Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
'Calm and assured' health and safety defence specialist Howard Watson leads the ‘thoughtful’ team at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, which is well-equipped to handle regulatory and contentious work. The team regularly acts for well-known corporations in sensitive matters brought against them by the HSE. A key example of the work the team is involved in, is its representing ITV in the inquest of a person who committed suicide following his appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show. Other noteworthy clients include BAE Systems and Chevron. David Bennett, promoted to partner in May 2023, has strong regulatory capabilities and advises clients through crisis management and internal investigations processes.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘An excellent team with significant depth of experience and knowledge of the law. They are very flexible in how they get their work done and are proactive in making suggestions.’
‘Leaving aside their technical knowledge, which is excellent, it is rare to find lawyers that we trust and are happy to work with, but this is the case with Howard Waston and David Bennett. They explain new and complicated concepts in an understandable way.’
‘An assured and thoughtful team who provide helpful insight on all matters of health and safety law.’
‘Howard Watson is calm and assured at all times, and gives confidence that he is on top of things. David Bennett is hardworking and well-prepared.’
Key clients
- Arup
- Chevron
- BAE Systems PLC
- Perenco
- Valero
- ITV
- Ballymore
Work highlights
- Acting on behalf of Arup in relation to the various on-going investigations arising from the Stonehaven train derailment in August 2020 which resulted in 3 fatalities.
- Acting on behalf of ITV at the Inquest of a person who committed suicide following his appearance on the Jeremy Kyle Show.
- Acting on behalf of BAE Systems PLC following the death of two servicemen and the serious personal injury of others following the misfire of the gun on a Challenger 2 tank at the Castlemartin Firing Range.
Lawyers
Leading individuals
Next Generation Partners
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Howard Watson