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Law students: academic misconduct and the SRA early character & suitability assessment
Shannett Thompson
Shannett Thompson is a Partner in the Regulatory Team and is the firm’s Training Principal. She trained in the NHS and commenced her career exclusively defending doctors. She provides regulatory advice predominantly in the health and social care and education sectors.
Shannett has a varied client base which includes businesses, care homes, regulators, professional bodies, students and regulated individuals.
She is a member of the private prosecutions team providing advice to individuals, businesses and charities in respect of prosecutions where traditional agencies are unwilling or unable to act. She has built up considerable experience in assisting individuals to challenge decisions by the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) not to prosecute.
Shannett has built up a significant niche in advising investors and businesses in the medical cannabis sector.
Advice for doctors
Shannett is highly recommended for advising doctors facing proceedings brought by the General Medical Council (GMC), and she works closely with our employment team in respect of Maintaining High Professional Standards (MHPS) investigations thereby ensuring that the doctor’s on-going career is a pivotal consideration throughout an investigation. She represents doctors throughout the entire investigation from initial contact, Interim Orders (IO), substantive hearings before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) and appeal. Shannett also advises in close conjunction with our criminal litigation team, especially regarding sexual conduct.
Advice for students
Shannett acts for students in relation to disciplinary investigations relating to both academic and non-academic conduct, including sexual allegations. She regularly works with the criminal litigation department on matters which may also constitute a criminal offence to ensure that the client’s position is protected.
Advice for individuals
Shannett advises and assists individuals and their relatives with NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding applications and appeals. She also has experience of retrospective applications. She has links with clinical experts in the sector and therefore approaches cases in an holistic manner.
Regulatory advice for businesses
Shannett advises health and wellbeing businesses across all aspects of their regulatory obligations, especially during start-up. She works closely with the corporate and commercial team to ensure clients receive the tailored advice they need.
Shannett advises care homes and primary care providers in relation to civil and criminal enforcement action threatened by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Her approach is collegiate, pragmatic and focuses on getting the best result for clients in often difficult circumstances.
Medical cannabis
Shannett has been at the forefront of providing advice in the area of cannabis-based medicines, CBD and related licensing issues. Shannett is also listed in the Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers Directory.
Advice for regulators
Shannett has extensive experience of conducting investigations on behalf of regulators in both the healthcare and education sector. She advises from initial complaint all the way through to substantive hearing stage, and is an able advocate, so often presents cases.
Diversity & Inclusion
Shannett is a passionate advocate for issues relating to Diversity & Inclusion. She has been invited to speak at many events and seminars including the Urban Lawyers Conference, the Bright Network, the Black Barristers Network, Legal Cheek and the ILPA. She also regularly writes for publications. Her focus areas are race and ethnicity and social mobility. She has been a shortlisted finalist for many awards in this area, and is the winner of the Chambers Outstanding Contribution Award 2021: Diversity & Inclusion Private Practice.
Shannett regularly speaks at external conferences on disciplinary issues and her articles have been published externally including in the Journal of Professional Negligence, Lexis Nexis, British Medical Journal, Sunday Times and other professional publications.
Shannett is an Accredited Interviewer, following inclusive recruitment training and assessment.
WHAT CLIENTS AND THE DIRECTORIES SAY
Shannett is very good with clients, very down-to-earth and good at exploring all avenues"
Chambers UK 2025 - A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession
She's not afraid of telling it how it is."
Chambers UK 2025 - A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession
Shannett Thompson is excellent, both in terms of her knowledge and preparation, but also in her ability to put nervous clients at ease."
Legal 500 UK, 2025
Shannett Thompson is a fantastic solicitor at KN in their education professional regulatory team. Extraordinarily bright and tenacious she is able to come up with creative solutions that obtain fantastic results for clients. She is also an incredible mentor supportive of younger members of the profession, running diversity initiatives at KN and ensuring that she instructs diverse and talented counsel in a wide range of cases."
Legal 500 UK, 2025
Shannett Thompson is brilliant within this field. She is very adept at dealing with complex cases and has a great approach to client care."
