Sandesh specialises in criminal regulatory and professional disciplinary law. He is known for his thorough preparation, attention to detail and incisive advocacy. He has been described in the Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 directories in the following ways:
- “an effective advocate even when pitched against silks and senior juniors twice his call”
- “his advocacy is measured, persuasive and smooth”
- “a detail-oriented man with strong advocacy skills”
- “an effective advocate who prepares very thoroughly and rolls up his sleeves to get on top of the issues in even the most technical of cases”
- “an extremely impressive individual … bright, super-knowledgeable, measured, reasonable and easy to deal with”
- “incredibly user friendly and well prepared”
- “…. brilliant, incredibly hard-working and pleasant to work with” and
- “extremely clever, thorough, positive and always responsive to queries”
Sandesh is currently instructed in connection with some of the UK’s most significant cases, such as the Bosley Mill prosecution and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Other current/recent safety cases include defending:
- William Hill in relation to a prosecution brought by LB Camden. The case concerned a fatal accident in which a large metal advertising sign fell from above the branch of William Hill on Camden Road in North London and struck a member of the public.
- Priory Healthcare in relation to a prosecution brought by the HSE following the death of Amy El-Keria at the Priory Hospital Ticehurst House. Before Dingemans J.
- Planet Coconut, a company charged with food safety offences alongside Pret a Manger in relation to the death of a customer who had consumed food purchased from the Pret a Manger shop in Bath.
Sandesh has considerable experience of defending in cases of gross negligence manslaughter. He was junior counsel (at trial and on appeal) for Honey Rose, the optometrist whose conviction for manslaughter was quashed by the Court of Appeal in July 2017. Now one of the leading cases in the area, the Court of Appeal clarified the law in respect of reasonable foreseeability and ruled that the defence submission of no case to answer made to the trial judge, Stuart-Smith J, ought to have been allowed.
Sandesh is regularly instructed to represent individuals and companies charged with driving offences. He often acts where there are concurrent ‘high value’ civil proceedings. He has also acted in high profile road traffic matters, such as representing a group of Addison Lee drivers who were prosecuted for driving in the M4 bus lane. The defence to be advanced was that the delegated legislation creating the criminal offence in question unjustifiably discriminated against private hire vehicles and was thus unlawful. Following service of the defence case the Crown withdrew all 130 summonses.
Sandesh also has experience of defending in cases concerning the environment and wildlife.
View full profile »Awards
Professional Discipline Junior of the year (Chambers & Partners Bar Awards 2018)
News
- Sandesh Singh has successfully represented a housing association at an Article 2 inquest concerning the fatal stabbing of a resident
- Mike Atkins and Sandesh Singh represent Principal Contractor and Principal Designer in timber frame fire safety case
Qualifications
- LLB (Hons), University of Bristol
- BVC, College of Law, London
Memberships
- ARDL
- HSLA
Recommendations
“Whether leading or being led, Sandesh has an intimate knowledge of the documents and facts from the very outset in a case. This ability to “get into” the case stand him apart from his competitors and his preparation is unrivalled. He is able to adapt and think on his feet at a moments notice and it really gives clients faith that they are in good hands. He is always thinking about the bigger picture and understands the commercial implications for clients.”
(2021)
“He’s incredibly diligent, hard-working, and his attention to detail is second to none. A brilliant junior.”; “He is very smooth, pragmatic and efficient.”; “He’s organised, meticulous and very good at getting into the details of a case and working through a large amount of documents.”
(2021)
“Extremely clever and very thorough, he always gets to the heart of the case. Personable and great to work with, he is very hardworking, too.”
(2021)
“He is brilliant, incredibly hard-working and pleasant to work with.”
(2020)
“Sandesh has a very sharp eye for detail and a confident manner in court, and is good with clients as well.”
(2020)
“A real pleasure to work with. He is extremely clever, thorough, positive and always responsive to queries.”
(2020)
“His advocacy is measured, persuasive and smooth.”
(2020)
“He has forensic attention to detail”
(2020)
“An effective advocate who prepares very thoroughly and rolls up his sleeves to get on top of the issues in even the most technical of cases.”
(2019)
“He has a great eye and mind for detail.”
(2019)
“An effective advocate even when pitched against silks and senior juniors twice his call.”
(2019)
“Incredibly user-friendly and well prepared.”
(2018)