Investigation, Regulation and Tax

Whether you are bound by regulatory laws or need a licence to operate, sometimes you will need help complying with legislation. If you find yourself in trouble and dealing with breaches or having to defend your business or staff from enforcement agencies, we will handle the investigations for you and be at your side working to minimise the fallout.

I want to open a restaurant/bar/club and need a licence to do so. Can you help me?

Yes, we can. We’ve developed relationships across the UK with many councils, licensing authorities and responsible authorities, including police, trading standards, EHO, fire safety and planning authorities. No matter where you’re located, we can help you get a license.

An offence has been committed on my premises. Will I lose my licence?

Not necessarily – it depends upon the exact circumstances of the case. Human error often comes into it, and if you can demonstrate that you’ve done all that can be reasonably expected to stay compliant (for example, providing appropriate staff training), then losing your licence may not be the outcome. There are other options available to the licensing authority when dealing with a breach. We’ve dealt with all ranges of offences, so we can help no matter what challenge you face.

How much will it cost?

We offer a range of fixed fees for standard matters, and we’ll provide an accurate fee estimate at the outset of any more complicated or contested cases.

Heath Thomas, Partner, Head of Investigation, Regulation and Tax, and Thames Valley Office

Investigation, Regulation and Tax

Direct Dial: 03301 075 810
Mobile: 07966 492 929

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KEY CONTACTS

Whole Team

Our Experience

Our team of regulatory, investigation and tax solicitors, along with our financial specialists, have successfully defended businesses and individuals facing charges or at risk of having their licences revoked. We understand the associated challenges and demands of this situation, and provide practical and focused advice. Our knowledge of regulatory, investigation and tax law is second to none; we are ranked tier 1 by the Legal 500 for our licensing work and our team includes former local authority solicitors and HMRC officers.

We work throughout the UK and across sectors such as construction, manufacturing, leisure and retail, and agriculture. We’ll help you with media management to limit reputational damage and help you keep trading even when your livelihood is at risk. We are on call day and night and central to you and your business.

Chambers: “Wide-ranging practice with experts in every department.”

We really get to know you and understand the challenges you face. We find sensible commercial solutions to help you operate, whatever your circumstances. Our regulatory, investigation and tax lawyers will be on hand to respond quickly, producing focused and informative representations that can help avoid prosecution.

We assist clients across all areas with their licensing needs, from corner shops to world-famous department stores, hotels, theatres, outdoor events, casinos and taxis.

In regulatory work, we have acted for clients in:

Health and safety investigations and prosecutions, including fatal and catastrophic accidents
Road traffic investigation and prosecutions
Environmental offences
Food safety and product recall
Trading standards enforcements and prosecutions
Inquests
Our tax expertise has helped clients with HMRC investigations, VAT assessments, corporate tax challenges and personal tax issues.

Saving £350k - clarity cuts through HMRC bureaucracy

Sarah Woodall succeeded in bringing an HMRC enquiry into the disposal of employment-related securities to an end within months of her appointment.

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Tax and Tax Investigations

£180k Tax penalties wiped out in dementia case after HCR acts

A couple facing £180,000 in penalties for late tax returns had those penalties dropped after Sarah Woodall, HCR’s head of tax, went to tribunal.

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Positive engagement with HMRC pays off

Sarah Woodall recently helped a large international retail distributor facing excessive VAT assessments to achieve a settlement which saw a very substantial reduction in the sums owed to HMRC.

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Navigating tax complexities

Helping businesspeople navigate the complexities of HMRC’s procedures, including Code of Practice 9 or the Hansard procedure (COP9), is part of tax barrister Sarah Woodall’s brief – she has recently been involved in helping business owners take the right steps to deal with a tax fraud they admit to committing.

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