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Leading Silks

Gavin Millar KCMatrix Chambers ‘Gavin has enormous insight and experience in these areas and provides commanding advocacy.’
Adrienne Page KC5RB 'Brilliant and robust advocate.'
William Bennett KC5RB ‘Calm and polite for solicitors to deal with but very clear and ordered as an advocate. Brilliant at cross-examining witnesses because of his non-aggressive approach.’
Catrin Evans KCMatrix ChambersVery personable, making the client feel at ease; extremely knowledgeable, especially on libel.’
William McCormick KCSelborne Chambers ‘William’s advocacy is superb. He has a very good manner with solicitors and lay clients. His advice is clear and comprehensible.’
Anya Proops KC11KBW ‘Anya is able to absorb lots of information at super-human speed and then to produce an analysis and argument covering all the bases.’
Adam Wolanski KC5RB ‘Adam has extremely good judgement and is very practical. Clients trust him entirely. His advocacy is straightforward and focused.’
Alex Bailin KCMatrix Chambers ‘Alex is a polymath – brilliant at everything he turns his hand to. He has the ability to explain complex arguments in a simple and highly persuasive manner.’
Edward Garnier KC4 Pump Court ‘Edward is an exceptional advocate and has the ability to resent complex cases in an understandable way which judges find persuasive.’
Anthony Hudson KCMatrix Chambers 'Anthony is a real team player, an expert in his field and has the ear of the judge.'
Jeremy Reed KCHogarth Chambers ‘Jeremy is really thorough. Despite being a silk, he still gets to know the documents himself and is not afraid to do the heavy lifting. He is a genuine help to his instructing solicitors, and lay clients also appreciate his efforts.’
Adam Speker KC5RB ‘Adam has an excellent grasp of the law, exhibiting a calm authority. He has excelled since taking silk and is a go-to counsel.’
Guy Vassall-Adams KCMatrix Chambers ‘Guy is a brilliant lawyer, great written work, very strategic, imaginative and inventive with the law and very practical with great client facing skills. A very effective advocate.’

2022 Silks

Sara Mansoori KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Extremely hard-working and brilliant drafter, very good with clients and a pleasure to work with.’
Jude Bunting KCDoughty Street Chambers 'Jude is an exceptional advocate. He is able to pick matters up within hours yet be across the detail and present it in court in a compelling way. Clients find him a pleasure to work with.'
Aidan Eardley KC5RB 'Aidan has encyclopedic legal knowledge; clarity of thought and expression and is very thorough.'

