Defamation And Privacy

Leading Silks

Anya Proops KC –11KBW ‘Anya has a strongly analytical approach, and is a very focused and concise advocate who always has the ear of the court.’

Hugh Tomlinson KC –Matrix Chambers

Antony White KC –Matrix Chambers

William Bennett KC –5RB

Catrin Evans KC –Matrix Chambers

William McCormick KC –Selborne Chambers ‘William is simply the best. He has an unusual attention to detail (unusually good even amongst KCs) and inspires real confidence in the client and the team that he knows what he is doing. He is a dogged advocate who is unafraid to focus upon what matters.’

Justin Rushbrooke KC –5RB

Adam Speker KC –5RB

Adam Wolanski KC –5RB

Alex Bailin KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Alex is a truly brilliant barrister - a polymath who excels in numerous practice areas. He is a master strategist and fantastic advocate. You always want him on your side.’

Jonathan Barnes KC –5RB

Tom Blackburn SC – 5RB ‘Tom is hugely experienced. He has a very refined legal mind and a range of legal experience well outside the traditional practitioner in media and communications law.’

Jude Bunting KC –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Jude is one of the standout performers of his generation at the Bar. There is little wonder he took silk at such a young age. Phenomenal performer in court, utterly fearless and he charms the judge with the breadth of his legal knowledge.’

Aidan Eardley KC –5RB 'Aidan has extensive knowledge of media law and practice.'

Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC - Doughty Street Chambers 'With an astute legal mind, passionate and dedicated to the matters she is instructed on Caolifhionn is great to work with. A formidable strategic thinker and a total heavyweight.'

Edward Garnier KC –4 Pump Court ‘Edward is an outstandingly good advocate, and has the ability of making complex issues appear very straightforward. He is a pleasure to work with, and displays none of the ego that one often sees amongst KCs of his eminence.’

Anthony Hudson KC –Matrix Chambers ‘Anthony is a very experienced defamation and privacy silk, and his advocacy skills are top notch. He really has the ear of the court. He is also a real team player, and supportive of the wider legal team.’

Sara Mansoori KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Sara has a wealth of knowledge in defamation, data protection, privacy and breach of confidence. Sara’s advice is always well trusted by clients and her advocacy is excellent.’

Lorna Skinner KC – Matrix Chambers

Guy Vassall-Adams KC –Matrix Chambers

2025 Silks

Edward Craven KC – Matrix Chambers ‘Edward is such a pleasure to work with: diligent, extremely clever, determined, and very much a team player with first rate personal skills.’

Jacob Dean KC –5RB

Jonathan Price KC –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Jonathan combines intellect, knowledge, diligence, pure advocacy skill (including in cross-examination, which is not always found in media counsel) and client handling.’

Leading Juniors

David Glen –11KBW ‘David is an exceptional barrister. He is extremely bright and very down to earth. His advice is always clear and commercial and his advocacy is well-pitched and incisive. He is undoubtedly one of the leading senior juniors in this area.’

Clara Hamer –5RB ‘In many ways the perfect junior – incredibly smart and diligent, with a hugely impressive eye for detail. Others cannot think of another junior they would rather have on the team for a trial.’

Ian Helme –Matrix Chambers ‘Ian is a go-to senior junior for defamation and privacy. Extremely bright and knowledgable and a very smooth advocate.’

Mark Henderson –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Mark is super intelligent, his advocacy is spot on and he works so well with difficult clients. He knows defamation inside out.’

Jane Phillips –5RB

David Sherborne –5RB

Kate Wilson –5RB

Timothy Atkinson –Hatton Chambers ‘Timothy has an encyclopaedic knowledge of defamation law and a practice as befits a co-author of Duncan & Neil on defamation. He is particularly effective in handling technical legal arguments and his depth of knowledge becomes very apparent during advocacy when responding to difficult questions from the judiciary.'

Richard Munden –5RB

Claire Overman –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Claire has an impressively broad practice with particular expertise in defamation and privacy issues. She provides pragmatic, concise and dependable advice.’

Sarah Palin –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Sarah is incredibly thorough and tenacious and will not rest until she has chased a difficult factual or legal point down to the answer.’

Hannah Ready –11KBW 'Hannah is a superb senior junior - immensely bright and forensic in her analysis.'

Jonathan Scherbel-Ball –5RB 'Jonathan is an expert on defamation and privacy law and has an extensive practice in London and Belfast. He is extremely sharp on the law and a master tactician. Wonderful to work with.'

