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Welcome to the 3PB professional discipline and regulatory newsletter

A warm welcome听to the first edition of our newsletter.

You can expect each of our newsletters to be packed full with professional disciplinary and regulatory news articles and to include reviews of the important cases that impact听you - written by our barristers with our clients in mind.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to the team.

3PB's professional discipline and regulatory team

With two听QCs and 22 juniors,听3PB is a leading set in the field of Professional Discipline and Regulatory law.

The team has several years of experience in this field and members are regularly instructed to act on behalf of regulators and to defend professional clients.听 We also have members sitting as legal assessors and legally qualified Tribunal Chairs.

With vast specialist expertise in medical/ healthcare regulation, members are frequently instructed in cases before the GMC, GDC, NMC, HCPC, GOC, GPhC and in matters involving the CQC.

Due to our large and varied client base in the area, a number of members are also instructed on matters on behalf of the accountancy and financial regulators including the FCA, CIMA and the
ACC, in addition to acting for and against Ofsted and the Farrier鈥檚 Registration Council.

3PB appoints Jennifer Agyekum to lead its talented team

Meet Jennifer Agyekum, our new team head. Jennifer听has a strong reputation for successfully defending registered professionals in disciplinary proceedings brought by their regulatory bodies.

Recent highlights include defence of a child minder accused of mishandling a child; a nurse care home manager facing over 100 misconduct charges; a dentist facing charges of theft and incompetency; and a nurse accused of multiple allegations of misconduct including 鈥渃ontribution to death鈥�.

Jennifer is trusted by both professional
and lay clients with the most complex and sensitive matters.

Jennifer is praised by the Legal 500 2021/Professional disciplinary and regulatory law for being 鈥渧ery knowledgeable and [with] a great understanding of regulatory process. You can tell she really cares about her clients.鈥�

3PB welcomes Victoria Sheppard-Jones

Victoria Sheppard-Jones joins our team, having听worked in-house and in private practice for two UK regulators, the General Dental Council (GDC) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). She has considerable experience of white-collar criminal prosecutions and disciplinary cases, particularly complex and lengthy fraud and money laundering cases.

Health and social care: fitness to practice in the context of Covid-19鈥�

听examines the impact of Covid-19 on stretched health and social care resources and the听renewed importance of the 鈥渃ontext is key鈥� principle when deciding whether some action or inaction amounts to misconduct and/or impaired fitness to
practice.

Virtual hearings

With many in-person hearings replaced by virtual hearings, conducted via telephone or video conferencing due to Covid-19, provides a useful guide on Virtual Hearings,听with tips on good practice and what to avoid.

3PB legal assessors'听tips for advocates听

The legal assessors in 3PB鈥檚 Professional Disciplinary and Regulatory Team see examples of both good and bad case preparation and advocacy.听, , and share with you here ten hints and tips from their experience.

How far will the听Regulator stray into an individual鈥檚 personal life?听

The role of the Regulator is to protect the public and maintain the public鈥檚 trust in the profession. But how far will they stray into an individual鈥檚 personal life? Sunyana Sharma reviews the case of听Beckwith v. Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Racist language is听not compatible with professional practice, or is it?

reviews听Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care v Health and Care Professions Council, Roberts听[2020] EWHC 1906 (Admin), a case testing the compatibility of racist language with听professional practice.