Call: 1993 | KC: 2015
Direct access
Ranked in Tier 1 – Health & Safety – Northern/North Eastern Bar – Chambers & Partners 2024
Lisa Roberts KC specialises in regulatory law with a strong focus on environmental law, health and safety work and professional discipline. She has a national reputation in Inquiry work and is widely-respected for her work on behalf of the water and sewerage industry.
Lisa has held several leadership roles at the Bar and was Leader of the Northern Circuit 2020-2022 and made a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn in 2020 where she serves on a number of committees. Lisa is the Northern Circuit Senior Representative for Lincoln’s Inn.
Inquiries and Inquests: Lisa acts on behalf of police officers, large companies and public bodies in inquests and inquiries and has earned a strong reputation for guarding the interests of her clients. Lisa has led large legal teams for the North West Ambulance Service in the Manchester Arena Inquiry (2020-2023); for the Health and Safety Executive in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry (2021-2023); for the former ACC of West Midlands Police in the Hillsborough Inquests. Lisa represents United Utilities in the Inquest into the deaths of two people in flood water in 2023.
Energy Sector: Lisa has represented most of England’s Water Companies and is regularly instructed to advise them on regulatory compliance, engagement with the regulators to avoid enforcement action, and throughout court proceedings when prosecuted by the regulators. She is instructed by Thames Water in the largest ever investigation brought by the Environment Agency (Operation Standard) and by United Utilities in the largest ever prosecution for over-abstraction. As well as regularly representing utility companies who are facing prosecution by the regulators, she also carries out private prosecutions on their behalf. Lisa was instructed by United Utilities to represent them throughout a prosecution brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate, which followed the cryptosporidium event of the summer of 2015 (the largest of its kind) and has represented water companies in most of the prosecutions brought since then by the Drinking Water Inspectorate.
Consequently, her expertise has been called upon to present seminars, conferences and keynote speeches to defence solicitors, corporate clients and industry regulators at national conferences such as Water UK and the Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association.
Regulatory
- Health and Safety
- Environmental
- Water Industry
- Police Federation – Criminal and Disciplinary
- Trading Standards
- Medical Profession – Criminal and GMC (Defence)
Utility Companies 2017 – 2024:
Thames Water:
– representing the company in Operation Standard, the largest Environment Agency (EA) investigation into the water industry
– defending company in (to date) five other prosecutions brought by the EA and the DWI
United Utilities:
– Defending company in largest ever prosecution brought by the DWI for a wide-scale incident involving Cryptosporidium
– Representing company in numerous prosecutions brought against them by the EA and the DWI, including the largest ever case of over-abstraction
– representing the company’s interests at the forthcoming inquest into the deaths of two people in flood water in 2023
– Representing the company in a private prosecution for a third party pollution
Wessex Water and Severn Trent – Advising re DWI and EA investigations
Yorkshire Water:
– Representing company at a contested planning hearing regarding drought orders
– Advising re an EA prosecution
Northumbrian Water:
– Representing the company in DWI prosecution
– Advising company in an EA prosecution
Inquests & Inquiries
Lisa’s breadth of Inquest work includes the following:
United Utilities – representing the company in an inquest into death of two people in flood water
AB – Representing the Health and Safety Executive in suicide case where serious allegations made against conduct of HSE, all of which rejected by Coroner.
WM – Representing large haulage company as one of number of IPs.
AM – Representing shop manager at large retail outlet where child died.
DJ – Representing G4S employee following death in custody.
Merseyside Police – representing officers in death in custody case.
HSE v Recresco Ltd – Representing the HSE in fatality at work involving crushing by fork lift truck.
HSE v Forgemasters – Representing the HSE in fatality at work involving collapse of steel casting (crushing).
