associated fire safety expertise, are leaders in the field, covering sectors ranging from construction, rail, manufacturing, oil and renewable energy to services, retail, schools, sports stadia, banks and the restructuring industry.
Rest assured that with our help, the burden and stress of an investigation or potential prosecution under health and safety laws will be alleviated by the knowledge that you are in the most capable and experienced hands. Dr Simon Joyston-Bechal is widely regarded as one of the UK’s leading health and safety solicitors, with a track record in getting the very best results for clients, whilst showing an understanding for those who have been exposed to health and safety and fire safety risks.
Trading Standards, Product Liability and Food Safety
We provide advice on the full range of trading standards law and environmental health enforcement:
- Trading standards
- Product liability and product recall
- Food safety, hygiene, imitation and labelling
- Weights and measures
- Under-age sales
- Alcohol licensing
- Vehicle and road traffic offences
- Toys safety
- Electromagnetic compatibility
- Advocacy in all courts
- Unfair commercial practices
- Training
Our trading standards lawyers are experts. Simon Joyston-Bechal’s medical expertise gives him a particularly strong understanding of product safety and food safety matters. For example, he has successfully challenged hygiene emergency prohibition notices by mustering expert evidence to show that mouse contamination of food products gave a very much lower risk of illness than was required to justify this draconian enforcement power.
Environmental Protection
We provide advice and assistance in the aftermath of environmental incidents, for example:
- Responding to incidents (e.g. air, water and ground pollution and waste)
- Commissioning privileged incident investigation reports
- Representation and support for regulator interviews
- Advocacy in all courts
- Appealing enforcement notices
- Defending proceeds of crime confiscation proceedings
- Training
Our specialist environmental defence lawyers know how best to protect you in the event of a leak, contamination, waste licensing breach or other environmental protection issue.
White Collar Crime and Internal Investigations
We provide advice and assistance on white collar crime to companies, directors and senior employees:
- Bribery, corruption and money-laundering
- Compliance procedures to prevent fraud and corruption
- Internal investigations
- Support for interviews by Police and regulators
- Negotiation with prosecutors and self-reporting requirements
- Advocacy in all courts
- Training
Our white collar crime lawyers are experts. For example, Fiona Horlick QC is one of the leading specialists in the field and is the co-editor and contributing author of the premier international textbook on bribery, ‘Lissack and Horlick on Bribery’. Valerie Charbit also has extensive experience of taking a large variety of fraud and corruption cases to trial.
Fiona and Valerie are particularly well placed to lead an authoritative internal investigation. They are supported by other team members bringing to bear the best skills of witness interviewing, analysis of documents, drafting and presenting their findings. Simon Joyston-Bechal sits as a committee member of the City of London Law Society Corporate Crime and Corruption Committee.
Dr Simon Joyston-Bechal was selected by the Legal500 directory for its Health & Safety Solicitor ‘Hall of Fame’, which “highlights individuals who have received constant praise from their clients for continued excellence” and “who are at the pinnacle of the profession”
“I am immensely proud of the group of specialist barristers that have come together to work alongside me at Turnstone Law. Together, we represent the strongest team of specialist health & safety lawyers and regulatory defence lawyers in the field. We give clients the direct knowledgeable service they expect from a boutique law firm; but what is unique is the nature of the team that is available with me to advise clients directly. Turnstone Law is truly a “one-stop-shop”, with top quality solicitors and barristers delivering a top quality service.”
“Our innovative structure allows for low overheads and efficiencies compared to the traditional solicitors firm approach. This means we can provide a ‘high end’ service without charging clients a ‘high end’ price. The result is an unrivalled combination of quality and value.”
Dr Simon Joyston-Bechal (Solicitor)
Director, Turnstone Law
About our innovative team structure.
Turnstone Law has developed an innovative structure allowing you to access the best specialist advice from a “one stop shop” boutique law firm regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
How do we ensure quality?
Your work will be led by Dr Simon Joyston-Bechal (Director), a top ranked solicitor with over 25 years’ experience. He is backed up by a team of specialist barristers selected from leading chambers, who are able to advise you as Turnstone Law team barristers.
Who will deal with you?
Your day to day contact will either be Simon Joyston-Bechal or one of the Turnstone Law team barristers, depending upon your requirements.
Why is this better value?
Our structure offers you a seamless service without doubling up between solicitors and barristers for legal advice and court advocacy.
You will get top quality advice direct from experienced trial lawyers who can argue your case in any court. Our team approach gives you access to the best health & safety lawyers and regulatory defence lawyers to take your case from start to finish, avoiding the usual hand-over from the solicitor’s firm to external barristers and avoiding the delay, cost and inefficiency that is so often caused by the split between the solicitors’ and barristers’ professions.
If you have ever paid a solicitor to draft a detailed set of instructions to a barrister, or sat in a meeting with solicitors and barristers wondering why you are paying for two sets of expensive lawyers, then you will appreciate the benefit of our one stop service. Of course, we can also instruct an external QC in the traditional way to provide a second opinion or to work together with our Turnstone Law team barrister at trial if that is appropriate for your case. Even then, our approach avoids the duplication of you needing to pay for a junior solicitor to sit behind the barristers.
Turnstone – a nimble bird that knows how useful it is to assess
what is happening on the other side
Let’s Get Started
Contact us today in confidence – with a question or to arrange a free initial consultation. We will respond within 24 hours, or sooner if you request an urgent response. You are under no obligation to proceed.