Profile

Danny is a partner in the Regulatory team based in our London office. He is Head of Regulatory. He qualified in England and Wales in 1997 joining Kennedys in 1995.

Danny specialises in regulatory defence work, particularly health, safety and environment (HSE) investigations and prosecutions together with numerous ancillary inquests and public inquiries for all industries. He is regularly sought out by corporate clients directly to deal with their crisis management and investigations following major incidents.

Danny has been involved in some of the most high-profile health and safety matters over the last 20 years. He has a long history of managing work at a senior level. Danny has acted for numerous companies and directors in high-profile and sensitive prosecutions and inquests involving fatalities and serious injuries where he has been specifically selected due to his market standing.

Together with a number of like-minded specialist HSE lawyers, he established the Health and Safety Lawyers Association (HSLA) and sat as a committee member for seven years. The HSLA is now a highly successful and influential national organisation aimed at promoting and developing health and safety law with a specific focus on promoting the expertise of its members in dealing with health and safety law.

Danny frequently delivers training to clients and regularly writes for the Kennedys Health and Safety bulletin. He is also an author of Kennedys’ Claims Handling Law and Practice Guide, the fourth edition of which was published in February 2021.

Danny is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers.

Qualifications 

  • Qualified in England and Wales in 1997
  • MA in Health and Safety Law and Environmental Law in 2001
Danny McShee is a commercially astute leader providing a very strong level of service in helping us through some complex challenges.

Market recognition

  • Notable practitioner (Band 1) for 'Health & Safety (UK-wide)'
    "Danny McShee is a commercially astute leader providing a very strong level of service in helping us through some complex challenges".
    "Danny McShee has always provided excellent service throughout everything that he does for us".
    Chambers UK 2024
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Environment (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (Yorkshire and the Humber)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Notable practitioner (Band 1) for 'Health & Safety (UK-wide)'
    "Daniel McShee is very highly regarded in the industry and is one of the top players in health and safety".
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (London)'
    "Danny McShee is the most in demand solicitor in this field in the country. Outstanding knowledge and tactical awareness".
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (Yorkshire and the Humber)'
    "Daniel McShee is the team’s national head".
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Notable practitioner (Band 1) for 'Health & Safety (UK-wide)'
    "He is a good tactician and he works hard for his clients."
    "He is very knowledgeable and big in the regulatory sphere. He knows his stuff inside and out and I wouldn't have any hesitancy recommending him."
    "He is a good all-rounder in terms of his technical skills as a health and safety lawyer and his client skills."
    Chambers UK 2022
  • Listed in the Hall of Fame and recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (London)'
    "Led by Daniel McShee, the team has a dominant presence when it comes to fatal accidents..."
    "David Wright, [Danny] McShee and Stephanie Power are well-regarded."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022

Work highlights

  • Acting for the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Company responsible for the Kensington and Chelsea housing stock including Grenfell Tower in relation to the Public Inquiry and criminal investigations.
  • Acted for Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd in the investigation by the HSE following a major incident on the Smiler Roller Coaster at Alton Towers and dealt with the prosecution of Merlin.
  • Acting for a recycling company dealing with the police and HSE investigations arising out of the deaths of five men following the collapse of a wall at one of their sites in Birmingham.
  • We acted for MNS Mining in the largest corporate manslaughter case under the new Act to date. This case arose out of the death of four miners at a colliery in South Wales. The case went to trial lasting three months and the company was acquitted by the jury in 54 minutes.
  • Acting for Railtrack/Network Rail in the four major rail crashes that occurred from 1997 to 2002. These four crashes led to a total of 52 deaths. The crashes resulted in four major multi-discipline public inquiries and inquests lasting for over two years. They also led to wide-scale corporate manslaughter investigations and two major corporate manslaughter prosecutions – one of which led to the biggest health and safety trial ever. Both prosecutions were successfully defended.