Increasingly we have found there is a demand for privately funded matters, particularly for the more discerning clients or the corporate body that wants the absolute best. As a result Nick Melville, as senior partner, has set up and heads, the bespoke private client department. 

 

 All Criminal, Regulatory, Corporate, Environmental, Health and Safety Executive, Trading Standards and Tax and VAT matters are dealt with appropriately and as the client requires. 

 

 From the first contact by the authorities and initial instructions we provide 24 hours a day availability and access and you therefore, have a team of experts at your finger tips from day 1. Nick will lead and put together the appropriate team from our partners and fee earners and many expert contacts.

 

 Whether corporate or individual clients this department can design a personal case plan, case strategy and fee structure to deal with your case. We are known for our tact, discernment, skill and integrity amongst our opponents in these cases. We are happy to negotiate early settlements on your behalf, manage your affairs or conduct appropriate, contested, aggressive litigation on your behalf.

 

 This is this departments favourite quote and philosophy:-

The Common Law of Business Balance” which is a meditation on price and it is attributed to John Ruskin – a 19th century English poet, fervent art critic, and socialist.

 

 "There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person’s lawful prey. It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money — that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot — it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.”

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All businesses however large or small and whatever the sector are governed by the same regulatory framework. From safety within your business to how you manage your business’s waste, every aspect of your working world is regulated through the application of duties and obligations set down in law.

A Regulatory case exists where there is an allegation of breach of these duties or obligations or a failure to meet the required legal standard. Breaches of the duties and obligations placed on businesses and individuals can be criminal offences and could result in a criminal investigation and prosecution by regulatory authorities, like Trading Standards departments or the Environment Agency. Investigations into breaches or failings are conducted in just the same way as a police criminal investigation using all the same powers and techniques. If a prosecution is brought, it will be in the criminal courts and on conviction will result in a criminal record.

In most cases, the law allows a director to be prosecuted personally if the business he or she manages fails to comply with its duties and obligations. This could result in a criminal conviction, disqualification from being a director for up to 15 years and in the most serious cases, a prison sentence.

 

Quinn Melville regulatory defence solicitors represent individuals and businesses facing investigation or prosecution by a number of prosecuting and regulatory authorities including:

• The Health and Safety Executive

• Trading Standards Agency

• The Environment Agency

• Food Standard Agency

• VOSA

• Traffic Commissioner Inquiries

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It is vital that expert legal advice is obtained as early as possible when dealing with any regulatory body.

Our team have developed considerable expertise and experience through dealing with a huge variety of cases nation wide. We provide invaluable advice and representation from the interview and investigation stage through to Court proceedings at all levels throughout the country.

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