Alison Newstead

Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon International LLP

Alison Newstead specialises in the field of product safety and product liability. She advises on all aspects of product regulation, often on a global scale. She has long-standing experience in coordinating international defence strategies for product liability claims, including group actions. Alison has a specific interest in product recall and advises clients from initial discovery of a potential safety issue, to risk assessment, regulatory obligations and appropriate corrective action, including recall.

Alison also advises clients on a wide variety of Health and Safety issues including regulatory compliance, investigations and prosecutions by the Police, HSE and Local Authorities. Alison provides crisis management and support at the inception of serious health and safety incidents, in particular in relation to regulatory investigations and PACE interviews. She represents clients at inquests and in the defence of criminal proceedings and civil proceedings.

Contributed to

2

Product liability and defective products

Practice notes

This Practice Note summarises the law on product liability and defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 (CPA 1987). CPA 1987 imposes liability on producers of defective products. This Practice Note considers what constitutes a defective product under CPA 1987, who in the supply chain may be liable, their degree of liability and any contributory negligence issues, the type of damages that may be awarded and the various defences available to a producer. It considers significant case law impacting the definition of defect and burden of liability under CPA 1987 as provided for in Wilkes v DePuy and Colin Gee v DePuy and also considers the plans for future reform in this area.

Commercial

Statutory product safety regime

Practice notes

This Practice Note explains the statutory product safety regime in the UK, covering civil and criminal liability under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 (CPA 1987), the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR 2005) and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA 1974). It considers emerging case law impacting the definition of defect and burden of liability under the CPA 1987 as provided for in Wilkes v DePuy and Colin Gee v DePuy.

Commercial