Call: 1998
Lee Bennett is a regulatory barrister and trusted advisor with more than twenty five years’ experience. He is consistently ranked as a Leading Individual in both Chambers UK Bar Guide and The Legal 500. He is recognised as a go-to regulatory lawyer for complex, high profile and sensitive matters.
He is described as a “master of legal argument” who delivers “exceptional advocacy”.
He is recommended for being “extraordinarily knowledgeable”, “thorough beyond belief”, “a brilliant tactician”, “an outstanding strategic thinker”, and “as good as a silk”.
Regulatory Law Expertise
Regulatory law governs how industries, companies and professionals operate within legal frameworks. Lee advises and represents clients in investigations, enforcement actions, and prosecutions brought by regulators including:
• The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
• The Environment Agency
• Trading Standards
• The Fire and Rescue Service
• Local authorities and licensing bodies
• Industry and professional regulators
He brings over twenty five years of experience across the full spectrum of regulatory work, including:
Core Practice Areas
• Health and Safety Law
• Fire Safety Regulation & Fire Safety Investigations
• Trading Standards & Consumer Protection
• Product Liability & Product Safety Law
• Environmental Law & Statutory Nuisance
• Corporate and Director Regulatory Compliance
• Regulatory Investigations & Enforcement
• Criminal Regulatory Defence
Lee is equally comfortable before judges, juries, tribunals, disciplinary panels and quasi judicial committees. His advocacy experience extends across all major courts and tribunals.
Public Inquiries & Inquests
Lee has acted in some of the most significant public inquiries and Article 2 inquests of recent decades.
Major Instructions Include:
• Hillsborough Inquests – advising and representing The Football Association
• Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry – acting for a corporate core participant involved in the refurbishment of the Tower
• Covid 19 Inquiry – representing a not for profit organisation involved in the national testing response
He is adept at handling large scale disclosure, expert evidence, cross examination of technical witnesses and high profile scrutiny.
Clients and approach
Lee represents:
• Companies (from SMEs to major corporates)
• Directors, officers and senior managers
• Public bodies and local authorities
• Regulators
• Individuals facing regulatory investigation or prosecution
He is committed to guiding professional and lay clients through complex regulatory matters, providing clear, pragmatic advice and focusing on achieving the best possible outcome.
Clients value his strategic insight, practical approach and ability to work collaboratively with teams of solicitors, experts and consultants.
Lee is a referral practitioner and may be instructed through a solicitor.
Background
Lee is based in London. He completed his pupillage at Six Pump Court in crime (with HH A Williams) and civil (with Richard Barraclough KC). He has been a member of Chambers for over twenty five years.
He currently sits on Chambers’ Management Committee, with responsibilities for compliance and as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
Health & safety
Lee Bennett principally defends in cases brought by the Health and Safety Executive, local authorities and the Office of Rail and Road. He advises and defends corporates and their duty holders, associations, sole traders and local authorities.
His practice encompasses the full range of work in this field from fatal accidents to the more straightforward breaches in the workplace. He is recommended as having “huge experience” in this area as a “stand-out” health and safety counsel.
Cases in the field of construction and in relation to the management of asbestos are areas of specific experience.
Matters under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 are another area of expertise.
He is particularly recommended for cases in the retail sector.
Lee has acted for an extensive list of clients including a number of national and international ‘blue chip’ companies looking for a practical and pragmatic approach to delivering results.
In terms of civil enforcement, Lee has undertaken several significant Improvement and Prohibition Notice appeals on behalf of clients before the Employment Tribunal.
Lee’s work in this field is also underscored by having for many years maintained a strong common law civil practice in public and employer liability.
Inquests & Inquiries
Lee Bennett has acted in some of the most significant public inquiries and Article 2 inquests of recent decades.
Major Instructions Include:
- Hillsborough Inquests – advising and representing The Football Association
- Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry – acting for a corporate core participant involved in the refurbishment of the Tower
- Covid‑19 Inquiry – representing a not‑for‑profit organisation involved in the national testing response
He is adept at handling large‑scale disclosure, expert evidence, cross‑examination of technical witnesses and high‑profile scrutiny.
Consumer & trade
Lee’s experience in this area has genuine breadth and depth acting both for the regulator and the regulated.
He prosecutes all areas enforced by trading standards and has over a decade of experience of working with clients to secure the conviction of rogue traders and ‘scam’ operators.
As is common at the Bar, Lee also defends in this area acting for corporations and individual defendants facing serious and significant trading standards prosecutions.
He is also very familiar with ancillary matters such as forfeiture orders, obtaining compensation for consumers and seeking to recover the proceeds of crime.
Areas of expertise include product safety, fraud and consumer ‘scams’, trademarks and counterfeiting.
He is one of a limited number of barristers instructed on behalf of the National lllegal Money Lending Team to prosecute ‘loan sharks’ and other matters under consumer credit legislation.
His practice also involves consumer and trade matters governed by independent regulators. He advised Ofgem and represented it in its investigations into mis-selling in the domestic energy market.
Environment
Lee Bennett defends Environment Agency prosecutions. His practice includes waste and pollution prosecutions. He has represented small waste operators through to significant undertakings engaged in the chemical and hazardous waste industries.
