Defamation And Privacy

Leading Silks

Gavin Millar KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Willing to get involved often at short notice. For a lawyer, he has an almost unparalleled understanding and experience of investigative journalism.‘

Adrienne Page KC –5RB 'Adrienne is a brilliant advocate, as solicitors have seen both with her on their side and against. She is excellent on paper and has outstanding in-depth knowledge of the law and procedure. '

Heather Rogers KC –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Heather is super responsive and is all over the detail. She covers the relevant issues thoroughly, and lays out practical options for next steps.'

Hugh Tomlinson KC –Matrix Chambers

Antony White KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Antony is the doyen of complex defamation and privacy matters. His encyclopaedic knowledge of fraud is an essential ingredient for picking him in the high profile difficult matters in defamation, data protection and privacy matters. He is exceptional and a pleasure to deal with.'

William Bennett KC –5RB

Catrin Evans KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Catrin is exceptional in both picking apart the claimant’s evidence in cross-examination and taking the judge through the evidence and law in a compelling manner. She is absolutely first rate.‘

Anya Proops KC –11KBW ‘Anya is exceptionally talented, commercially astute and adds great impact to her cases. She gets to grips with key issues incredibly quickly, provides clear and practical advice, and is very client-friendly. She is very well-prepared and is a formidable advocate.'

Justin Rushbrooke KC –5RB

Adam Wolanski KC –5RB 'Adam has particular expertise in reporting restrictions, and principles of open justice. He is compellingly charming, which obviously works well with everyone: lay clients, instructing solicitors, and judges. '

Alex Bailin KC –Matrix Chambers 'Alex is wildly clever - a true polymath who excels in numerous areas of law. His advocacy is superb: calm, measured and highly persuasive.'

Jonathan Barnes KC –5RB 'Jonathan has very strong advocacy and strategic skills. He is frank in his assessments, always from a place of what is best for the client.'

Edward Garnier KC –4 Pump Court ‘Edward is an outstandingly good advocate. Judges like him and listen to his submissions, and he has always been effective. He is very easy to work with, and his charm and courtesy make him popular with clients.'

Anthony Hudson KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Clients are very pleased with his work. He is collaborative. He is very good at reading a room and good at tailoring submissions to judges and opponents.‘

William McCormick KC –Selborne Chambers 'Excellent legal knowledge, experience and insight. Superb tactically. First class in consultations and he generates great confidence in his incisive advice and advice on strategy. Superb cross examiner.'

Jeremy Reed KC – Hogarth Chambers

Adam Speker KC –5RB 'Adam is very calm and assured - he is hugely experienced and has a good sense of what will work in court and what won't.'

Guy Vassall-Adams KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Superb, knows all there is to know in this area of law and data protection. Guy prepares statements of case and all documents brilliantly; and he is a very effective and authoritative advocate and is wonderful with clients.'

2021 Silks

Lorna Skinner KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Lorna is pragmatic, clear-thinking, legally astute and a pleasure to work with. Clients respond to her ability to communicate the law and their options clearly, her personable nature and her common sense. As an advocate she is effective and compelling.‘

2022 Silks

Jude Bunting KC –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Jude is a star. He can pick up a brief and provide advice very quickly. Urgent instructions are no issue. He is a great advocate in court and gets on well with both his opponents and judges.'

Aidan Eardley KC –5RB

Sara Mansoori KC –Matrix Chambers ‘She is excellent at both strategy and detail. She is a calm and reliable member of any team who is liked by solicitors, her peers and clients alike. She is particularly good at written argument and has also become a compelling advocate.'

Leading Juniors

Edward Craven –Matrix Chambers ‘Edward is on the ball and adeptly navigates complex legal issues and brings great energy to cases.‘

Jacob Dean –5RB 'Jacob is very good on the law and very thorough and easy to work with. His advocacy is very accomplished.'

David Glen –11KBW ‘Incredibly bright. Where data protection meets defamation and/or misuse of private information, David is one of the very best juniors to turn to.‘

Clara Hamer –5RB 'Clara is exceptionally organised and hardworking. She has a phenomenal grasp of the facts and understanding of the law involved in the case.'

Ian Helme –Matrix Chambers 'Ian is absolutely brilliant. Ian's advice is confident, thorough, clear and commercial. His advocacy is calm, cogent and persuasive. Ian cuts through the issues with ease and distills complex concepts with exceptional clarity.'

Jane Phillips –5RB 'Jane cuts through the issues and provides advice that is spot on and incredibly practical. She also makes herself available at short notice and turns round advice to short deadlines.'

David Sherborne –5RB ‘David is excellent – the leader in terms of privacy law. He is popular with every client he is in front of.‘

Kate Wilson –5RB 'Kate's written advice and evaluation of strategy is excellent. Her written work is superb. Kate is an absolute joy to work with - razor-sharp and extremely good with clients.'

