William Bennett KC > Chambers of Adrienne Page KC and Jane Phillips > London, England > Barrister Profile
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William Bennett KC
Position
William originally practised in criminal law before moving into defamation in 1996, since when he has specialised in defamation, breach of confidence/privacy and other freedom of speech-related areas. In defamation, he has appeared in leading cases on withdrawing issues from juries (Alexander v Arts Council of Wales), interim injunctions (Holley v Smyth), offers of amends (Milne v Express Newspapers, Diana Rigg v Associated Newspapers, Jimmy Nail v News Group), qualified privilege (Wood v West Midlands Police), jurisdiction (Harrods v Dow Jones, Lennon v Daily Record) and damages (Purnell v Rubython). William particularly enjoys appearing before juries, building on the experience gained at the beginning of his career in criminal practice. He is a CEDR-accredited mediator.
Career
Called 1994, Inner Temple; previous specialisation in criminal law; articles published by Tolley’s Communications Law on limitation and the summary disposal procedure.
Education
Bancroft’s School; Liverpool University.
Leisure
Cycling.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Defamation and privacy
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2William Bennett KC –5RB ‘Calm and polite for solicitors to deal with but very clear and ordered as an advocate. Brilliant at cross-examining witnesses because of his non-aggressive approach.’
5RB is considered ‘the leading set in this area by some distance’, with the chambers being known for housing a significant number of barristers who specialize in defamation and privacy cases. William Bennett successfully acted for Dinah Rose KC in Rose v Ames & Times Media Limited, concerning an article published in The Times alleging she wrongly claimed she had been professionally obliged to represent the Cayman Islands government in a case concerning the jurisdiction’s lack of provision in law for same-sex marriage – the matter settled with an apology in open court from the newspaper. In the Sir James Dyson v Channel Four Television Corporation & Anor, Adam Wolanski KC defended Channel Four in the libel claim made by Sir James concerning allegations made on Channel 4 News concerning working conditions at Dyson’s factories in Malaysia.