Trading Standards Solicitors

Trading Standards investigations and prosecutions

If you or your company is being investigated or facing prosecution by trading standards, our specialist trading standards solicitors can provide expert legal advice and representation. Taking early specialist advice is essential to avoid the potential for conviction and potential severe penalties (fines or custody). Financial recovery under POCA will also usually follow a conviction.  

Free Initial Discussion

We understand that you will want to discuss your circumstances with an expert solicitor, which is why we offer a no-obligation, free initial discussion to see how we can assist you. Please call us on 0330 8226043 or contact Sundeep Soor on Info@defencelegal.co.uk.

At Defence Legal we have extensive experience in representing companies and individuals facing Trading Standards investigations or prosecutions and POCA issues. Early advice is crucial and come often lead to successful outcomes.

What is Trading Standards?

Local councils employ Trading Standards Officers to investigate consumer complaints and enforce legislation relating to the protection of consumers.  The relevant legislation covers a number of different areas including: –

• Fraudulent activity
• Unfair commercial practices – eg miss-selling, unfair pricing structures, forced sales
• Counterfeit goods/trademark infringement
• Consumer safety
• Labelling/descriptions
• Under-age sales (e.g. tobacco and alcohol)

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008

These regulations place a duty on traders not to employ unfair commercial practices such as high-pressure selling.  Schedule 1 of the Regulations is a non-exhaustive list of 31 commercial practices that will always be considered unfair.  

Seizure of goods

Trading Standards officers can seize and detain goods.  Although they do not have powers of arrest they can request the assistance of the police in order to arrest a suspect.

Trading Standard Interviews Under Caution

Trading Standards will often invite suspect for an interview ‘under caution’, at the local authority offices or sometimes at a police station.  We can attend such interviews with you. Further information on interviews under caution can be found at the following link :

Trading Standards (Interview Under Caution) – Consumer Protection Breaches

Solicitor Sundeep Soor is a specialist regulatory crime solicitor with over 20 years’ experience in advising clients at Trading Standards interviews under caution and if relevant any subsequent prosecution. Sundeep has conducted hundreds of these types of interviews and court cases. He can assess the strengths and weaknesses of a case and decide if there is any possibility of persuading the authorities to discontinue an investigation.

Sundeep is currently representing in the following Trading Standards cases:

• Successfully had a case against trading standards in Kent withdrawn at court following a dismissal argument: https://defencelegal.co.uk/solicitor-sundeep-soor-and-counsel-nick-robinson-secure-dismissal-in-high-stakes-money-laundering-case
• A individual builder charged with 15 offences relating to poor workmanship and other consumer prosecution breaches on projects worth £500,000.
• An individual charged with a £2m trading standards conspiracy to defraud and fraudulent trading offences which follows a Rogue Traders program in 2017.
• An individual investigated for a £1m fraud and mis-selling case.

How to get in contact

We can assist wherever you are based. For more information and advice, then please call us today for a free initial discussion about your individual circumstances on 0330 8226043 or email Info@defencelegal.co.uk.