Leading Juniors

Jacob Dean5RB ‘Extremely client-friendly, fiercely intelligent and a good strategist. A truly excellent practitioner who one would trust with a variety of matters.’
David Glen11KBW ‘David has a scrupulous attention to detail and a clear and precise way of conveying very complex issues. He is deeply reliable and solicitors would be lost without him.’
Clara Hamer5RB ‘Clara’s research and analysis, of both fact and law is very thorough. Her oral advocacy is fearless and determined. She is the best defence barrister at her level of call in this area of the law.’
Jane Phillips5RB ‘Jane is highly intelligent and knows the law inside-out; what sets her apart, however, is her wisdom. She always has a cool head and provides thoughtful, considered advice that is highly valued by us and the client.’
Kate Wilson5RB ‘Brilliant technically, very personable and pragmatic, considered in her advice and efficient to turn work around.’
Timothy AtkinsonHatton Chambers ‘Timothy is one of the most knowledgeable juniors at the Bar on defamation law. He is extremely thoughtful and his gentle approach with clients is extremely popular. His written work is concise and meticulous, and he is a first-rate advocate.’
Mark HendersonDoughty Street Chambers ‘Mark possesses several strengths and qualities that contribute to his effectiveness in advocacy and legal representation. His communication skills are exceptional. He is also very knowledgeable in his area of expertise, providing valuable and insightful advice to clients and attention to detail in his arguments.’
David Hirst5RB ‘David’s advocacy is well-poised and diligent. He is a great addition to any legal team.’
Richard Munden5RB ‘Richard provides sound and commercial advice.’
Claire OvermanDoughty Street Chambers ‘Claire is simply excellent. Her written work is meticulous – crisp and cogently argued. Totally at the top of her game in terms of her intellect and skills.’
Sarah Palin Doughty Street ChambersSarah writes and advocates compellingly. She is clear and knows which arguments to pursue. Sarah is very responsive and always happy to help and not afraid to roll her sleeves up.’
Hannah Ready11KBW 'She is very thorough and excellent on paper. She is also very user friendly and great to work with.'
Jonathan Scherbel-Ball5RB ‘Jonathan has an excellent knowledge of all aspects of defamation, data protection and privacy law. He is exceptionally bright and is always thinking ten steps ahead.’
Romana Canneti4 King’s Bench Walk  ‘Romana is hugely experienced and industry-savvy. She is able to identify the most important areas of any case with great speed and precision.’
Jonathan PriceDoughty Street Chambers ‘He has a real mastery of the applicable legal framework, and also a depth of experience to help guide things on a practical level.’
Ben SilverstoneMatrix Chambers 'Ben is one of the best juniors I have ever worked with - super bright, user friendly and also excellent on his feet.'
Kirsten SjøvollMatrix Chambers ‘Kirsten’s advice is measured, practical and realistic. She will always have the client’s interests at the forefront of her advice. Her knowledge of case law is incredible and something to be desired.’
Chloe Strong5RB ‘Thorough and practical.’
Godwin Busuttil5RB ‘Godwin is absolutely meticulous. He is possibly the most thorough barrister solicitors know. He is a tough, uncompromising advocate.’
Anton van DellenFraser Chambers ‘Very good on paper and orally. A fearless advocate with a good understanding of the relevant law. He develops arguments succinctly and well.’  
Ben Gallop5RB 'His attention to detail, legal knowledge and client management skills are impeccable.'
Ben Hamer5RB ‘Ben is an excellent advocate, measured, and instils a great sense of confidence that he is putting the client’s best case forward in the best possible manner.’
Victoria Jolliffe5RB ‘Good advocate, knows the law, is excellent with clients.’ 
Felicity McMahon5RB ‘Felicity has an excellent defamation and privacy junior practice. She is hardworking and approachable.’
Jennifer RobinsonDoughty Street Chambers ‘Her advocacy is engaging, smart, and persuasive. She is able to navigate through complex legal issues and provide a clear understanding of the legal complexities involved in the case.’
John Stables5RB ‘He’s a pretty good all-rounder, great with clients.’
Aidan WillsMatrix ChambersAidan is conscientious and extremely thorough, and provides excellent and clear advice.

Rising Stars

Luke Browne 5RB ‘He appears experienced beyond his year of call. He is technically excellent and when working with him he is proactive and goes above and beyond.’
Clare WissonDoughty Street Chambers ‘Very user friendly, impresses clients and able to get stuck into a case. Advice is sensible and well-considered.’
Zoe McCallum Matrix Chambers ‘Zoe has great strengths as a barrister. She works tirelessly for clients, provides compelling and detailed legal advice, is a great advocate and is able to deal with lay clients in an empathetic way.’
Beth GrossmanDoughty Street Chambers 'Beth is technically strong and knowledgeable, with great drafting skills. Her advocacy is robust and thorough, unfazed by the seniority of the judge or the number of barristers in opposition.'

Defamation and privacy in London Bar

5RB


5RB is considered ‘the leading set in this area by some distance’, with the chambers being known for housing a significant number of barristers who specialize in defamation and privacy cases. William Bennett  successfully acted for Dinah Rose KC in Rose v Ames & Times Media Limited, concerning an article published in The Times alleging she wrongly claimed she had been professionally obliged to represent the Cayman Islands government in a case concerning the jurisdiction’s lack of provision in law for same-sex marriage - the matter settled with an apology in open court from the newspaper. In the Sir James Dyson v Channel Four Television Corporation & Anor, Adam Wolanski KC defended Channel Four in the libel claim made by Sir James concerning allegations made on Channel 4 News concerning working conditions at Dyson’s factories in Malaysia.

