Law firm Browne Jacobson has recruited two legal directors to its Criminal, Compliance and Regulatory team, including barrister Tom Walker, who is based in the firm’s Cardiff office.
Tom Walker and Caroline Barker have joined the UK and Ireland law firm, where they will work with clients across health and life sciences, government and corporates. The team is led by Andy Hopkin.
Tom Walker joins from Blake Morgan and will advise clients nationally. He has a background in general and international criminal work, but has focused on specialist regulatory work since 2007. He has acted as a solicitor-agent for the Health and Safety Executive and is on List B of the Specialist Regulatory Advocates List.
His advice has covered regulatory and corporate crime, acting for organisations and individuals in areas including health and safety, consumer protection, food and product safety, environmental matters and local authority enforcement such as planning, trading standards and environmental health.
He will lead the firm’s prosecution practice, which includes advising and representing fire authorities, local authorities, government agencies and regulators.
Tom Walker, Legal Director and Barrister, said: “Our reputation in acting for government agencies, local authorities and regulators, as well as private sector corporate clients, is well established, and I look forward to bringing my experience in regulatory prosecutions to help clients navigate what is an ever-more demanding enforcement landscape. The breadth of work here – from health and safety to consumer protection – is exactly where I want to be practising.”
Caroline Barker joins from HCR Law and is based in the London office. She specialises in regulatory healthcare law, acting for health and social care providers including care homes, domiciliary care agencies, children’s homes and residential special schools.
She has more than 20 years’ experience advising health and social care providers on their regulatory obligations and rights, including regulation by the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted.
Her appointment adds to Browne Jacobson’s health and life sciences practice, which is overseen by Gerard Hanratty. She will work with the independent health and care team, led by Vicky Tomlinson, whose clients include private hospitals and clinics, later living, specialist and complex care operators and children’s services organisations, as well as developers, investors and funders.
Caroline Barker, Legal Director, said: “Independent and public health and care providers are operating in a regulatory environment that is changing faster than at any point in my career.
“The 10-Year Health Plan commits to a more data-led CQC, with AI-triggered rapid response inspections and extended powers to take enforcement action – and that will land hardest on providers that are not already thinking carefully about their compliance position. For care homes, children’s services, domiciliary providers and specialist operators, the stakes of an adverse inspection outcome have never been higher.”
Andy Hopkin, Partner and Head of Criminal, Compliance and Regulatory at Browne Jacobson, said: “Caroline and Tom are exceptional additions to our team and reflect the continued investment we are making in our regulatory capability across health government and the private sector.”
The Criminal, Compliance and Regulatory team advises corporate bodies and individuals in the public and private sectors. Its work covers regulatory and criminal investigations and enforcement, both defending and prosecuting, including health and safety, environmental, consumer protection, financial crime, food and product safety, corporate manslaughter, CQC and Ofsted regulation, and local authority enforcement.
