Natalie Barton-Howes

Principal Associate

Birmingham

natalie.barton-howes@gowlingwlg.com

+44 (0)121 393 0036

Areas of focus

Bio

Natalie Barton-Howes defends companies and senior stakeholders in relation to criminal and regulatory investigations, particularly where a serious incident may give rise to offences and creates immediate legal, operational and reputational pressure.

Her work is centred on health and safety offences under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, corporate manslaughter, inquests and public inquiries, acting for clients across high-risk sectors including manufacturing and construction.

She has particular experience supporting organisations after deaths, serious injuries and incidents involving vulnerable people, including supporting healthcare, social housing, supported living and care providers where coronial, CQC, police and safety issues overlap.

Natalie advises investors, developers, owners and managers of occupied buildings on BSR related investigations and compliance with the Building Safety Act 2022, alongside fire safety and wider building safety issues such as asbestos, legionella, electrical and gas safety, helping clients to manage risk, respond to scrutiny and avoid criminal enforcement.

Her practice also covers product safety and recall, environmental issues and wider regulatory compliance.

Natalie is often instructed while the factual position is still developing and early decisions will shape the investigation that follows. She helps clients identify the immediate priorities, preserve privilege, gather and present evidence properly, prepare for interviews under caution, and manage engagement with regulators, the police, coroners, public inquiries, insurers, employees and boards.

Clients value Natalie's responsive, calm and pragmatic approach in high-pressure situations. She combines technical regulatory expertise with a clear understanding of the wider commercial context. Her aim is to make the process manageable, ensure the organisation's position is understood and reduce the risk of avoidable enforcement action, adverse findings, reputational harm and unnecessary business interruption.

She also works with businesses to identify and reduce regulatory risk before incidents occur. Her proactive work includes compliance reviews and policy audits, as well as training, horizon scanning, board-level guidance and practical tools for site teams and management.

Natalie is recognised by The Legal 500 as a Leading Associate in health and safety.

"Andrew Litchfield and Natalie Barton-Howes are experts in their fields. They work hard to understand our business to ensure we get the right legal advice. Highly recommended."

Clients and sectors

Natalie acts for clients across highly regulated sectors, including food and drink, manufacturing, construction and engineering, healthcare, social housing, supported living and care homes. She also regularly advises clients in the built environment, including construction product manufacturers, investors and developers, as well as clients in utilities, energy, waste, logistics, retail, consumer products, the public sector and charities.

Her clients include businesses and organisations that need immediate, practical advice while an incident is unfolding, as well as those looking to strengthen their systems, governance and regulatory readiness before a problem arises.

Bio

Her practice also covers product safety and recall, environmental issues and wider regulatory compliance.

Natalie is recognised by The Legal 500 as a Leading Associate in health and safety.

"Andrew Litchfield and Natalie Barton-Howes are experts in their fields. They work hard to understand our business to ensure we get the right legal advice. Highly recommended."

