Katherine Metcalfe

Practice Areas

Katherine is a regulatory specialist in health and safety, fire and building safety and contentious environmental matters. Katherine has extensive energy sector experience spanning oil and gas and renewables, and infrastructure experience acting for key players and household names. Katherine is qualified in English and Scots law. She advises not only on immediate incident response, internal investigation, and investigations by regulators, but also on how to avoid an incident occurring in the first place. She frequently appears in courts and tribunals defending organisations charged with regulatory offences, representing their interests at Fatal Accident Inquiries and appealing enforcement action. She is a regular speaker at health and safety and fire safety events and provides training and advice on preventative measures.

Career

• 2022 – Present – Pinsent Masons LLP, Partner

• 2019 to 2022 – Pinsent Masons LLP, Legal Director

• 2017 to 2019 – Pinsent Masons LLP, Senior Associate

• 2016 to 2017 – Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Legal Services Manager

• 2011 to 2016 – Pinsent Masons LLP, Senior Associate

• 2004 to 2011 – McGrigors, Trainee solicitor – Senior Solicitor

Professional Memberships

• Law Society of England and Wales

• Law Society of Scotland

• Committee Member, Health and Safety Lawyers' Association

• Vice-Chair, British Property Federation Building Safety Sounding Board

Experience

Fire and Building Safety

• Providing strategic legal advice to an estate owner on preparing occupied higher risk buildings for the new building safety regime in England.

• Advising a manufacturer of construction products on issues surrounding the thermal performance of its products.

• Advising a manufacturer of safety-critical products on issues surrounding the renewal of certification for its products.

• Supporting a Tier 1 contractor with its preparations for the new building safety regime in England & Wales. Providing training to senior managers and supporting the client’s building safety task force.

• Advising a housing association on the decant of a building due to fire and structural safety concerns.

Health and Safety

• Advising an energy company on the safety implications of the proposed corporate structure and allocation of health and safety duty holder roles for the construction and operation of new offshore windfarm.

• Advising an oil major on a prosecution arising out of an offshore fatality, resolving the case on best terms.

• Appealing an improvement notice, the drafting of which went beyond the requirements of the law and caused serious problems for continued operations. Negotiating a revised notice with the Health and Safety Executive.

• Advised a homewares retailer on Covid related health and safety issues. This included urgent advice on the interpretation of regulations issued by the Scottish Government for the operation of licensed premises within their Scottish stores. The issue was significant for the client as a decision had to be made at very short notice whether or not to open the cafes. The wrong decision could have had reputational as well as regulatory consequences.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

• 2010 – England and Wales

• 2006 – Scotland