Timothy Atkinson –Hatton Chambers ‘He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of defamation law and as a result, is ideal for technical cases. He also provides sensible advice to clients and is a very calm advocate. Produces extremely clear drafting.'

David Hirst –5RB 'David is an advocate of the highest quality; his preparation and commercial sense is second to none. David is also great with clients, able to explain matters in a straight forward and thinking manner and nothing is too much trouble. Always quick to respond and no question is too small. '

Richard Munden –5RB 'Mr Strike Out. If you want an early end to a case you are defending, then use Richard. He will persuade the judge why the case should stop now!'

Claire Overman –Doughty Street Chambers ‘She rolls up her sleeves and provides very practical advice and possesses excellent judgement, being able to read the court and her opponents well. Her written work is concise and very compelling and she has a gentle authority on her feet.'

Sarah Palin –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Extremely thoughtful, knowledgeable and practical. Her advocacy is strong.'

Hannah Ready –11KBW ‘Hannah is committed, diligent, knowledgeable and user-friendly.'

Jonathan Scherbel-Ball –5RB

Greg Callus –5RB

Romana Canneti – 4 King’s Bench Walk 'Knows the law inside out. Always works extremely hard to get the best result for the client. Very approachable.'

Mark Henderson –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Mark has a real commitment to his clients. He is prepared to back his own judgement and has obtained some notable successes while doing so.‘

Alexandra Marzec –5RB

Jonathan Price –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Jonathan knows the law inside out, on the back of involvement in some of the most significant cases. He is very responsive and has a very good sense of how to present things to a judge.'

Julian Santos –5RB ‘Julian is great. A pleasure to deal with and excellent at strategy.'

Ben Silverstone –Matrix Chambers ‘Very collaborative - an up and coming star.‘

Chloe Strong –5RB

Caroline Addy –Doughty Street Chambers

Godwin Busuttil –5RB

Anton van Dellen – Fraser Chambers ‘Anton is so good with clients; He puts them at ease, highlights their issues and isn’t afraid to tell them when they’re wrong, albeit in a very sensitive and understanding way. A professional and highly effective advocate who is good at managing expectations.‘

Victoria Jolliffe –5RB

Felicity McMahon –5RB 'A go-to junior on media matters - she is encyclopaedic but also practical and a pleasure to deal with.'

David Mitchell –39 Essex Chambers

Jennifer Robinson –Doughty Street Chambers 'Exceptionally knowledgeable with a wide range of experience and contacts. Very good with lay clients; gains their trust easily. Very responsive.'

Zac Sammour – 11KBW ‘Zac is very personable and is a very strong team player. He has a first class knowledge and intellect and is very good on paper. He is a superb advocate and is definitely a junior star.‘

Victoria Simon-Shore –5RB 'Victoria combines an approachable and down to earth manner with clients with real steel in the court room. A strong tactician who steers the case from the front. A strong advocate with good rapport with the judges. '

Kirsten Sjøvoll –Matrix Chambers

John Stables –5RB 'He has a natural feel and creates clever technical arguments.'

Gervase de Wilde –5RB

Rising Stars

Ben Gallop –5RB 'Ben is extremely knowledgeable, brilliant with clients and always goes out of his way to assist his instructing solicitors and lay clients. His knowledge of media law is second to none.'

Beth Grossman –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Beth is keen and versatile with a mind that can analyse and strategise laterally.'

Ben Hamer – 5RB ‘Ben is one to watch- great at detail and excellent drafting skills.‘

Aidan Wills –Matrix Chambers 'Aidan is conscientious and extremely thorough, and provides excellent and clear advice.'

Defamation and privacy in London Bar

Tier 1 sets

5RB

5RB is a ‘dominant set for defamation and privacy’, with its barristers relied upon ‘to produce first class work‘. Adrienne Page KC and Andrew Caldecott KC were for the claimant and defendant respectively in Sharif v Associated Newspapers Ltd, a trial concerning the meaning of a Mail article accusing the Pakistani prime minister of various fraud-related schemes. In Attorney General v BBC, Adam Wolanski KC is representing the BBC in a case brought by the government seeking to prevent the identification of an MI5 covert human intelligence source (CHIS) accused of abusing women. In addition, ‘excellent‘ David Sherborne acted alongside Julian Santos, representing the defendants and going up against Kate Wilson in IS Prime Ltd v Siddiqui and TF Global Markets (UK) Limited, a malicious falsehood claim stemming from messages shared between the defendants in relation to separate proceedings the claimant was a party to.

Testimonials

Set

‘5RB is the dominant set for defamation and privacy, and their barristers can be relied on to produce first class work.‘

‘5RB of course top defamation/privacy/reputation management set.‘

‘5RB leads the field because it is solely focused on the media torts/defamation and privacy.’