Lee has much experience of the law of nuisance. He has advised and acted for local authorities in the range of statutory nuisance proceedings. Equally he defends such actions assisting clients to appeal statutory nuisance abatement notices and defending associated prosecutions.
Food
Lee acts for and advises a diverse range of clients in this practice area.
His advice can be case-specific or aimed at assisting clients improve their understanding of the regulatory framework and how best to comply with it.
In terms of enforcement, he prosecutes for local authorities and defends cases brought under all current legislation.
He is particularly recommended for cases in the retail sector and his client list includes some core national UK retailers.
Licensing
Lee Bennett’s licensing work includes all areas of local authority licensing (alcohol, taxis, casinos etc.) as well as specific statutory licensing and permitting regimes in the energy and financial markets.
Instructions are taken in matters relating to the full range of local authority licensing.
Lee’s clients have included licensing authorities, responsible bodies (such as environmental health departments and the police) as well as those seeking licences.
He has appeared before Committee. He has prosecuted and defended in licensing cases. He has represented parties on appeal to the Magistrates’ and Crown Courts in respect of taxi appeals and Section 51 Reviews and Section 181, Schedule 5 Appeals under the Licensing Act 2003.
He has considerable experience in respect of the law of nuisance as applied under the Licensing Act 2003 and the vexed issue of public nuisance caused by licensed premises.
Commercial
Lee’s civil practice complements the core areas of his regulatory work, particularly in the fields of health and safety law and environmental law.
He defends public/employer/product liability actions.
He has acted in nuisance cases, including in relation to injunctive relief.
With regard to trade and consumer law, he has acted for regulators and trading standards departments seeking enforcement orders in the civil courts under Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002.
Recommendations
'Lee is as good as a silk. He is meticulously prepared and his advocacy is calm and persuasive.'
― Legal 500 [2026]"Lee Bennett communicates strategy excellently and is very charming."
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2025]"Lee is a class act. An exceptional junior of silk quality."
― Legal 500 [2025]"Strategic, thoughtful and very astute…also hardworking and dedicated to getting the right result."
― Legal 500 [2023]"He is an extraordinarily knowledgeable individual.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2023]“A fantastic barrister with an eye for detail.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2022]“He is incisive, practical and good with clients. He is particularly good on cases in the retail sector.”
― Legal 500 [2022]“A talented junior at the top of his game.”
― Legal 500 [2021]“A very practical and measured barrister.”
― Legal 500 [2021]"He is always very reliable and is able to read judges well."
― Chambers UK Bar Guide 2021“A real team player who listens carefully and advises with care and consideration.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2020]“Thorough beyond belief, hugely knowledgeable, precise and prompt.”
“He has the ability to get to grips with technical issues swiftly.”
― Legal 500 [2020]“A master of legal argument.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2019]“He’s polished, thoughtful and someone who gives his advice in an understandable way.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2019]"He is a man with impeccable judgment and huge experience in health and safety matters."
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2018]“Standout health and safety junior. There’s nothing he doesn’t know about the law, and he’s a brilliant tactician.”
“He is excellent on Inquests”.
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2017]“He is an experienced and persuasive advocate with an excellent knowledge of regulatory law.”
― Legal 500 [2017]“A silk in the making.”
“He has a great tactical sense and extremely good judgment.”
― Legal 500 [2016]“A very persuasive and competent advocate, who is also a team player.”
“Very capable on his feet and an all-round excellent performer.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2015]“The go-to man if you have a technical, difficult case and need a pragmatic solution.”
“One of the brightest, most hard-working juniors in the field.”
― Legal 500 [2015]“A real ‘go to’ for health and safety and other regulatory issues.”
“He is bright, responsive, good on his feet and well liked by clients.”
“He is diligent, very user-friendly and very capable, and adopts a good tone in court.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2014]“Expert, methodical and calm”
“Very bright but always practical and client friendly”
― Legal 500 [2014][“He is praised for his calm, clear and meticulous approach.”
“He provides clients with a real sense of empathy when resolving their issues.”
― Chambers UK Bar Guide [2013]Memberships
- The Planning and Environmental Bar Association
- The Food Law Group
- The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
Education
- LL.B(EUR)(Hons.)
- LL.M(Cantab.)
Latest news
26th October 2018
Six Pump Court wins Health & Safety Set of the Year at Chambers UK Bar Awards
Last night at the Chambers UK Bar Awards, Six Pump Court was delighted to be named as the Health & Safety Set of the Year.
5th October 2014
‘Credit Card Killer’ and its Directors guilty of defrauding consumers
Richard Barraclough QC and Lee Bennett of Six Pump Court have successfully prosecuted Momentum Network Limited trading as Credit Card Killer (CCK) and the...
5th October 2014
Stephen Hockman QC and Lee Bennett successfully represent Ofgem in proposed record £10.5m fine case against energy supplier SSE
Ofgem has announced its intention to fine SSE £10.5 million for mis-selling energy contracts to domestic customers. Stephen Hockman QC, Monica Carss-Frisk QC andLee Bennett advised...
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