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Leading Silks

Catrin Evans KCMatrix Chambers 'Catrin is an extremely bright silk who is great at making clients feel at ease.'
Gerry Facenna KCMonckton Chambers He is a good tactician and a very strong litigator.'
Julian Milford KC – 11KBW 'A silk who combines intellect and pragmatism with hard work.'
Timothy Pitt-Payne KC11KBW ‘Timothy is really authoritative on the law, unflappable, and extremely personable.'
Anya Proops KC11KBW ‘The queen of data protection.’
Antony White KCMatrix Chambers ‘He is calm, measured, analytical, intellectually incisive, and has an accessible and persuasive style.'
Philip Coppel KCCornerstone Barristers ‘Philip is excellent at getting into the detail of an issue.'
Rory Dunlop KC39 Essex Chambers ‘Rory is a hugely compelling advocate.'
Kate Gallafent KCBlackstone Chambers ‘Kate has a razor-sharp intellect. She knows the law inside out.'
Justin Rushbrooke KC5RB ‘A silk of legendary status. Clients are very impressed by him and want him on their side.'
Andrew Sharland KC – 11KBW 'A dynamic silk, who puts forward complex areas of law in a digestible manner.'
Adam Speker KC5RB ‘An excellent strategist: he reads cases and court rooms brilliantly.’

2022 Silks

Jude Bunting KC – Doughty Street Chambers 'A charming advocate, with great technical ability.'
Estelle Dehon KC – Cornerstone Barristers ‘A top-notch silk and a strategic thinker.'
Aidan Eardley KC5RB ‘A very technical, detailed and thoughtful silk.'
Sara Mansoori KC – Matrix Chambers 'A leader in her field. Clients love her and judges listen to her.'

Leading Juniors

Edward CravenMatrix Chambers ‘A highly experienced junior with a formidable intellect.'
David Glen11KBW ‘An outstanding junior: very intelligent, very commercial, and very down to earth.'
Robin Hopkins11KBW ‘Robin is an outstanding barrister in the data protection arena. He is very sharp, realistic in his approach and incredibly easy to work with.’
Christopher Knight11KBW 'A subtle advocate - the trust that tribunals and judges place in him is palpable.'  
Julianne Kerr MorrisonMonckton Chambers 'Julianne is astute, conscientious, and good with clients.'
Rupert Paines11KBW ‘Rupert’s analytical skills are first-rate.'
Julian Blake11KBW ‘Julian is quick on his feet, urbane and logical. He is responsive and practical in his approach to litigation.'
Heather Emmerson11KBW ‘An excellent communicator who is unfazed by difficult clients.’
Clara Hamer5RB 'Clara has impressively good knowledge of data protection law and grapples with the difficult issues with ease. She combines confidence with a calm and understanding manner, which makes her a good choice for cases involving sensitive matters.'
Hannah Ready11KBW 'Hannah is a sharp and responsive junior, with stellar knowledge and judgement.'
Gayatri Sarathy Blackstone Chambers 'Gayatri consistently demonstrates an impressive ability to construct strong, winning arguments.'
Jonathan Scherbel-Ball5RB ‘He is exceptionally bright and is always thinking ten steps ahead.'
Ben SilverstoneMatrix Chambers ‘He has an incisive mind and is clearly an expert in his field.’
Jacob Dean5RB 'An assured advocate who knows the law inside out.'
Daniel Isenberg  – 11KBW 'A junior with an impressive intellect and high-quality client skills, which he combines with exceptional attention to detail.'
Stephen Kosmin – 11KBW 'Stephen is highly intelligent and has strong analytical skills.'
Eric MetcalfeMonckton Chambers ‘He has expert knowledge of data protection law.’
David Mitchell – 39 Essex Chambers ‘David’s tenacious and robust approach in his advocacy, together with his considered strategy, achieves success in complex cases.’
Claire OvermanDoughty Street Chambers 'She has in-depth knowledge of data protection and provides level-headed advice.'
Zac Sammour11KBW 'A formidable junior counsel.'
Alex Ustych  - 5 Essex Chambers 'Alex provides clear and practical advice with detailed knowledge of complex legislation such as the Data Protection Act.'
Kate Wilson5RB 'A junior who is considered in her advice.'

Rising Stars

Ben Hamer 5RB 'A great tactician with a depth of knowledge far beyond his year of call. He has an incredibly sharp legal mind.'
Raphael Hogarth – 11KBW ‘Raphael focusses on the key issues quickly, and his advice is meticulous.'
Will PerryMonckton Chambers 'An effective advocate with a good court manner, yet is tenacious on behalf of his client.'  
Katherine Taunton – 11KBW ‘An excellent advocate who presents complex issues in a very clear way.’
Aidan Wills – Matrix Chambers 'A clear, engaging and persuasive advocate with good judgement.'

