Region Area

Lawyers

Laura Saunsbury

Laura Saunsbury

Work Department

Crime unit.

Position

Consultant and head of firearms law department. Laura gives advice and representation to individuals, clubs and registered firearms dealers in relation to firearms licensing and also criminal offences involving firearms. Laura receives regular referrals from national shooting organisations such as the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association, the Sportsman’s Association, the Gun Trade Association, the Country Land and Business Association, etc to advise and represent their members throughout England and Wales. Reported cases in which Laura has been involved include R v David Evans (Ct of Appeal) [2006] EWCA Crim 8 (re mandatory minimum sentence for prohibited firearms introduced shortly before that). Other cases which were unreported, but brought as test prosecutions and have informed police firearms licensing policy nationally, include R v JC Ltd 2010 (re selling of shotgun ammunition by mail order) and R v W 2010 (re definition of ‘rifle’ and types of firearms which can be held on a club firearms certificate).

Career

Trained Cartwright Cunningham Haselgrove & Co; qualified 1993; partner Saunsbury & Co; general criminal practice 2005; honorary solicitor Clay Pigeon Shooting Association; consultant Lewis Nedas Law Limited 2007. Publications of note: regular contributor to the CPSA magazine, ‘Pull!’; has published the ‘British Firearms Law Handbook’, Sweet & Maxwell 2011.

Languages

French.

Memberships

LCCSA; Lawyers for Liberty; trade member of the CPSA; Sportsman’s Association.

Education

Loreto College, St Albans; Middlesex Polytechnic (now University) (1990 LLB); College of Law (1991 Law Society Finals).

Leisure

Shooting sports, walking in the countryside.