Clients and sectors

Experience

Acting for a major food manufacturing client in a corporate manslaughter investigation, subsequent inquest, HSE investigation and prosecution arising from a workplace fatality at one of its manufacturing plants. The matter involved a corporate manslaughter investigation, a complex inquest, a lengthy HSE investigation and a prosecution under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Natalie helped coordinate disclosure between the police, HSE, coroner, insurers, site staff and the company board, instructed industry experts, negotiated culpability and harm issues and supported mitigation in court, contributing to a significantly reduced fine.
Advising a national care home provider in a fire safety investigation by fire and rescue authorities concerning two care homes. Natalie helped prepare a detailed response addressing the factual background, the client's systems, remedial steps and the proportionality of any enforcement outcome. The matter concluded with a warning letter rather than formal enforcement or prosecution, reducing legal, reputational and notification risk for the client.
Acting for the owner and operator of major cross-border transport infrastructure in an Office of Rail and Road prosecution following a serious injury to a contractor caused by the collapse of a lighting mast during inspection works. Natalie advised on the regulator's investigatory powers, documentary evidence and witness statements, prepared written replies to questions under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and supported the client through plea, Newton hearing, basis of plea and sentencing issues. Her work helped the client navigate the unusual regulatory and factual context of a safety incident involving a specialist contractor, a complex operational site and cross-border infrastructure.
Advising a national mental health and supported housing provider in the inquest into the death of a service user at supported accommodation. Natalie supported the client through hearings, evidence issues, witness attendance questions and submissions on conclusions. The coroner recorded a drug-related death, made positive findings about the support provided by the accommodation service and did not issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report, giving the client a clear and evidence-based outcome in a difficult case.
Advising a national supported housing and care provider on a time-critical factual accuracy challenge to a draft CQC inspection report, drafting substantive responses on safeguarding, infection prevention and control, assessing needs, evidence-based care, leadership and governance, and helping the client to seek removal of an inadequate governance rating and Regulation 17 breach finding before the report was finalised.
Advising addiction recovery services on Regulation 28 responses following inquests into service users' deaths. Natalie helped draft responses addressing the coroner's concerns, explaining the purpose and boundaries of initial assessments, the qualifications and role of recovery coordinators, harm reduction advice, record-keeping and communication pathways with primary care. This helped the clients respond constructively while ensuring the coroner understood the limits of the service and the robustness of the procedures in place.
Acting for a core participant in a public inquiry, assisting with internal investigations, complex disclosure processes and engagement with inquiry solicitors.
Advising the owner and manager of two higher-risk occupied residential buildings after the Building Safety Regulator refused Building Assessment Certificate applications. Natalie advised on the review and appeal strategy, the legal status of contravention notices, appeal rights and public display obligations under the Building Safety Act 2022, and helped press the regulator to apply its own process correctly. The matter concluded with both building assessment certificates being awarded, avoiding the cost and delay of further appeal proceedings and allowing the client to move forward with greater certainty.
Advising a construction product client on OPSS scrutiny and product safety issues, including safety critical products supplied cross-jurisdiction within a wider group supply chain. Natalie's work has included reviewing OPSS correspondence and technical testing data, analysing regulatory and enforcement risk, advising on communications strategy, liaising with overseas supplier companies, and considering insurance, disclosure and commercial risk issues, helping the client to respond with a clear technical and legal position, while managing supply chain and reputational consequences.
Advising a national mental health and supported housing provider as part of a wider programme of inquest support for services working with vulnerable adults. Natalie advised on Interested Person status, Article 2 issues, disclosure, witness evidence, conclusions and Regulation 28 risk, with particular focus on distinguishing the provider's non-clinical support role from the responsibilities of NHS trusts, local authorities, police, families and other agencies involved in the individual's care or support. Her work helped the client participate appropriately in a sensitive inquest, reduce the risk of avoidable criticism and address learning proportionately.
Defending a social housing provider in a legionella-related prosecution. Natalie supported the client on the regulatory and safety issues underpinning the issues, including legionella management, evidence gathering, duties owed by the relevant housing entity and the wider implications for housing management systems. Her work helped the client frame the safety and compliance issues clearly in mitigation.
Advising a consumer products client on an urgent cross-border product recall involving a plush toy, including competent authority engagement, notification strategy, distributor communications and coordination with overseas colleagues. Natalie helped the client make time-critical decisions on what needed to be notified, when and to whom, so that the business could guide its internal teams and manage regulatory risk across multiple markets.
Responding to a Community Protection Warning issued to a food manufacturing client in relation to alleged site impacts on the local community. Natalie coordinated a detailed response which addressed the factual position, regulatory threshold and practical controls in place, avoiding escalation to more formal enforcement action.
Advising multiple construction product, advanced manufacturing, technology and consumer product clients on regulatory reform affecting product safety. Natalie has helped clients understand and prepare for reforms to the construction products, AI and digital products, machinery safety and product liability regimes, including the proposed general safety requirement, economic operator duties, traceability, enforcement powers, UK/EU machinery alignment, and supply chain responsibilities.
Advising a property management and real estate services client on whether and how to challenge an Fire and Rescue Services issued enforcement notice after the statutory appeal period had expired. Natalie advised in relation to the appeal timetable, the scope for seeking permission to appeal out of time, the underlying merits of the notice, enforcement risk, potential judicial review options and routes for engagement with the regulator. This gave the client a clear strategy for protecting its position.
Advising an international manufacturing client in relation to an HSE Improvement Notice appeal arising from a fatal incident at a UK site involving the handling and loading of palletised products. Natalie advised on the appeal process, the suspension of the notice, evidence exchange, witness requirements, technical testing of pallet stability, expert input and coordination with the HSE.
Advising a national care home provider in connection with a police investigation arising from an allegation of grievous bodily harm against a resident. Natalie advised on police interviews under caution, and prepared a legally privileged investigation framework covering fact-finding, preservation of privilege and potential notifications to the CQC and local authority safeguarding teams.
Providing tailored health and safety and building safety training to institutional investor, real estate and transport infrastructure clients, including a major pension scheme, a real estate investment manager, a shopping centre owner/operator and a public transport body. Natalie's work has covered health and safety duties for asset owners and portfolio teams, covering CDM, fire safety, Building Safety Act responsibilities and enforcement risk, contractor management, and liability for SPVs, directors, shareholders and investment funds. The training helps investment, legal, property and operational teams understand where risk sits, how governance arrangements should operate and how mitigation should be documented.
Advising an international packaging manufacturer in responding to an urgent HSE request for information following a RIDDOR-reportable machinery incident at a UK site. Natalie helped the client present the risk assessments, safe systems of work, training records and post-incident corrective actions, including additional guarding and revised controls, in a clear and properly signposted way.
Advising a telecommunications infrastructure client on electrical safety issues and contractor performance across a large operational site portfolio. Natalie advised on the client's health and safety duties, potential regulatory consequences, contractor oversight, director and senior manager risk, and the structure of a legally privileged internal investigation into governance, escalation and remediation arrangements.
Advising a national housebuilder in criminal proceedings concerning fire risk under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The case involved multiple defendant positions, CDM responsibilities, expert evidence on risk and likelihood of harm, and mitigation of the client's position and finances.
Acting pro bono for a longstanding addiction recovery and supported housing charity in the inquest into the death of a former service user. Natalie supported the charity with preparation of witness evidence, submissions on Interested Person status, liaison with the coroner's office, procedural updates and participation in a local authority death and safeguarding review. She also supported the charity in responding to a criminal investigation concerning waste disposal, where enforcement action was avoided.
Advising an Interested Person in relation to the reopened Hillsborough Inquests, including the management, disclosure and review of a substantial volume of historic documents and the preparation of submissions to the coroner. Her work helped the client evidence and explain its involvement in one of the most sensitive coronial processes in the UK.

Natalie Barton-Howes

Principal Associate

Bio

Clients and sectors

Bio

Clients and sectors

Experience

Experience

Career & education

Career & education

Education

Languages

Stay connected

Stay connected

Natalie Barton-Howes

Principal Associate

Bio

Clients and sectors

Bio

Clients and sectors

Experience

Experience

Career & education

Career & education

Education

Languages

Subscribe for updates

Stay connected

Subscribe for updates

Stay connected