Regulatory and Local Government
Areas covered:
Licensing, POCA, Protective Orders, Mediation, Trading Standards, Environmental, Inquest, Regulatory Crime, SEND tribunals, Health and Safety, Disciplinary Hearings, Judicial Review, Direct Access (professional clients only)
Background
Mark has been in practice as a barrister for 30 years. For some years he was Senior Crown Advocate for Wessex CPS (Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire) in which time he prosecuted multi-handed trials as leading junior including drugs, fraud and organised crime offences and providing pre-charge and investigatory advice to a range of public bodies.
Prior to starting in Practice, Mark was a full time lecturer at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth teaching a range of subjects including Administrative Law, Human Rights and International Taxation. He has worked as a translator and interpreter (German to English) and was formerly a Visiting Lecturer at City University, London and part-time lecturer at the University of Westminster.
He has studied law in both England and in Germany and research for his masters degree was undertaken in Berlin.
He is a qualified Civil and Commercial Mediator. He accepts direct access cases from professional clients.
Experience
Mark has substantial experience of the Court of Appeal with over 60 cases to his name. He is happy to provide advice on appeal on a private basis. He has also appeared in the House of Lords (as was) and in judicial review applications. On three different occasions appeal court judges have referred to his ‘attractively presented [oral and written] arguments’.
Mark has experience of Trading Standards and Local Authority prosecutions and appeals for a range of offences from fly tipping , rogue motor traders and building frauds. He is instructed by a number of local authorities and police forces. He is happy to provide a ‘cradle to grave ‘ service to include paperwork, advising on merits, evidence, further investigations, drafting and appeals. Recent successes include providing Thames Valley Police with a positive second opinion (reviewing previous negative advice) in a civil forfeiture application leading to recovery of almost £250, 000. His advisory work has been described by his Instructing Solicitor as ‘outstanding’.
Since 2012 he has been a passionate scuba diver, instructor and ocean lover and will enthusiastically pursue environmental offences.
Recent successes (regulatory etc in last 6 months)
- Bracknell BC v AA – taxi licence appeal – dismissed and £5000 costs awarded
- Wiltshire BC v JF – taxi licence appeal – abandoned following Respondent skeleton
- Portsmouth BC v – taxi licence appeal – dismissed – costs recovered
- Southampton City Council v ZS – licence appeal dismissed with costs
- Test Valley BC v NC- appeal against sentence flytipping – dismissed with costs
- Thames Valley Police v ID- appeal against closure order – appeal dismissed
- SOERCU – forfeiture application – conceded by Respondent £231, 000 forfeited
- Dorset Police – appeal against Stalking Protection Order – dismissed
- Surrey Police – appeal against Sexual Risk Order – dismissed
- Oxford County Council – SEND Appeal B,F and I – successfully defended
- Dorset Police v MFS – successful application for Stalking Protection Order