Regulatory law is frequently complicated and Anthony has practised as a barrister in this field since 1994 both from chambers in London and more recently in Cardiff. He acts for businesses, whether they be companies or individuals, and also for regulators. His practice has taken him across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Anthony is instructed in a wide range of regulatory matters resulting in experience in many different courts and tribunals. Frequently there can be issues regarding trading, licensing, compliance or enforcement as well as managing reputational risk.
Anthony has received instructions from local authorities, regulators, government departments, police authorities, businesses and individuals in advisory work, court and/or tribunal hearings.
Appointed to the Attorney General’s Panel in 2001, he has prosecuted on behalf of the principal regulators. Anthony was appointed in 2012 to List A of Specialist Regulatory Advocates for health and safety and environmental matters. He has since 2005 been on the panel of the Welsh Government in connection with regulatory and criminal matters.
He has considerable experience in advising on investigation, drafting documentation, in interpreting regulations in unfamiliar regulated areas and also in reviewing operations, policies and procedures both generally and in connection with statutory defences including due diligence.
Areas covered include:
- Food law (standards, safety, hygiene and labelling)
- Health and safety (improvement and prohibition notices, prosecutions)
- Fire risk assessment
- Licensing and fitness (firearms, consumer credit, liquor etc)
- Consumer protection and trading standards (unfair trading practices, under age sales, lending, product safety, advertising, scrap metal)
- Environmental health (noise nuisance and injunctions, food hygiene)
- Vehicle licensing
- Data protection
- Environmental law (fisheries, pollution, fly-tipping, etc)
- Companies House prosecutions and directors’ disqualifications
- Wildlife crime and animal welfare
- Planning enforcement (enforcement notices, listed buildings etc)
- Care standards
- Local authority powers (e.g. Community Infrastructure Levy)
- Copyright and trademark offences
- Fraud offences and unfair trading
- Professional discipline
- Proceeds of crime (money-laundering offences and applications ancillary to prosecutions)
- Education (school attendance)
- Inquests and inquiries
Directories
‘Experienced in professional regulation, inquests and licensing breach disputes.’ The Legal 500 (2016)
“He is very good intellectually in terms of analysing the case.” UK Bar (2016)
‘His practice includes health and safety, food safety, trading standards and animal welfare.’ The Legal 500 (2015)
‘His broad expertise includes trading standards matters and inquest law.’ The Legal 500 (2014)
“Civitas Law’s Anthony Vines has a national practice covering complex health and safety cases.” The Legal 500 (2013)
Cases
- Instructed by director in Companies House prosecution amidst allegations of fraud
- Appeared for police force regarding shotgun licence appeal and subsequent judicial review application
- Instructed by developer in relation to Community Infrastructure Levy
- Advised food company in relation to food hygiene allegations
- Instructed by company director in Companies House prosecution in appeal against director’s disqualification
- Instructed by defendant fire risk assessor in relation to serious fire regulations prosecution concerning many commercial premises
- Instructed for prosecuting Council in fatal case concerning failure of gate (2013-6)
- Advised food supplier as to defence of food standards allegations
- Instructed by individual in respect of listing building enforcement matter
- Advised construction company in relation to pollution allegations from development site
- Advised company as to fatal industrial incident
- Instructed by major business in respect of food labelling and hygiene issues
- Instructed by Belfast City Council in successful prosecution of Flicks Restaurant (Moviehouse Cinemas (Yorkgate) Limited) arising from 2012 outbreak of e. Coli O157 where 141 confirmed cases (2013-15)
- Instructed by regulator in highly sensitive disclosure exercise
- Instructed by IPCC in relation to sensitive misconduct application
- Instructed in various fraud cases involving companies and/or the NHS including R v Shurn (2015) EWCA Crim 1680
- Instructed in relation to noise nuisance injunction and prosecution (2014)
- Instructed by defence re health and safety incident (2014)
- Instructed in inquest where potential issue of assisted suicide (2014)
- Instructed for company in relation to the breaches of licence for house of multiple occupation (2013)
- Advised in relation to lawfulness of regulator’s actions (2013)
- Advised defence in relation to food hygiene prosecution (2013)
- Reviewed local authority procedures and documentation in relation to public protection (2013)
- Instructed for prosecution of contempt allegations in relation to Crown Court confiscation proceedings (2013)
- Instructed for the Defence in pair of serious workplace accidents (Cambridge Crown Court 2012)
- Instructed by HSE in prosecution of local authority arising from the death of a disabled man in a hoist (2012)
- Acted for Welsh Ministers in care home neglect prosecution: R v Smyth (2012)
- Successfully acted for defendant trader in nationwide prosecutions for offences contrary to unfair trading regulations (2011-12)
- Have prosecuted fraud cases to trial for regulatory authority
- Advised local authority in relation to social care provision
- Instructed by Welsh Ministers for CSSIW prosecution
- Advised consumer credit licensee in respect of regulatory action
- Acted for public authority in relation to three-week inquest where death in care and subsequent human rights claims (2011-12)
- Instructed by Wrexham CBC in prosecution of takeaway owner for 2009 outbreak of E. Coli 0157: R v Aslan (2011)
- Instructed by Welsh Ministers in case concerning abuse of TB regime: R v Price (2011)
- Instructed in prosecution of retailer of modchips for Xbox, Nintendo and Sony Playstation under copyright, trade marks and money-laundering legislation. Business turned over £850,000 over two years. Restraint proceedings and funds being removed from the jurisdiction. Case appealed unsuccessfully on whether a copy within copyright legislation was created. R v Gilham [2009] EWCA Crim 2293 CA [2009] WLR (D) 324[1]
- Represented Bridgend CBC at the Public Inquiry chaired by Professor Pennington into the 2005 South Wales outbreak of E. coli 0157. Evidence concerned public procurement, food hygiene and school management.
- Caerphilly CBC, RCT CBC & Bridgend CBC v Tudor – Led by Graham Walters in prosecution of butcher for marketing of unsafe food and food hygiene offences arising from 2005 e. coli outbreak resulting in death of Mason Jones. Managed substantial disclosure process involving 9 counsel.
- Successfully defended individual accused of deliberately disturbing a dormouse habitat: R v Jones
- Defended individual prosecuted arising from substantial skip hire business and unlawful dumping: R v James
- Acted for product manufacturer at inquest
Memberships
Administrative Law Bar Association