Trinity's members and staff warmly welcome barrister Gordon Menzies on joining Trinity Chambers as a dual tenant with 6 Pump Court, Temple, London.
Having read law at Cambridge he undertook pupillage at 6 Pump Court in 1998 where he continued to practice since obtaining tenancy. Although he has a background in Commercial and Employment law, he is increasingly sought after in the Regulatory sphere, particularly Health and Safety where he has prosecuted and defended in cases involving fatalities and serious injuries arising in the construction, energy and transport sectors. Gordon is seeking to develop this practice in the North East where he has long standing personal links.
Gordon is currently on the ‘A’ Panel of the Attorney General’s list of specialist prosecuting advocates. The work that he has undertaken includes fatalities on the railways following electrocution, drowning in swimming pools, gas explosions, deaths in the care and medical sectors and deaths and injuries in the workplace transport and leisure industries. A significant part of this work relates to health and safety issues which arise in the construction industry, including failures arising in connection with the planning of construction projects leading to unsafe practices, work at height, structural failures in building work and infrastructure failure, most recently a case involving a crane collapse on a primary school.
Gordon’s environmental work has included contamination of land and challenges to enforcement notices. He has recent experience of prosecutions arising from breach of tree protection notices.
He has a particular interest and experience in those aspects which relate to fire safety, including fire risk assessments and general fire precautions. The most specialised area of this part of his practice relates to issues relating to electrical safety both in domestic and industrial settings.
He has long standing experience in dealing with food safety cases, both in production and retail contexts. He has also advised in connection with representations made regarding the sustainability aspects of food products.
He is currently undertaking a distance learning LLM in Mining Law at Dundee University following completion of a LLM at Queen Mary University in International Arbitration (with distinction). He has Personal Track Safety accreditation so is authorised to access railway infrastructure for the purpose of site visits.
Gordon’s Regulatory and Employment work is regularly recognised in the legal directories, recent entries include:
"Gordon Menzies is an experienced advocate who has over 20 years of knowledge and experience in the health and safety field. He handles matters for clients in various sectors including the transportation and construction industries, and also frequently advises on prosecutions arising from severe injuries. "The speed at which he is able to turn things around is amazing." "He structures his arguments really well."
Chambers UK Bar Guide 2023 Health & Safety
"He has an incredible memory for detail and brilliant organisational skills – he remembers every fact about a case."
Legal 500 2023 Health & Safety
"Gordon Menzies is a seasoned advocate proficient in a wide range of employment matters, including unfair dismissal and discrimination cases. He is particularly well versed in public sector employment issues."
Chambers UK Bar Guide 2023 Employment
"He has a good manner in dealing with the client and provides clear explanation of the issues and good ideas for case strategy. Gordon is always very thoroughly prepared, and he is never anything but courteous to all parties in court."
Legal 500 2023 Employment
Commenting on the move to Trinity Chambers, Gordon said:
“I am very excited to join this dynamic and friendly team in one of the most prestigious sets in the North. Trinity’s reputation precedes it and I am very much looking forward to working with the team”
Gordon's full profile and clerking contacts can be found here.