David Hughes is an experienced civil liberties barrister with a specialist practice spanning police law, inquests, defamation, and public law.
He joined 30 Park Place in 2007 after practising full-time at the Gibraltar Bar, where he argued some of the jurisdiction’s most significant constitutional cases.
David is regularly instructed in civil actions against the police and other public authorities in relation to claims of unlawful detention, excessive force, misuse of data, and failures to protect victims of crime. He is also instructed in challenges to licence revocations. He is a member of the Police Action Lawyers’ Group.
His inquest practice is focused on representing bereaved families in sensitive cases. He recently appeared in the high-profile inquest into the death of Christopher Kapessa.
David is one of the few barristers outside London with a regular defamation practice. His advice spans online publications, social media, and disputes involving public figures and local government. He co-authored a key consultation response on the Defamation Act 2013 and frequently speaks on this area.
David also practises in public, commercial and regulatory law. He has particular experience in mental health, Court of Protection matters, disciplinary hearings, and soft IP disputes. He is Chair of the Wales Commercial Law Association.
A fluent Spanish speaker, with excellent French and Italian, David brings international insight to his work.
David has dyslexia and dyspraxia, and is a founding member of equality and diversity committees within chambers and on the circuit.
Call: 1997
Tenant at 30 Park Place – June 2007 – present.
Also a tenant at 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square, London, and a consultant at Phillips Barristers & Solicitors, Gibraltar.
Associate at Phillips Barristers & Solicitors - September 1997 – August 1999 and September 2000 – July 2007
Pupillage – September 1999 – September 2000
French, Italian, Spanish
Liberty (elected to the national policy council)
Police Action Lawyers Group
Administrative Law Bar Association
Planning and Environmental Bar Association
Commonwealth Lawyers Association
British Spanish Law Association (committee member)
Public Law Wales (committee member)
Wales Commercial Law Association (committee member)
Society of Conservative Lawyers.
Inns of Court School of Law – BVC 1996-97
University of Glamorgan – CPE 1995-96
University of Wolverhampton – B.A. (hons) Modern Languages (French & Spanish) including Erasmus exchanges at the Universidad de Granada, Spain and the Université de Mons-Hainault, Belgium – 1991-95.
Rollerskiing, exercise (especially running and mountain-biking), trying to play guitar and keyboards, Spain and Gibraltar-related topics, reading, current affairs, listening to flamenco and watching biathlon.