Lee Hughes

Lee is considered a “rising star” in business and regulatory crime by Legal 500. He specialises in regulatory law, with a focus on health and safety (including fire), road traffic (including work in front of the traffic commissioners), seizures by HMRC and Border Force, Ofsted enforcement, inquests, professional discipline, environmental law and trading standards.

Prior to joining chambers Lee worked as a solicitor for some of the country’s leading regulatory practices. In doing so he gained experience in advising and representing international corporate clients, developed excellent client handling skills and amassed significant technical knowledge in his specialist areas. He also developed a keen insight into what instructing solicitors require from their instructed counsel.

Due to Lee’s significant experience as a solicitor coupled with his thorough preparation and eye for detail, Lee has quickly established himself as a successful, sought-after junior in regulatory law matters.

Since moving to the Bar Lee has been in high demand for representing privately funded defendants in the Magistrates’ Court and Crown Court for a range of criminal offences. He has also appeared in numerous cases involving POCA, where substantial sums have been sought.

In much of his work, Lee is instructed by insurance practices and national law firms to defend corporate clients and individuals. In addition to his solid defence practice, Lee also prosecutes on the Specialist Regulatory Advocates list for Health and Safety and Environmental Law.

Lee has also been instructed in matters of national significance, including the Manchester Arena Inquiry, the Gosport Independent Panel Review and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

In addition to advocacy, Lee provides training and assistance to instructing solicitors and regulatory bodies on a range of subjects and is always happy to get involved in a case pre-charge, when he can influence the direction of investigations.

Lee develops strong working relationships with instructing solicitors and clients alike, using his experience supervising teams of lawyers to ensure successful outcomes.

Due to his professional disciplinary experience Lee has been appointed as an independent investigator by the United Kingdom Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association (UKBJJA) in disciplinary matters and also as a legal expert assisting the Disciplinary and Arbitration Committees of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF).

Lee has been successful in achieving panel status for several specialist prosecution agencies, including the CPS general Crime list, the CPS Serious Crime Specialist Panel, the SFO Panel and the Specialist Regulator (AG) Panel.

He is authorised to represent members of the public under the ‘Public Access’ scheme.