Lewis Hymanson Small launches niche team

Lewis Hymanson Small solicitors has opened a niche regulatory team specialising in Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) cases, a government agency set up to stop the exploitation of manual workers.

The firm acts for clients involved with the GLA in relation to cases when businesses have their licenses revoked.

The regulatory team which has 11 members was recently short listed for the Manchester Legal Awards 2010 Crime Regulatory Team of the Year.

Deborah Britstone, regulatory solicitor at Lewis Hymanson Small Solicitors, said:

“We’ve noticed an increase in the amount of regulatory work recently and this has reflected a sector wide development of regulatory prosecution. Our work with various regulators such as the Health and Safety Executive, the Security Industry Authority and the Crown Prosecution Service, means we have the expertise to flourish in this specialist area.”

The department has also been advising and representing law firms facing investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and hearings before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT), as well as working with claims management companies to regulate their referral arrangements.

The Gangmaster’s Licensing Authority was established in the wake of the death of 18 cockle pickers in Morecombe Bay in February 2004 to stop the exploitation of workers in the agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering and associated processing and packaging industries. The Authority works to safeguard the welfare and interests of workers by regulating license holders so that employees working hours and minimum wages are legal and fair.