James Thompson | Partner, Licensing and Regulatory

James is a Partner in the Licensing and Regulatory team, specialising in health and safety law.

James is a qualified Solicitor Advocate allowing him to practice in the Crown and Appeal Courts. He appears on a regular basis in the Magistrates’, Coroners’ and Crown Courts.

James’ client base covers the breadth of the public and private sectors from retail and education to chemicals and manufacturing.

He has extensive experience advising public and private healthcare providers in the area of health & safety and regulatory compliance.

James initially qualified as a Solicitor working in house for FTSE 100 company.

He has also worked for national firms Eversheds LLP and Hammonds LLP in their regulatory teams, leading their practices in this area in the Newcastle and Leeds offices respectively.

James has extensive experience in dealing with all aspects of criminal regulatory proceedings brought against individuals and organisations, both in the public and private sectors.

These proceedings have been brought by a variety of different agencies such as the HSE, Police, Environment Agency and local authorities to name a few.

He has represented numerous individuals and organisations accused of manslaughter and other serious offences.

James is currently qualifying as a Solicitor in Scotland allowing him to provide advice and representation to clients based in Scotland or whose activities find them regulated by Scottish criminal law.

James has over 18 years' experience from the Police service in relation to the investigation of offences and has latterly prosecuted offences for government departments, statutory bodies and for various ports and airports.

He currently lectures to undergraduates, post-graduates as well as professional bodies on various health and safety / regulatory topics.