Set Profile > Chambers of James Goudie QC and Daniel Stilitz QC > London, England

Data protection Tier 1

11KBW is ‘packed with the best and brightest’ and is ‘home to some of the first-choice barristers in data protection’. Chambers is regularly involved in high-profile data protection work with expertise across all aspects of information law. Timothy Pitt-Payne QC is representing Taylor Wessing in a case relating to the subject access regime and whether requests can be refused when made for collateral purposes. Meanwhile, ‘top-of-the-list barrister’ Anya Proops QC and ‘genuine expert’ Robin Hopkins are acting for Facebook in Facebook v Information Commissioner, an appeal to the fine it received, the largest under the Data Protection Act 1998, following the Information Commissioner’s Office's (ICO's) investigation into the activities of Cambridge Analytica; Pitt-Payne is acting for the ICO. Karen Steyn QC has been appointed a High Court judge in the Queen’s Bench Division effective 1 October 2019.

Education Tier 1

11KBW 'remains the go-to chambers for education work'. 'Its strength in depth is astonishing', meaning the set can 'provide a range of options at all levels of seniority'. Members act for public, private, and third sector clients, including schools, universities, unions, students, and teachers. Peter Oldham QC acted for the defendant in R (KE) v Bristol City Council in defending a challenge to the council's schools budget. Holly Stout represented the local authority in R (S) v LB Camden, which concerned the novel question of the circumstances in which a local authority may depart from the judgment of the Special Educational Needs Tribunal.

Employment Tier 1

11KBW is 'one of the best sets for employment law with a broad range of experience' and is 'a very strong set for complex employment law support' as well as 'high-quality, big-ticket cases', according to clients. Seán Jones QC represents the University of Oxford in a high-profile case regarding retirement ages for academics, while Richard Leiper QC acts for the NHS in relation to the monitoring and pay of junior doctors' breaks. John Cavanagh QC, recently appointed a High Court judge in the Queen’s Bench Division, acted for Virgin Atlantic in obtaining an injunction, which prevented a pilots' strike over Christmas and New Year, and was also involved in the important Supreme Court case of Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust v Haywood, which ruled that an employee is only legally notified of their redundancy when they have actually read the notification.

Product liability Tier 1

EU Law Tier 1

Administrative and public law (including local government) Tier 2

11KBW handles impressive work for both national government and local authorities, 'covering a range of public sector work which is hard to find elsewhere'. Andrew Sharland QC, a 2018 silk appointment, represented the local authority in R (Jewish Human Rights Watch) v Leicester City Council, over a decision by the city council to boycott products from Israeli-occupied parts of the West Bank; the Court of Appeal held the decision violated the public sector equality duty. Also for local government, Jonathan Moffett QC defeated a challenge to NHS England's recommendation to GPs to terminate the prescription of homeopathic products, and also represented the Welsh government in defeating a challenge to the committal to prison of council tax defaulters.  Among the juniors, Julian Blake, as sole counsel, represented the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in UK litigation concerning a request for the examination of Christopher Steele in Floridian defamation proceedings relating to the release of his infamous Trump dossier. Former Treasury Devil Jonathan Swift QC was appointed to the High Court in October 2018 and is soon to be followed by Karen Steyn QC who will join the Queen’s Bench Division on 1 October 2019.

Public international law Tier 2

International arbitration: counsel Tier 2

Public procurement Tier 2

11KBW is hailed for having 'an excellent team of barristers' and for being 'one of the go-to sets' for public procurement matters. Jason Coppel QC who is noted for being 'one of the sharpest brains in the field', acted for the defendant in Alstom UK, Bombardier Transport & Hitachi Rail v London Underground Limited. James Goudie QC's work includes successfully resisting a second attempted State Aid challenge by way of judicial review in Sky Blue Sports and Leisure Ltd and Avro Master Fund Ltd v Coventry City Council and Arena Coventry Ltd and Trustees of the Alan Edward Higgs Charity. Well known for the breadth of his expertise, Nigel Giffin QC acts for both claimants and contracting authorities across the roads/transport, real estate developments and healthcare sectors. Junior members 'highly recommended' include Joseph Barrett and the 'excellent' Rupert Paines who were both part of the defence team in Ryhurst Limited v Whittington NHS Trust, a claim regarding the cancellation of a tender process in the aftermath of  the Grenfell Tower Fire.

Civil liberties and human rights (including actions against the police) Tier 3

At 11KBW, members act for a  range of clients including leading human rights organisations across all legal contexts such as immigration, detention, and mental health. Jason Coppel QC represented Gulf Centre for Human Rights in the High Court in R (Gulf Centre for Human Rights) v Prime Minister , where the NGO challenged an omission in the ministerial code on UK Ministers' duty to comply with international law. Jonathan Moffett QC represented the government in a challenge to the law on criminal records certificates, and represented the government in Gaughran v United Kingdom on the indefinite retention of DNA profiles. Also of note, Karen Steyn QC was instructed on behalf of Liberty in DSD and NBV v the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis which defined the human rights obligations police are subject to when they are investigating a crime. Steyn QC has been elevated to the High Court and will sit in the Queen’s Bench Division on 1 October 2019.

Defamation and privacy Tier 3

'Powerhouse' privacy set 11KBW is quickly adapting to the new media law landscape where traditional defamation claims are increasingly combined with online data privacy and information rights. Anya Proops QC represented Morrisons in the data protection, breach of confidence and misuse of private information group litigation claim brought by current and former employees which has consequently gone to the Supreme Court. In light of One Brick Court dissolving, the set welcomed David Glen and Hannah Ready, further strengthening chambers in the sector. 

Professional disciplinary and regulatory law Tier 3

Sport Tier 3

Media and entertainment (including art and cultural property) Tier 4

Tax: corporate and VAT/indirect tax Tier 4

Commercial litigation Tier 5

Set overviews: England and Wales

‘Well-resourced at both senior and junior level’, ‘high-quality outfit’ 11KBW is the ‘go-to’ set for employment and education work, and has a ‘stellar reputation’ in public procurement. With ‘high intellectual ability’, ‘whichever barrister you use is likely to be an asset to the team’ and they are ‘much more service-oriented than many sets so make it their business to get back to solicitors between hearings, on trains, whatever it may be’. Chambers is ‘second to none’ for IT and telecoms law as well as being particularly strong in data protection matters. Chambers has strengthened its defamation and privacy offering with the arrival of David Glen and Hannah Ready from the dissolved One Brick Court, while Stephen Kosmin strengthened the set’s public, commercial, and international law practices following his arrival from 39 Essex Chambers at the tail end of 2018. In other recent news, joint head of chambers John Cavanagh QC and fellow silk Karen Steyn QC have been appointed High Court judges in the Queen’s Bench Division, effective from 1 October 2019, and Holly Stout has been appointed an employment judge; Jane McCafferty has taken silk. Led by joint senior clerks Lucy Barbet (‘always helpful’) and Mark Dann (‘easy to get on with’), the ‘very communicative’ clerks’ room is ‘responsive, commercial, pragmatic, and doesn’t waste time’; the team’s ‘contribution to the running of chambers cannot be flawed’. Lee Cutler is ‘away and on hand to get the right barrister at the right price’; Harry Gilson and Martin Pownall are ‘excellent at keeping solicitors informed and ensuring instructions are met’. Offices in: London