Legal 500 Uk, 2025
Shannett Thompson is a rising star in this field. Strong heritage in regulatory law which she deploys to her clients' advantage in student disciplinary cases."
Legal 500 UK, 2025
She brings a healthy dose of realism to cases and provides helpful and constructive insights."
Chambers UK, A Client's Guide to the UK Legal Profession 2021
Having interacted with a few regulatory lawyers, I found Shannett to be the most knowledgeable, and she managed to break down my case using layman's language, helped me understand what was going on, and gave me for the first time, a step by step guidance of what was going to happen in the course of the case."
Client Feedback
Shannett Thompson demonstrates exceptional responsiveness, insight, and professionalism in her work. She carefully evaluates each case and only accepts those with substantive merit, ensuring her commitment to achieving successful outcomes. Her expertise is evident, and she consistently takes timely actions throughout the process.
Client Feedback
Professional attitude and advice from start to end. Always met agreed deadlines. Very knowledgeable in her experience and field."
Client Feedback
REcent work
Shannett has acted in the following matters amongst others:
- On behalf of a nurse in respect of an appeal by the Professional Standards Authority;
- For a care home following adverse inspection reports and a notice to vary its registration by the Care Quality Commission;
- Successful defence of a doctor following dishonesty allegations relating to prescribing;
- Advising an individual on the legality of cannabis cultivation for medical purposes;
- Advising an entrepreneur on obtaining a licence for cannabis cultivation and distribution;
- Advising and representing a doctor, leading to a no case to answer decision following allegations of sexual misconduct;
- Advising multiples students in respect of sexual misconduct allegations;
- A successful victims’ right to review challenge, leading to the police re-opening an investigation into a rape allegation;
- On behalf of a student doctor who was refused his medical certificate which would allow him to commence training;
- Successfully assisted a nurse to remain on the register despite allegations of dishonesty;
- On behalf of a regulator involving defamatory comments made by registrants on social media;
- Represented a doctor following a concern raised about his status involved in presenting television programmes.
Publications and articles
Shannett’s case summaries and blogs are often reported by Lexology.
- What the City of London has to offer trainee solicitors, Legal Cheek, November 2021
- They used me for a pitch then excluded me how major law firms are using their black lawyers to mislead on diversity, Law International, November 2021
- Our REACH for inclusion in diversity, The Law Gazette, July 2021
- Where the mesh inquiry leaves us regarding a register of doctors’ interests, the BMJ, January 2021
- ILPA Black Lives Matter Roundtable Series, Immigration Law Practitioners' Association
- How 2020 has changed the dial on the importance of diversity for law firms, The Lawyer, December 2020
- Shannett Thompson, Partner at Kingsley Napley and Chair of the REACH & Allies Network, explains her career path and gives some tips for others, Legal Women, 6 November 2020
- Victims’ Right to Review Scheme: does a victim have a right to make representation?
- CBD certification scheme to launch in the UK
- CQC guidance and what it means for care providers during the Coronavirus pandemic
- Regulatory advice for doctors amidst Coronavirus pandemic
- Coronation Street delves into the legal problems of the GP Good Samaritan
- StaRs: Stand up and be accountable
- Misconduct: Managing disciplinary procedures in tandem with external processes – (co-authored with Clodagh Hogan) article in the Employment Law Journal, July 2019
- Operating Department Practitioner struck off for making sexualised comments about colleagues, May 2014
- 'Paramedic who failed to take bleeding woman to hospital still fit to practise', Wales Online, January 2013
- 'Indian radiographer who could not speak English worked at cancer hospital for SIX YEARS before being sacked after string of complaints', The Mail Online, November 2012
- 'Paramedic who boasted on Facebook that he 'saved someone's life and managed to cop a feel of some cracking jubblies' is found guilty of misconduct', The Mail Online, April 2012
- 'Surgeon's 'right-hand man' struck off after being caught drunk as woman patient lay bleeding on operating table', The Mail Online, August 2011
