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Emergency response and crisis management  

Swift, strategic and expert emergency response and crisis management to mitigate legal risk, reduce business interruption and ensure regulatory compliance.

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Overview Services Our team Our work What others say

Day or night, our experienced team of health and safety and corporate crime specialists has a proven track record of advising organisations on responding to major incidents and business critical situations.

From train crashes, tower block fires and industrial explosions to dawn raids, regulatory action and internal whistleblowers, we provide swift, strategic and expert emergency response and crisis management advice to reduce business interruption, mitigate legal risk and ensure regulatory compliance.

We offer a tailored service to meet your unique needs and safeguard your business, from strategic advice at board and senior management level to onsite representation, where we support your incident response teams, including those following the gold, silver or bronze command structure used by the emergency services, ensuring that every aspect is managed effectively.

We advise on incident reporting and regulatory compliance; conducting internal investigations and maintaining legal privilege; and responding to search warrants, production orders, compulsory questioning and interviews under caution. Where required, we also provide independent legal advice for employees.

Services

Immediate aftermath of an incident

Co-ordinating your response, managing the critical first steps and ensuring effective leadership.

Dawn raid

Liaising with the authorities, reducing business interruption and ensuring compliance, whilst protecting your position and maintaining legal privilege.

Remediation

Advising on protective and remedial measures to ensure ongoing compliance.

Internal investigation

Capturing and preserving vital evidence to support your investigation and protect your position.

Liaison with the authorities and stakeholders

Managing communications with the police, regulators, insurers, and other key stakeholders, ensuring a seamless approach.

Understanding the investigator’s powers

Advising on the powers of the police and regulators, ensuring compliance and protecting your position and business.

Understanding the interplay between multiple parallel investigations

Providing guidance and advice on the roles and remit of various law enforcement authorities and independent investigatory bodies, and their ability to obtain, seize and share evidence. Helping clients navigate the complexity of multi-agency investigations and competing powers.

Our team

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Examples of our work

Major UK rail incidents

Responding to all major UK rail accidents since privatisation, including Southall, Ladbroke Grove, Potters Bar, and Ufton Nervet, supporting on investigations, regulatory compliance, and post-incident reviews.

Core participant in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Responding to the largest ever Metropolitan Police Service investigation into allegations of corporate manslaughter and health and safety breaches arising out of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Utility company

Providing urgent advice in the immediate aftermath of an explosion on site and multiple fatalities; supporting on the subsequent police and regulatory investigations.

Water and sewerage company

Responding to the largest ever criminal investigation by the Environment Agency into widescale water pollution; parallel Ofwat investigation into the misreporting of performance data and the avoidance of around £100 million in penalties.

Major landowner

Providing urgent advice following the death of a contractor during maintenance work, managing immediate regulatory reporting and supporting compliance with health and safety investigations.

Train operator

Mobilising a full specialist legal team to support following a train derailment; managing emergency response and evidence preservation; and liaising with the authorities.

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What others say

“Fielding a team spread across London and Bristol, Burges Salmon‘s Corporate Crime and Investigations team excels in its representation of corporates in a range of complex and often national financial crime cases, criminal cases surrounding environmental and health and safety legislation including corporate manslaughter issues, and cross-border sanctions matters ”

Legal 500 UK 2024

“The team is formed of ‘highly talented lawyers’ and is well-placed to act on fatal and catastrophic matters under public scrutiny, spanning sectors from the energy and transport industries to the leisure sector ”

Legal 500 UK 2025

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Insights

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