Greg Callus – 5RB

Romana Canneti – 4 King’s Bench Walk ‘Razor-sharp and focused, Romana grasps the issues quickly and gives very pragmatic advice. You feel you are in safe-hands – she fights your corner and is very creative at finding solutions.’

Ben Gallop –5RB ‘Ben is tremendous on his feet in court and forensic in his approach. A true rising star.’

Ben Hamer – 5RB 'Ben is excellent at drafting. He is technically very proficient and great at detail. He is easy to work with and is swiftly developing his strategic skills.'

David Hirst –5RB

Zac Sammour – 11KBW ‘Zac has a super brain that is always ticking. He is one of the best cross examiners in the business. He is exceptional in every area.’

Julian Santos –5RB

Ben Silverstone –Matrix Chambers

Kirsten Sjøvoll –Matrix Chambers ‘Excellent on the papers and also a persuasive advocate. Kirsten is very strong on media cases.’

Chloe Strong –5RB

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.’

Caroline Addy –Doughty Street Chambers 'Caroline has a fine analytical mind, and she is able to convey her advice in a readily understandable and user friendly way. She is an effective advocate who judges listen to and respect.'

Godwin Busuttil –5RB

Anton van Dellen – Fraser Chambers ‘Very good on paper and orally. A fearless advocate with a good understanding of the relevant law. He develops arguments succinctly and well.’

Beth Grossman –Doughty Street Chambers ‘Beth is extraordinarily knowledgeable and an excellent strategist.’

Victoria Jolliffe –5RB

Felicity McMahon –5RB

David Mitchell –39 Essex Chambers

John Stables –5RB

Gervase de Wilde –5RB

Aidan Wills –Matrix Chambers ‘Aidan has an impressively extensive knowledge and understanding of defamation and privacy law and the overlapping areas. Aidan provides comprehensive and considered advice, and is frank with instructing solicitors when the case does not have sufficiently good merits and prospects of success to warrant pursuing it. ‘

Rising Stars

Luke Browne – 5RB

Clare Wisson – Doughty Street Chambers ‘A modern and engaging practitioner with a pragmatic and positive outlook. Clare is a future star.’

Hope Williams – 5RB ‘Hope is a brilliant barrister. She is highly intelligent, extremely hardworking and a real team player. She has already become one of the most sought after juniors in the field, and is unquestionably a future star of the Bar.’

Defamation and privacy in London Bar

Tier 1 sets

5RB

A pre-eminent set for media and communications law, 5RB members are regularly instructed on complex cases concerning defamation, privacy, data protection, harassment, media regulation and human rights. Adrienne Page KC, leading Ben Gallop, successfully represented the news publisher in Sir James Dyson v MGN Limited, with the inventor losing his libel claim following comments by a Mirror columnist criticising his championing of Brexit before relocating his global head office to Singapore. Jane Phillips acts for the defendant in Karsten v Dunhill-Turner, a harassment by publication claim before the High Court brought against an heir to the Dunhill family by his former business partner. In Clarke v Guardian News and Media Ltd, Adam Speker KC representing the claimant, and Alexandra Marzec and Gallop representing the defendant, in actor Noel Clarke in a high-profile libel action concerning allegations of sexual harassment. Justin Rushbrooke KC, Adam Wolanski KC and Clara Hamer successfully defended a harassment claim, including by media publication and speech, brought against the former King of Spain Juan Carlos I, with the High Court deciding the English Court had no jurisdiction to hear the claim.

Testimonials

‘Attentive, readily available and easy to deal with. Antony Braeger is friendly, hard-working and extremely knowledgeable.’

‘They were very responsive, dealt with issues promptly. Good outfit.’

‘5RB are the best of the best in media and communications law.’

‘Barristers tend to be excellent in this area of law’

‘5RB is the leading media law set.’

‘5RB are fantastic.’