Health & safety
Regarded as a first-class, specialist silk, Lisa is instructed in some of the country’s leading cases in which she acts for individual and corporate clients such as:
Didcot Power station collapse – representing the explosives’ engineer in this multiple fatality
Wrexham CBC v Bryn Melyn Care Limited – Defending (death of a child in care)
West Suffolk Council v Persimmon Homes (Anglia Limited) – boundary/hedgerow dispute
Cardiff City Council v Persimmon Homes Ltd – the ‘mis-selling’ of leasehold properties
Oldham Borough Council v Shop Direct Home Shopping Ltd – head injury
HSE v Accrol Paper Ltd – crush injury
HSE v Karro Foods Limited – fall from height
HSE v Forgemasters Engineering Ltd (HSWA, DSEAR)
HSE v Asset International (HAVS)
HSE v Valmet
HSE v Maxi Haulage.
Professional conduct & disciplinary
Lisa has spent nearly three decades representing both federated and senior police officers in criminal and misconduct proceedings.
PS v Chief Superintendent RA – All allegations of gross misconduct and honesty and integrity dismissed
R v LK – Undercover officer, indecent images
R v DCI EB – Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
DC JC – Gross misconduct hearing – counter-terrorism officer
R v Police Constable D.B. – Misconduct (Crown offered no evidence on all sexual offences).
R v Superintendent M.C. – Misconduct hearing (acquitted).
R v WPC T.D. – Crown Court trial for misconduct (acquitted).
R v Police Constable G.W. – Three Crown Court trials for misconduct and theft (acquitted in all three trials).
R v Police Constable S.J. – Crown Court trial for rape (acquitted).
R v Police Constable C.L. – Crown Court trial for rape and multiple counts of misconduct (acquitted).
R v Police Constable J.B. – Magistrates’ Court trial for assault (acquitted).
R v Police Constable P.B. – Gross Misconduct hearing for assault (officer kept his job).
R v Police Constable A.K. – Misconduct hearing – Sexual allegations.
R v Police Constable J.J. – Misconduct hearing – Violent allegations.
Crime
Lisa represents high-profile individuals (or their family members) in both criminal and civil proceedings, such as:
Ryan Giggs – assault x 2, controlling and coercive behaviour defending
Nicky Butt – Assault – successfully defended
Arron Scholes – Defending, assault.
IK – Pre-charge advice to high-profile businessman re alleged sexual offences
RART v BC – Successfully defending civil forfeiture proceedings brought against Yorkshire businessman.
RART v JO – Civil forfeiture proceedings against local businessman.
Recommendations
“An Excellent and Impressive Barrister.”
― Chambers & Partners [2023]“A formidable advocate.”
― Chambers & Partners [2022] - Professional Discipline“She is a very classy operator – very authoritative and a really persuasive advocate.” “One of the most prominent leading silks... She’s easy to work with, a team player and she stands out thanks to her strategic thinking.”
― Chambers & Partners [2022] – Health and Safety“Absolutely first rate. First class in her approach and manner and she goes the extra mile in supporting instructing solicitors and representing her clients.” “excellent attention to detail and is very thorough.” “brilliant in court and clients love her.”
― Chambers & Partners [2021] – Health and Safety“Very well prepared and a very good advocate who is very easy to work with.” “An excellent barrister.”
― Chambers & Partners [2021] – Professional Discipline“A fantastic silk – she’s really bright, really switched-on, utterly charming and captivating.” “Very thorough and has a great manner with her clients.”
― Chambers & Partners [2020]“A class act”, “She is very bright and makes very persuasive arguments.”
― Chambers & Partners [2019]Memberships
Criminal Bar Association, Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association, The Northern Circuit (Leader 2020-2022, Attorney General 2017-2019) Lincoln’s Inn (Bencher and committee member)
Education
St Catherine’s College, Oxford (B.A. Hons, English Language and Literature), University of Huddersfield, CPE, Inns of Court School of Law, Lincoln’s Inn – Scholar
Latest news
8th March 2024
Six Pump Court celebrates International Women’s Day 2024
Six Pump Court celebrates the remarkable women barristers in chambers who practise in all areas of law. This year they have achieved success at...
23rd January 2024
Chambers welcomes new Associate Member, Lisa Roberts KC
We're delighted to announce the newest addition to Six Pump Court - Lisa Roberts KC, who joins us as an Associate Member. An expert...
Contact my clerks