Data protection in London Bar

11KBW


11KBW is a ‘stand-out set‘ for data protection law. The ‘outstanding’ Julian Milford KC is advising the HMRC on a claim involving a challenge to the system for the automatic transfer of tax data between the UK and the USA, on the grounds that the system is incompatible with the GDPR and Data Protection Act 1998. In a separate matter, Anya Proops KC, leading Robin Hopkins, acted on behalf of Experian in Experian v ICO, an appeal against an enforcement notice issued by the ICO regarding the company’s data brokering business. Christopher Knight is ‘a superstar of the data and privacy world‘, and David Glen ‘provides excellent advice that is strategically insightful and delivered in a user-friendly manner‘.

Testimonials

‘Mark Dann is a star.

‘Victoria Eastwick is invaluable.’

‘Strong set of clerks who are regularly available to help, especially Thomas Belcher, who is always very helpful and prompt in his communication.’

‘A fantastic chambers with very bright, thoughtful barristers.’

’11KBW has the top barristers for contentious data protection.’

‘Its barristers are incredibly insightful, excellent in terms of advocacy and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘Top quality data protection set – best by some distance.’

‘Very strong set in the data protection field.’





5RB


The team at 5RB stands out for its established expertise in handling, among other areas of data protection law, regulatory issues, ICO investigations and FOIA requests and appeals. Aidan Eardley KC is very experienced in appearing for and against media companies in data protection matters, and is equally strong in representing government departments in high-profile mandates. Among the junior end of chambers, the 'excellent all-rounder' Clara Hamer is singled out for her expertise in advising on complex litigation and major data breach matters. Jonathan Scherbel-Ball is 'tenacious, diligent, and strategic', and Kate Wilson is well versed in both claimant and defendant work, with particular strength in advising public authorities on data protection and privacy claims.

Testimonials

‘Antony Braeger is excellent. He is easy to deal with and very responsive.’

‘Andrew Love is a very good operator.’

‘Georgina Gills is professional, friendly and responsible.’

‘5RB is really impressive when it comes to data protection.’

‘From top to bottom, you always receive the best.’

‘The set as a whole is strong in data protection law with a great array of experienced barristers at various levels who can be called upon.’

‘Excellent, prompt and fantastic service.’

‘Very responsive and a pleasure to deal with.’





Matrix Chambers


At Matrix Chambers, Antony White KC and Edward Craven are acting in O’Carroll v Meta, a high-profile claim concerning the legality of processing personal data for the purpose of delivering direct marketing on Facebook. In a separate matter, Ian Helme is representing the fintech company in Delo v Wise, a claim over alleged violations of Article 15 of the GDPR, raising issues as to the obligations of financial institutions under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 when subjected to subject access requests.

Testimonials

‘Ali Scanes and Liz Bousher are both excellent.’

‘Paul Venables runs his team well. He is an absolute pleasure to work with.’

‘An extremely strong set in this area.’

‘Matrix has an exceptionally high standard. It has some of the most formidable barristers in the field.’

‘Matrix is strong on data protection law.’

‘A very good clerking team.’

‘They are diligent, flexible and work hard to put together the right team.’





Monckton Chambers


The practitioners at Monckton Chambers are very experienced in handling work involving the ICO; for example, Laura Elizabeth John is acting for the Information Commissioner in a case concerning whether the Canal & River Trust is covered by FOIA when conducting activities within the scope of its statutory powers. Elsewhere in chambers, Gerry Facenna KC is acting for the claimant police officers in a group litigation action brought against the Police Federation concerning a data breach, which affects over 13,000 officers. In Montague v Information Commissioner and the Department for International Trade, Eric Metcalfe acted as sole counsel for the department in a high-profile appeal concerning the disclosure of redacted minutes of US-UK trade negotiations.

Testimonials

‘Steven Duffett is next level.’

‘Chris O’Brien is one of the best clerks in the circuit.’

‘Gemma Rawlinson is very responsive and has insight into the cases which is very helpful.’

Leading set for claimant data breach work.’

‘Excellent quality of barristers.’

‘Definitely A-list.’

‘It has strength across the board.’

‘The clerking team at Monckton Chambers is first class.’





39 Essex Chambers


At 39 Essex Chambers, members have a solid track record in assisting government entities, media companies and regulatory bodies with a broad spectrum of data protection matters. Recent instructions include Rory Dunlop KC and David Mitchell  representing the British Medical Association in a challenge to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Security's decision to allow automatic access to GP patients' records on the grounds that such access was a breach of data protection principles.

Testimonials

‘The clerks are professional, friendly and respond in a timely manner. Anthony King is particularly helpful and does his utmost to secure us with appropriate counsel.’

‘One of the top sets for data protection.’

‘Clerks are responsive and helpful.’

‘Always an excellent service.’





Blackstone Chambers


Blackstone Chambers‘ members are well versed in handling high-profile data protection claims. Kate Gallafent KC continues to advise multiple institutions within the Catholic Church of England and Wales on a range of data protection matters. Gayatri Sarathy is ‘extremely clever‘ with ‘incisive attention to detail‘; she is appearing for the applicants in Wieder and Guarnieri v United Kingdom, a claim currently being heard before the European Court of Human Rights. The case concerns whether the interception of the applicants’ communications, and/or related communications data, falls within the UK’s jurisdiction for the purposes of Article 1 of the Convention.