Ruth Armstrong

Partner & Head of Regulatory and Business Defence

Gateley Legal

Expertise

Ruth is a recognised leader in the regulatory field, advising on all regulatory disciplines ranging from fatal accidents to fraud and pollution to bribery.

She has over 25 years’ experience of regulatory and white collar defence work for businesses and senior office holders.

Ruth sits on the IOSH Environmental & Waste Management Group national committee and working party of the National Safety & Health Conference. She delivers strategic guidance and thought leadership to industry through her business defence work.

How do you help clients?

I am the person businesses call in a crisis. Whether it is a fatal accident, major pollution incident or a dawn raid, I know how to deal with the enforcement authorities and press so that my clients can get back to business. Early intervention with the right expertise can stop an investigation in it tracks or significantly minimise its impact, which can be crucial for businesses and their management teams.

Experience

  1. Acting for a manufacturing business following a fatal accident to a sub-contractor and successfully avoided a prosecution for corporate manslaughter.
  2. Advising on all the environmental and health & safety aspects of closing operations at a business with a landfill site, combined heat & power plant and water treatment facility.
  3. Acting in the investigation of a high profile publicly listed business by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) for fraudulent transactions.
  4. Successfully defending a business on trial in the Old Bailey following the death of a member of the public at a construction site in Central London. 
  5. Acting in an Environment Agency investigation for illegal waste deposits at a natural beauty site within a flood plain and resisted the criminal investigation and enforcement actions commenced by the agency.
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