Testimonials

‘Andrew Love is a very good operator.’

‘Antony Braeger is excellent. Easy to deal with and very responsive. Andrew Love is probably the most experienced clerk at the media bar.’

‘Very good clerks, responsive and helpful, as well as being available out of hours. Andrew Love is a top level senior clerk, while Georgina Gills is also very good.’

‘Excellent, prompt and fantastic service.’

‘Very responsive and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘Very efficient and user-friendly.’

‘The quality and service are brilliant. They cannot be faulted.’

‘Brilliant service.’

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Matrix Chambers


The barristers at Matrix Chambers continue to act in some of the most widely recognized defamation and privacy cases and are part of an ‘excellent set’ with strong barristers practising from junior to silk level in this field. The chambers often represent well-known clients from major news publications and broadcasters to high profile individuals. Gavin Millar KC  is instructed to represent the defendant in Chisti v Telegraph Media Group, a case raising the question of if reports of proceedings in foreign legislatures are protected by similar forms of privilege to reporting of parliament, while Aidan Wills  successfully represented Corker Binning, which received summary judgment defeating a claim by a litigant in person that a case law update by the firm was defamatory of him.

Testimonials

‘The practice team is led by Alison Scanes and Chris Beard, who are both excellent and work as equally hard as Counsel to progress a client’s matter with Counsel’s availability.’

‘Matrix clerks are very responsive.’

‘Very good practice team – responsive and helpful in getting cases listed etc.’

‘Excellent’

‘Matrix has a stellar media team that offers availability across all call brackets from juniors to silks and provides first class advice and advice across the relevant fields. ‘

‘Very professional’

‘Strength in depth, responsive barristers who are very approachable and collegiate, with good training and public events.’

‘Matrix Chambers is an excellent set and its members have led the way in developing the various areas of media law.’

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11KBW


Described as the ‘go-to’ set for information law, the barristers at 11KBW are frequently instructed in cases concerning media law, data privacy and European law in the online world for more news outlets and social media companies alike. Anya Proops KC recently acted for TikTok in the significant SMO v TikTok case concerning the way the Chinese-owned social media platform processes the data of British children. In Kirk, Marshall & Newton v Associated Newspapers Limited, David Glen is representing a newspaper regarding its coverage of the alleged and highly-publicised blackmail case between actress Charlotte Kirk and film industry executive Ron Meyer. Further strengthening the practice is Hannah Ready, who represented the claimant Chandler v Bryant, concerning tweets published by Labour MP Chris Bryant republishing allegations of money laundering made under parliamentary privilege – the matter settled with an apology from Bryant.

Testimonials

‘Attentive and receptive clerks who provide good customer service.’

 

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Doughty Street Chambers


Doughty Street Chambers offers ‘huge strength in depth when it comes to defamation work’, and its barristers practice across a broad offering of media related issues for clients including broadcasters, social media organizations and investigative journalists among others. Recently appointed Silk Jude Bunting KC was instructed by the Guardian, the Times and the BBC who challenged the Home Secretary’s application for public interest immunity concerning documents relating the proposed summary deportation of refugees to Rwanda. Mark Henderson frequently appears in high-profile libel cases, including recently where he acted for former leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn, who was alleged to have defamed a pro-Israel social media campaigner, who Corbyn alleged was “disruptive” at public meetings at which the head of the Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom was speaking.

Testimonials

‘Melvin Warner has a depth of experience, always willing to assist and is a pleasure to work with.’

‘The Clerks are really helpful – they understand our team’s requirements and deal with any queries promptly.’

‘Sian Wilkins and Melvin Warner are excellent.’

‘Doughty Street are undoubtedly one of the outstanding sets. Their cases set precedents. Their barristers are fierce and are respected globally.’

‘Strong set.’

‘They set the benchmark in this area.’ 

‘Good range of quality advocates able to compete with the best.’

‘Huge strength in depth when it comes to defamation work.’ 

Work highlights