Department profile
Six Pump Court

Health & Safety

UK Bar Guide 2026 : London (Bar)

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Six Pump Court

Rankings

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Health & Safety - London (Bar)

Band 2

What the Team is Known For

Six Pump Court houses a strong bench of seasoned health and safety practitioners who are regularly called upon to handle prosecutions arising in the oil and gas, manufacturing, transport, construction and retail sectors, among others. Members are particularly well regarded for their expertise in environmental offences and food safety matters and have experience both prosecuting and defending complex and high-value cases. The set's clients include several large multinational organisations, as well as local authorities and regulators such as the HSE, FSA, ORR and MCA. Sources say Six Pump Court "are always willing to go the extra mile to help us achieve what we need to with our cases." Recently the advocates successfully prosecuted on HSE v SERCO, a case involving the killing of a SERCO employee by a prisoner that focused on the health and safety culture within the organisation.

Richard Constable is the senior clerk.

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Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Liaising with the clerking team is extremely efficient, as is the support throughout the course of the case.

    Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

  • They are great at clerking. They are really good at equality diversity; they are really listening to women in the industry and they really care about it. It's refreshing.

    Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

  • The clerking is perfect, they are very responsive. I deal with all of the clerks and they are all excellent; they are hugely responsive.

    Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Gordon Menzies
    Gordon Menzies

    Gordon Menzies

    Gordon Menzies is an experienced advocate who has over 20 years of knowledge and experience in the health and safety field. He handles matters for clients in various sectors including the transportation and construction industries, and also frequently advises on prosecutions arising from severe injuries.

    • Gordon has an approach whereby his technical skills are matched with a superb 'bedside' manner with clients, and coupled with the art of persuasion in front a judge.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is able to grasp such technical and complex matters so efficiently and knows the way we work and what we are trying to achieve in such detail, working with him is a fully collaborative experience.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He works extremely hard and he is very good.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • Gordon's very bright, well prepared and very detailed. He fights for his clients and if you have a sticky situation he has a very calm way of dealings with things.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar
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  • Mark Watson
    Mark Watson

    Mark Watson

    Mark Watson KC is a specialist in regulatory matters who represents defendants facing prosecution for corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter. He is an expert at handling cases arising from rail disasters.

    • He is a Rolls-Royce health and safety lawyer.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • Mark is simply superb - tenacious, articulate and has a genuine courtroom presence.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is very excellent, has a massive brain, and knows so much about so many areas of law and regulatory law generally.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • Mark was really good, he made a complex point very elegantly and simply. He is super.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • I think he is exceptionally good. He is very quick to get to the issues in enormous sets of papers and is just very lovely to work with.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar
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  • Lee Bennett
    Lee Bennett

    Lee Bennett

    The majority of Lee Bennett's busy practice is devoted to defending corporations, their directors and local authorities against the HSE in regulatory matters pertaining to serious and fatal accidents within the workplace. He also has experience in non-workplace incidents, including those related to construction.

    • He is a great tactician and is good at explaining complex issues and giving strong strategic advice.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is a fantastic strategist and he works out the best outcome for clients; he is an outstanding strategic thinker.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He thinks of all the issues outside of the box; he is great with clients and he articulates difficult concepts really well. He's so decent.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is on top of his brief all the time and gets great results. He is strategic and bold.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar
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  • Nicholas Ostrowski
    Nicholas Ostrowski

    Nicholas Ostrowski

    Nicholas Ostrowski's practice sees him acting on behalf of both the prosecution and defence in complex health and safety cases. He is well-versed in rail-related incidents and has experience acting for the ORR. His broad expertise also encompasses fire and food safety matters, and he frequently appears for his clients at inquests and in criminal proceedings.

    • He is very nice, very effective and collaborative. He is on top of the detail but also has great emotional intelligence.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is extremely personable and responsive and takes the time to really understand our cases so that he knows how best to advise.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • I would always recommend him; he is smart, clever, humane and works incredibly hard.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar
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  • Stephen Hockman KC
    Stephen Hockman KC

    Stephen Hockman KC

    Stephen Hockman KC conducts defence work for major corporate clients in prosecutions often involving serious injuries or fatalities.

    • Bringing him in on a case is effective.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar
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  • David Hercock
    David Hercock

    David Hercock

    David Hercock is an advocate with an established health and safety practice. He has experience representing clients in the Supreme Court and in the European Court of Justice. He has experience defending clients who operate in industries such as manufacturing, transport and food, and has particular expertise in fire safety and food safety cases.

    • He is extremely good.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is very good at spotting technical points; he is very thorough and has an extremely good knowledge of the law.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is brilliant - an encyclopaedia of regulatory law.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is technically adept, knowledgeable on issues, thorough and organised. He is very personable, really takes the lead and doesn't miss key points and steers the case where we need it.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar
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  • Mark Harris
    Mark Harris

    Mark Harris

    Mark Harris is an esteemed junior who has significant expertise across the whole spectrum of health and safety law. He devotes much of his practice to regulatory work, undertaking cases relating to waste management and pollution control. Harris regularly handles matters concerning construction sites, the railways and hazardous substances.

    • Mark is an excellent barrister. He is extremely experienced and brings his detailed knowledge of health and safety matters to each of our cases.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar
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  • Pascal Bates
    Pascal Bates

    Pascal Bates

    Pascal Bates is an astute practitioner with a significant civil and regulatory law practice. He regularly prosecutes on behalf of local authorities and the HSE, and is routinely sought out for his strategic advice pre-charge. He has considerable experience handling cases concerning fatal accidents and serious injuries.

    • He is exceptional in his field.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is a diligent prosecutor who will leave no stone unturned.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar

    • He is a pleasure to deal with, and is very helpful.

      Health & Safety respondentUK Bar
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Ranked Barristers at Six Pump Court (8)

London (Bar)

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