Richard Voke

Richard handles Risk, Compliance & Investigations matters, advising and defending organisations in their dealings with regulatory bodies such as the HSE, the Environment Agency, Environmental Health, the Food Standards Agency, Trading Standards and fire authorities. His caseload includes numerous workplace fatalities and associated inquests. He has worked extensively with high hazard industries such as energy, construction, waste and manufacturing. He has developed a proactive approach, often stopping prosecutions before they get to court. This can include training, monitoring and development to help avoid regulatory challenges and enforcement. Before becoming a solicitor in 2000, Richard worked for eight years as an HSE inspector/investigator and for two years as a risk management consultant for AEAT plc. He also has an MSc in Environmental Toxicology. In litigation Richard uses his prosecution experience to ensure that his clients achieve the best possible defence. The Legal 500 has described him as “outstanding both in the depth of his knowledge and in his pragmatic and tactical approach”. He is a member of our Energy & Environment team. Before joining Temple Bright in 2019, Richard was a partner and head of the business risk and regulation team at Ashfords.

Experience

Relevant experience at Temple Bright includes:

• Defending a major waste company in two four week Crown Court trials following a fatality on a major London construction site.
• Defending a large London Housing Association against legal action by the London Fire Brigade.
• Defending a construction company following an on site fatality. HSE dropped the charges two weeks before trial.
• Reducing an HSE fine for a multinational company, on appeal, by £260,000.
• Inquest representation following the death of a child whilst in the care of an NHS Trust.
• Defending a national retail company against the Environment Agency following a pollution incident.
• Defending a large agricultural enterprise following a major pollution incident.
• Defending a senior manager in an HSE investigation following a near fatal incident. HSE dropped the investigation.
• Providing training sessions and conference presentations for IOD, IOSH, AGS, Aviva, ISBA and others.
• Defending a high profile corporate in an investigation following an underground service loss of containment, requiring the evacuation of a district of London.