Law firm launches training academy in wake of rising director prosecutions

Rhian Greaves

Law firm Pannone Corporate has launched a training academy to meet client demand to help them deal with ever-increasing regulatory burdens and changes in the law.

The Pannone Academy is designed to support companies in preparing for, and navigating their way through, potentially hazardous situations such as regulatory investigations, data protection breaches and employment tribunals.

Courses cover areas including competition, data protection, employment, health and safety, intellectual property and recruitment disputes.

The move follows a Freedom of Information (FOI) request that reveals prosecutions against directors and senior managers for health and safety breaches have soared by more than 200%.

The figures, provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), showed that in the year to March 2017, seven custodial sentences were handed down – more than the previous six years combined.

There were 12 suspended sentences, up from 10 the previous year.

The courses, which can be tailored to meet the specific needs of a business, will be delivered by the Manchester firm’s lawyers, many of whom are recognised as leaders in their respective fields, at either the clients’ premises or at Pannone Corporate’s offices.

Rhian Greaves, associate partner in the regulatory team at Pannone Corporate, said the decision to launch the academy was client driven as many organisations look to the firm to deliver training proactively against the backdrop of a heightened regulatory environment where authorities are clamping down hard on many areas including breaches of health and safety and data protection law.

Rhian said: “The penalties for regulatory breaches and failure to meet legal requirements are increasing.

“The courses are designed to help companies achieve compliance as well as manage the various legal processes when things do go wrong.”

He added: “As lawyers, we spend a lot of time supporting clients through difficult situations; potential or actual litigation, regulatory investigations, prosecutions, changes in the law and employment tribunals.

“We have long used this experience and expertise to offer training to our clients, giving them practical tools to avoid and manage some of the myriad of risks that operating a modern business presents.

“In creating Pannone Academy we have now pooled our skills and know how to present a range of practical courses to educate, inform and support organisations on a range of legal issues.”

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