Emma is an experienced Regulatory Lawyer, who specialises in Health and Safety. She has over a decade’s experience of advising in health and safety (H&S) law, and regularly acts for clients (from SMEs through to large corporates and PLCs) across a range of sectors and high-hazard industries. These include: manufacturing, construction, real estate, built environment and logistics, amongst others.

Prior to joining Bexley Beaumont, following her qualification she initially worked as a General Criminal Defence Duty Solicitor, then spent some time at a regional insurance practice, she went on to spend nearly 7 years with Legal 500 Tier 1 ranked for H&S, and Top 20 global law firm Pinsent Masons, and spent her last 2 years at Brabners LLP.

Emma is dual-qualified as a lawyer, and holds her ‘NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety’. This makes her adept at providing clients not only legal advice and support, but with pragmatic, practical and commercial solutions in how to achieve, maintain and enhance compliance. She is passionate about H&S law, and providing advice and insights clients can trust.

Emma advises on a range of issues, for example, those concerning Building and Fire Safety, CDM, Occupational Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Machinery Safety, Gas Safety, Asbestos, Work at Height, Manual Handling, Covid compliance, Hazardous Substances, Traffic Management, Fleet and Work-related Road Risk. Her core areas of practice, include: -

Support Solutions:

• Advice and Compliance: for example, standalone legal advice and opinion, policy, gap analysis, compliance reviews, stress testing of policies and procedures, as well as offering strategic and commercial advice / guidance on how to best approach business resilience, preparedness, and emergency / crisis arrangements.
• Training and Workshops: Board Briefings, Senior Leadership and Operational Team H&S Training, Bespoke Training and Workshops, Accident Investigation Training, Managing Regulatory Visits & Interventions, Culture, Managing Workplace Stress, along other areas.

Reactive Solutions:

• Crisis and Incident Response: including post-incident 24/7 support, RIDDOR advice, internal investigations, advice around regulatory scrutiny (whether from the Police, Health and Safety Executive, Local Authority Environmental Health Officer, Fire Authorities, Trading Standards, Office Rail and Road, Ofsted, or other regulatory body) and any subsequent criminal investigations / intervention, managing internal communications, press and media handling, and third parties / insurer disclosure requests.
• Regulatory Proceedings and Interventions: advice on ‘Notice of Contraventions’, ‘Fee for Intervention’ (inc. queries and disputes), Enforcement Notices and Appeals against Enforcement Action, responding to PACE and voluntary interviews in response to alleged material breaches of H&S law, advice on plea and merits of any criminal defence, as well as active representation in the Magistrates and Crown Court when prosecutions for any H&S breach is pursued. This includes having acted in many fatal cases, and defended in Corporate Manslaughter allegations.
• Coronial Law and Practice: she is regularly asked to represent ‘Interested Persons’ (IPs) in the immediate aftermath of a fatal incident, from registering initial interest with Coroner as an IP, to reviewing and advising upon disclosure, as well as active representation and conducting advocacy at (including for Article 2 and Jury-led) inquests. She also provides advice on prevention of future death issues and remediation, and has acted in many high-profile and complex inquests.

Emma has been repeatedly recognised in the Legal 500 as a ‘Rising Star’ in her field, described as: “Emma Evans has a thorough knowledge of the law, which she is able to apply to technical and other issues….” and “Emma Evans is dedicated, meticulous, and with admirable client focus that sets her apart….”

What clients say:

• In-House Legal of Major Construction Company, said: "Emma did a really good job! She was clearly committed to the case, had tireless energy and was very switched on!"”
• Commercial Director of Rail Company, following major incident and concurrent regulatory investigations, said: "...consistently excellent and her judgment calls have been spot on"”

In addition to her fee paid work, Emma also sits as a Trustee of the ‘One Percent Safer Foundation’, and is a part-time freelance lecturer for BPP.