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Adam Speker
Profile
Adam practises in the areas of defamation, confidence and privacy, other media related work and general common law. He acts for both claimants and defendants. He is described in Chambers and Partners 2012 as having "that invaluable combination of expertise, forensic ability and commercial awareness" and as being "on an upward trajectory."
He has considerable experience in heavyweight trial litigation having acted for Claimants in Lillie & Reed v Newcastle City Council and Morgan & Doyle v Chief Constable of Northumbria (which settled on the second day of trial) and for Defendants in Miller v Associated Newspapers, Charman v Orion Publishing Group (at first instance and on appeal) and Taylor v Associated Newspapers (which settled the day before trial).
He has a particular interest in online publication and is regularly instructed to advise in such cases. These include Al Amoudi v Brisard [2007] 1 WLR 113, Kaupthing Bank HF v JP/Politkens Hus and Eason v Kordowski where he acted (instructed by Carter Ruck) for the first solicitor to take action against the Solicitors from Hell website. He is also regularly instructed on Norwich Pharmacal applications for and against internet service providers.
Significant recent and ongoing cases include:
- junior Counsel for Telegraph Media Group at the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press (ongoing);
- defending Associated Newspapers in several ongoing libel and privacy matters including in an action brought by Andrew Miller over his alleged links to Sir Ian Blair (trial of justification in May 2012);
- defending a local authority and its chief executive in a libel claim brought by a blogger and prospective local election candidate (ongoing);
- acting for Elena Ambrosiadou in a harassment, privacy and data protection claim against a firm of private investigators (ongoing)
- defending Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB in libel claims brought against him by Lalit Modi and IMG which has included hearings on meaning at first instance and in the Court of Appeal;
- acting for Lord Ashcroft in a libel action against The Independent which has included two hearings striking out the defence of justification (hearing in the Court of Appeal in February 2012);
- acting for a claimant in a privacy, breach of confidence and harassment claim against a former partner which included an application for an injunction (ongoing);
- acting for members of a Sikh Temple suing other members over defamatory publications which included a trial on meaning and applications to strike out justification (judgment pending).
Career
Called
1999 Called to the Bar
Education
Bristol University (BA History (Hons): First Class)
Common Professional Examination at College of Law, London
Inns of Court School of Law (Bar Finals: Very competent)
Areas of work
- Defamation
- Privacy and Confidence
- Sports Law
- Data Protection
- Reporting the Courts
- Pre-publication Advice
- Public Access
- Contempt
- Harassment
- Human Rights
- Injunctive Relief
- Malicious Falsehood
- Media Law
Verbatim
a "cool, calm favourite"
a "brilliant strategist"
[Legal 500]
"has that invaluable combination of expertise, forensic ability and commercial awareness." One solicitor commented of his experience with him: "We were more successful than we had previously hoped because of the quality of his presentation - he is certainly on an upward trajectory."
"Shows incredibly mature insight, well beyond his years of call"
[Chambers and Partners]
Testimonials
Recommended in the leading directories as a specialist defamation and privacy junior.
In the 2010/11 edition of Legal 500 he is described as a "brilliant strategist" and has been described in 2006 as a "cool, calm favourite" and in the 2005 edition as "a careful thinker on legal issues' who is praised for his 'excellent attention to detail"
In the 2010 edition of Chambers and Partners he was described as "wise beyond his years, and will undoubtedly go a long way." It went on, "He is noted for really going the extra mile and for being "good at turning round complicated matters and giving clear, practical advice." In 2009 he was described as showing 'incredibly mature insight, well beyond his years of call'. In previous editions he has been described as "a future star", "an incredibly decent guy", "extraordinarily bright and academically minded"; "conscientious, committed and proactive" and several years ago (!!) as "young but has exactly what it takes".
Jointly short-listed (with Adrienne Page QC and Richard Osborne, then of SJ Cornish) for Liberty/Justice Human Rights Lawyer of the Year 2003 for his role as junior Counsel to the Claimants in the 79 day trial Lillie & Reed v Newcastle City Council [2002] EWHC 1600 where Eady J said, "Had it not been for the introduction of [conditional] fee arrangements a few years ago, and the courage and dogged determination of their various legal advisers.... a significant injustice would.. have gone unnoticed"
1998: Harmsworth Scholar of the Middle Temple
1998: Winner of The Times and 1 Essex Court law awards on 'Press and Privacy' published in The Times on 17/3/98
1997: Benefactors' Scholar of Middle Temple
Memberships
British Association for Sport and Law
Justice
Publications
(17 Oct 2002)
(6 Dec 2008)
(17 Mar 2011)