Tier 2 sets

Matrix Chambers

Characterised as ‘one of the leading defamation and privacy chambers at the Bar’, members of Matrix Chambers represent a variety of clients, including broadcasters, major news outlets and high-profile celebrities. In Vardy v Rooney (referred to in some quarters as “Wagatha Christie”), Hugh Tomlinson KC and Sara Mansoori KC represented Rebekah Vardy, wife of 2019-20 Premier League Golden Boot winner Jamie, in a claim against Coleen Rooney, wife of DC United manager Wayne, accusing her of posting defamatory statements on Twitter and Instagram alleging that Mrs Vardy had been leaking her private posts to The Sun. Antony White KC represented Bloomberg in ZXC v Bloomberg, a case focused on whether criminal suspects have a reasonable expectation of privacy, where he saw Mansoori as opposing counsel. In addition, Catrin Evans KC led Ben Silverstone in Eurasian Natural Resources Corp Ltd v Qajygeldin, acting for the former Prime Minister of Kazakhstan in a breach of confidence claim by ENRC.

Testimonials

Set

‘Matrix Chambers has developed into one of the leading defamation and privacy chambers at the Bar.’

‘The barristers at Matrix Chambers are well-rounded and well able to advise on legal concepts spanning multiple practice areas, with ease.’

‘Matrix barristers think around the issues and do not confine themselves to arguments based purely on one area of law.’

‘Matrix are a leading set in defamation and privacy.’

Clerking

‘The clerks are responsive and a pleasure to work with.’

‘The clerking team are excellent.’

‘Chris Beard goes above and beyond.

‘Alison Scanes leads the team expertly.’

‘Professional and helpful. Alison Scanes is particularly good.’

Tier 3 sets

11KBW

11KBW ‘has an incredible breadth of talent across the set. They are absolutely one of the go-to sets in this area with a fast-growing defamation and privacy practice’, advising tech giants, media outlets, and private individuals in a variety of matters. In Whyte v CBS Interactive, Anya Proops KC was instructed by the defendant, concerning its publication of news articles claiming the former British heavyweight boxing champion had tested positive for banned substances. In Sharif v Associated Newspapers Limited, David Glen acted for the publisher in a defamation claim brought by Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, relating to a Mail on Sunday article reporting an ongoing police investigation in Pakistan. Additionally, in Mehmet Baltaci v Refinitiv Limited, Hannah Ready represented the owner of the World-Check database in relation to the claimant’s inclusion in its “non-conviction terror” section.

Testimonials

Set

‘They are one of the most impressive set in this area.‘

‘11KBW has an incredible breadth of talent across the set. They are absolutely one of the go-to sets in this area with a fast-growing defamation and privacy practice, building on their stellar credentials in data protection and information law.’

‘The responsiveness and attention to client service offered by 11KBW is second to none.’

’11KBW provides excellent resources, including their Panopticon blog, which regularly highlights new case and legislative updates, and their annual Information Law Conference, which highlights all of the most recent developments in data protection, privacy, information law and media law-related matters.‘

‘11KBW as a whole are very approachable and knowledgeable. They usually go out of their way to accommodate even the most urgent requests.‘

Clerking

‘Excellent. All the clerks are very able, courteous and efficient.‘

‘The 11KBW clerks are truly excellent. They always go above and beyond to provide the very best service to clients. They are always looking at how they can add more value.‘

‘Mark Dann is a particular star. Harry Gilson and Martin Pownall are also excellent.‘

‘Martin Pownall stands out as a particularly impressive clerk.‘

Doughty Street Chambers

With a ‘first rate team‘, members of Doughty Street Chambers act in a range of defamation, privacy, and data protection matters, representing media organizations and high-net-worth individuals. In Brake v Guy & Others, Heather Rogers KC led Jonathan Price, representing the claimant in the Court of Appeal case concerning the misuse of private information in relation to personal emails on a work account. In Stocker v Stocker, Claire Overman acted on behalf of the claimant in the Supreme Court, with respect to Facebook posts between ex-spouses, with the court clarifying certain issues in relation to defamatory social media publications. In addition, Jude Bunting KC – who took silk in 2022 – focuses on issues relating to anonymity in criminal proceedings.

Testimonials

Set

‘Doughty Street is a great set and services whatever is required.‘

‘Chambers has experience in this area at every level.‘

‘Doughty Street are beginning to develop a reputation as a ‘player’ in the media litigation field and are also developing their civil practice generally.’

‘Lawyers are of excellent quality.‘

‘Doughty Street has a first rate team. It has increasing strength in depth.‘

Clerking

‘Melvin Warner is a great clerk.‘

‘Melvin Warner is an outstanding clerk.‘

‘Ben Davis is very helpful and efficient.‘

‘Melvin Warner is one of the best clerks around. He is calm with brilliant knowledge of client’s needs and he always gets the right barrister for the right client.‘

‘Melvin Warner is at the very top of his game.‘

Coverage By Practice AreaLondon Bar