Profile

David is a London based partner. He qualified in England and Wales in 2002 having joined Kennedys in 2001. David was appointed as a partner of the firm in 2008.

David has a specialist track record of advising on and dealing with a wide variety of regulatory defence work, investigations and prosecutions centring on environmental damage and associated issues across a broad spectrum of industries.

As well as this criminal and regulatory work, which spans cases involving oil spills, sewerage, the protection of flora and fauna, and damage to Hadrian’s Wall, David also maintains a caseload of civil environmental matters. In an area of legal practice where crime, regulation and civil law often overlap, David’s experience in cases involving nuisance (statutory, public and private), waste and rights of way leave him uniquely placed to devise and coordinate holistic legal strategies.

David handles and supervises a wide variety of health and safety, environmental and food safety investigations and prosecutions, along with a caseload of civil law environmental matters. He specialises in advising and representing defendants and witnesses during environmental investigations and prosecutions.

David has developed particular expertise in nuisance, waste, rights of way and cases involving the Wildlife and Countryside Act. He has acted in leading Court of Appeal nuisance cases such as Morris t/a Soundstar Studios v Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd (electromagnetic interference) and LB Wandsworth v Railtrack plc (pigeons).

He writes and lectures on environmental defence law and practice, from the perspective of corporate and insurer clients. David co-authored the environmental claims chapter in the latest edition of Kennedys’ Claims Handling Law and Practice Guide which was published in February 2021.

David Wright has long experience in health and safety matters, which is reflected in his advice...[his] approach is very much client-centred, and that is always helpful to have.

Qualifications and admissions

  • Qualified in England and Wales in 2002

Market recognition

  • Notable practitioner for 'Health & Safety (UK-wide)'
    Chambers UK 2024
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (Yorkshire and the Humber)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Leading Individual and recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (London)'
    "David Wright is noted by clients as a 'fantastic advisor'."
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Environment (London)'
    "David Wright is the team lead and is regarded as having very good experience and a good profile in the industry."
    The Legal 500 UK 2024
  • Notable practitioner for 'Health & Safety (UK-wide)'
    "David Wright is good at providing practical advice and takes the time to understand us as a business.
    "David Wright's approach is very much client-centred, and that is always helpful to have".
    "Simply put, David Wright has long experience in health and safety matters, which is reflected in his advice."
    Chambers UK 2023
  • Leading Individual and recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (Yorkshire and the Humber)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Notable practitioner for 'Health & Safety (UK-wide)'
    Chambers UK 2022
  • Leading Individual and recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (London)'
    "David Wright, [Danny] McShee and Stephanie Power are well-regarded."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Environment (London)'
    "David Wright is laid-back and assured, and utterly unflappable in any crisis. He has extensive knowledge of the sector and understands exactly when a light or heavy touch is needed. Very user-friendly."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Health and safety (Yorkshire and the Humber)'
    "David Wright leads the practice and is noted for his 'stellar' expertise."
    The Legal 500 UK 2022

Work highlights

  • Acting for a property development company and its managing director in a prosecution arising from the collapse of mill refurbishment in Hull and the deaths of three workers.
  • Representing the UK’s leading sugar refining business in a health, safety and environment investigation and prosecution arising from a fatal incident at the client’s refinery jetty on the Thames.
  • Representing a metal recycling company in relation to a recent incident in Birmingham resulting the deaths of five workers.
  • Successfully defended a senior manager in the prosecution for manslaughter of individuals and corporates arising out of the Hatfield rail accident.
  • Successfully defended a conveyor belt maintenance company prosecuted by the health and safety executive for alleged failures to plan and manage work on an aggregate facility resulting in serious injuries to an engineer.