Work highlights

Tier 2 sets

Matrix Chambers

‘The go-to set for media law cases’, Matrix Chambers are highly sought after by leading law firms in the defamation, privacy and reputation management field, as well as acting for major news publications, broadcasters, and high-profile individuals. Hugh Tomlinson KC led Ian Helme when successfully representing the claimants in Dyson v Channel 4, now being the leading authority on determining if a corporate entity was referred to in a publication for the purposes of defamation law. As the high-profile libel claim Clarke v Guardian News & Media Ltd continues to unfold, Gavin Millar KC is acting for the newspaper in regard to numerous articles published in 2021 alleging sexual harassment and bullying by the actor and director Noel Clarke. Anthony Hudson KC, leading Ben Silverstone , acted for the Government Legal Department in Mueen-Uddin v Secretary of State for the Home Department, as the Supreme Court decided whether the Court of Appeal was correct to strike out the defamation claim, concerning the claimant’s listing in a Home Office report entitled “Challenging Hateful Extremism”, as an abuse of process.

Testimonials

‘The set is well run. Alison Scanes is an excellent Senior Practice Manager – very personable but professional, and keen to assist wherever possible. Chris Beard is also very good.’

‘Alison Scanes and Chris Beard are phenomenal. Incredibly competent and personable.’

‘The clerks are really good. I have worked with Liz Bousher for many years and always found her to be highly responsive.’

‘Chris Beard is excellent – he always goes the extra mile and is always available to help.’

‘The set as a whole is very strong in defamation and privacy law, offering both claimant and defendant teams and a good choice of Counsel of varying levels to assist.’

‘Matrix continue to be our go-to set for media defendant work. They have a strong pool of counsel and all levels and always have good availability. They manage conflicts extremely well.’

‘Matrix Chambers has very strong on the privacy and media side. They have a number of leading silks in this area.’

‘Matrix are the go-to Chambers for media law cases. You are always provided with an excellent selection of barristers on a new enquiry and they have experts at every level.’

Work highlights

Tier 3 sets

11KBW

11KBW is ‘the go-to set for information law’ and a ‘true expert on freedom of information and privacy’, with members regularly involved in high-profile defamation cases and regularly advising on non-contentious reputation management issues. David Glen is acting for Guardian News & Media in defence of a libel claim brought by Tahir Alam, an individual implicated in the “Trojan Horse” imbroglio; with the defendant successfully arguing that the defamatory meaning the claimant attributed to an Observer article was untenable at a preliminary issue trial in November 2023. In Gorgianeh v Baroness Foster, Zac Sammour represented University Challenge contestant who received damages for tweets by a former Conservative MEP which labelled her team’s cuddly octopus mascot as antisemitic.

Testimonials

‘Harry Gilson is really user-friendly and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘The clerks are all very user friendly and efficient. Martin Pownall and Mark Dann are particularly recommended.’

‘Great clerking. Martin Pownall is very impressive.’

‘Very helpful clerks who are always friendly and available when you need them. Highly collaborative and commercially minded.’

‘11KBW is the go-to set for information law. I can’t think of any set I would go to instead if I want to true expert advice on issues arising in data protection, Freedom of Information or privacy.’

‘They are very strong in data protection and privacy.’

‘11KBW is a brilliant set.’

Work highlights

Doughty Street Chambers

Doughty Street Chambers has an ‘impressive offering in this area and real strength in-depth as free speech lawyers’, covering a wide array of media and information law issues, including defamation and malicious falsehood, privacy, freedom of information, and harassment. The set is particularly well regarded for its expertise of media and information law with an international element, with Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC acting as leading counsel for award-winning journalist Maria Ressa in defending a litany of criminal charges brought by the Filipino government, including three charges of criminal defamation. Jude Bunting KC was instructed to advise Channel 4 on all aspects of media law related to its documentary about Russell Brand, In Plain Sight, which made a series of serious allegations of sexual misconduct against the former television personality. Mark Henderson represented the claimant in Tahir Alam v Guardian News and Media, a major libel claim following the “Trojan Horse” imbroglio, which alleged a plot to run a number of schools in the West Midlands according to strict Islamic principles.

Testimonials

‘Melvin Warner is an outstanding clerk who always delivers for clients. One of the best in the business.’

‘Melvin Warner is first class and in a league of his own.’

‘Sian Wilkins is a formidable Senior Clerk. One of the best in the business.’

‘The clerks are very good. Melvin Warner, in particular, is excellent.

‘Doughty Street Chambers is an outstandingly good set for media work, and its members are some of the country’s leading media lawyers.’

‘Doughty Street are an excellent set across the breadth of their expertise.’

‘The media offering at this Chambers is going from strength to strength and rightly giving the more established libel sets a real run for their money.’

‘The best defamation set – a world apart.’

Coverage By Practice AreaLondon Bar