David Lewis heads the firm’s national
Regulatory Services Unit. He is based in Liverpool, where is also
the Regional Office Head (ROH).
After joining Weightmans as an Articled
Clerk in 1985, David qualified in 1987 and was made a partner in
1992. After qualification he spent many years handling both civil
and criminal litigation for insurers and their policyholders, but
became a founder member of firm’s dedicated Regulatory Services
Unit in 2004 and has been a dedicated regulatory lawyer since
then.
David is best known for his work
defending organisations and individuals facing investigation and
prosecution for offences including corporate manslaughter, gross
negligence manslaughter and breaches of health and safety
legislation. The work often entails on-site investigations, PACE
interviews and advocacy in Magistrates’ and Coroners’
Courts.
In addition David has experience of
environmental, trading standards, food safety and other regulatory
enforcement work.
David has been recognised consistently
in Chambers and Legal 500 for his health and safety work. The
Chambers Directory 2012 notes that peers comment that he “has a
very deft touch and superb control of his cases”. The previous
edition commented that David “is lauded for his ‘absolutely
first-class understanding of regulatory requirements’”.
David also has extensive experience of
inquest work, notably in the healthcare sector. He is a veteran of
scores of inquests, many involving juries and/or of a sensitive
nature.
Beyond Weightmans, David is both an
Assistant Deputy Coroner and the Vice-Chairman of NEBOSH (National
Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health). Between 2005
and 2011, he was a core tutor and module leader on Nottingham Law
School’s ‘MBA in Legal Practice’ course.
David is a member of:
- Coroners’ Society of England and Wales
- Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
(IOSH)
- Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association (HSLA)
- UK Environmental Lawyers’ Association (UKELA)
- Liverpool Law Society’s Environmental Law
Committee
"David Lewis heads the regulatory department and is lauded for
his absolutely first-class understanding of regulatory
requirements"
Chambers 2011
