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Adam Speker
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Adam is a specialist defamation, privacy, media law and harassment barrister. Many of his cases involve the Human Rights Act and the interplay between articles 8 and 10 of the European Convention. He acts for both claimants and defendants.
In the current Chambers & Partners he is ranked in band 1 for defamation and privacy work and is described as "a tenacious, lateral thinker, who provides extraordinarily helpful advice, and is quite simply a pleasure to work with." The previous year he was described as having "that invaluable combination of expertise, forensic ability and commercial awareness" and as being "on an upward trajectory." In the latest Legal 500 he is said to be ‘a star of the junior Bar with an excellent understanding of the practicalities of media law’.
He has considerable experience in heavyweight trial litigation. He acted for Claimants in Lillie & Reed v Newcastle City Council over 79 days and Morgan & Doyle v Chief Constable of Northumbria which settled on the second day of trial and as sole counsel in Bloom v Robinson-Millar where the claimant was awarded £30,000 damages for libel and harassment.
Trials for Defendants include acting in 2013 as sole counsel for Carmarthenshire County Council and its chief executive Mark James in a 6 day libel trial against a blogger called Jacqui Thompson. The Council and Mr James successfully defended the claim and Mr James won his counter-claim and was awarded £25,000 damages.
In 2012 he acted as junior counsel in three trials for Associated Newspapers (Miller, Qadir, Abbey). He spent a large part of 2011-2 acting for the Telegraph Media Group at the Leveson Inquiry.
Significant recent and ongoing instructions include:
- successfully defending a local authority and its chief executive in a libel claim brought by a blogger and prospective local election candidate and obtaining damages of £25,000 for the chief executive in his counter-claim;
- appointed in July 2012 as an Independent Scheme Barrister to act on behalf of Applicants in the News International Voicemail Interception Scheme. To date, Adam has advised over 50 applicants;
- acting as junior Counsel for Telegraph Media Group at the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press;
- acting as junior Counsel for Associated Newspapers (ANL) in a number of actions. These include Abbey v ANL where ANL successfully defended a privacy and confidence claim brought by businessman, Peter Abbey which included findings of abuse of process on the basis of attempted extortion in 2012; Miller v ANL where judgment (for the claimant) was handed down in December 2012; Qadir v ANL which settled in January 2013; Morgan v ANL (trial in June 2013 of claim brought by 'Psychic Sally'); Nouchin v ANL;
- defending an American company and its American solicitors in a libel action brought by a businessman (settled);
- acting for Lord Ashcroft in a libel action against The Independent which has included several hearings to determine the scope of the defences of justification and honest opinion at first instance and in the Court of Appeal (settled);
- defending Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB in a libel claims brought against him by Lalit Modi and IMG, both have now settled;
- acting for a claimant in a privacy, breach of confidence and harassment claim against a former partner which included an application for an injunction (settled)
- acting for the director of an animal sanctuary who had a tracking device placed on her car by a firm of private investigators (settled).
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 latest Legal 500 he is said to be ‘a star of the junior Bar with an excellent understanding of the practicalities of media law’. In the 2010/11 edition of Legal 500 he was described as a "brilliant strategist" and in 2006 as a "cool, calm favourite". In 2005 he was described 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 said to show '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)
Cases
Defamation
Thompson v James and Carmarthenshire County Council
[2013] EWHC 515 (QB) 15/03/2013
Miller v Associated Newspapers Ltd
[2012] EWHC 3721 (QB) 21/12/2012
Qadir v Associated Newspapers Ltd
[2012] EWHC 2606 (QB) 05/10/2012
Foley & Others v Lord Ashcroft
[2012] EWCA Civ 423; [2012] EMLR 25 04/04/2012
Dominic Raab MP v Associated Newspapers Ltd
[2011] EWHC 3375 (QB) 15/12/2011
Miller v Associated Newspapers Limited (No 2)
[2011] EWHC 2677 (QB) 11/11/2011
Modi & IMG v Clarke
[2011] EWCA Civ 937 29/07/2011
Wright v Caan
[2011] EWHC 1978 (QB) 27/07/2011
Ashcroft v Foley & Others (No 2)
[2011] EWHC 1710 (QB); [2011] EMLR 30 01/07/2011
Modi v Clarke; IMG v Clarke
[2011] EWHC 1324 (QB) 24/05/2011
Ashcroft v Foley & Ors
[2011] EWHC 292 (QB) 17/02/2011
Ronaldo v Telegraph Media Limited
[2010] EWHC 2719 (QB) 27/10/2010
Peacock v MGN Ltd (Costs)
[2010] EWHC 90174 (Costs) 30/07/2010
Mireskandari v Associated Newspapers Limited (No 3)
[2010] EWHC 967 (QB) 04/05/2010
Miller v Associated Newspapers Limited
[2010] EWHC 700 31/03/2010
Mireskandari v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No 2)
[2010] EWHC 527 (QB) 19/02/2010
Ronaldo v Mirror Group Newsapers Ltd; Ronaldo v Telegraph Media Group Ltd
[2009] EWHC 2862 (QB) 14/10/2009
Bloom v Robinson-Millar
7 October 2009 07/10/2009
Marathon Mutual Ltd & Anor v Waters & Anor
[2009] EWHC 1931 (QB), [2009] All ER (D) 06 (Aug) 31/07/2009
Peacock v MGN Ltd
[2009] EWHC 769 (QB) 08/04/2009
Wakefield v Ford & Anor
[2009] EWHC 122 (QB) 29/01/2009
Tycon Energy Corp v The Motley Fool Limited
Unreported, 9 December 2008 09/12/2008
Mireskandari v Associated Newspapers Ltd
19 November 2008 19/11/2008
Apsion v The Bar Standards Board
D2006/098&099 10/10/2008
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others (No.3) (CA)
[2007] EWCA Civ 972; [2008] 1 AllER 750 11/10/2007
Sunderland Housing Company & another v Baines & others
[2006] EWHC 2359 (QB) 26/07/2006
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others (No.3)
[2006] EWHC 1756 (QB); [2007] 1 All ER 622 13/07/2006
Tufano v Vincenti
[2006] EWHC 1496 (QB) 23/06/2006
Mahfouz and another v Brisard & another
[2006] EWHC 1191 (QB) 25/05/2006
Loughton Contracts Plc v Dun & Bradstreet Ltd
[2006] EWHC 1224 (QB) 25/05/2006
Al Amoudi v Brisard & Another
[2006] EWHC 1062 (QB); [2007] 1 WLR 113; [2006] 3 All ER 294 16/05/2006
Ascension Securities Limited v The Motley Fool Limited
[2005] EWHC 3064 (Ch) 06/12/2005
Mahfouz and another v Brisard and another
[2005] All ER (D) 174 (Sep) 30/09/2005
Georgallides v Etzin
12 July 2005 12/07/2005
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others
17 June 2005 17/06/2005
Miller v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No.4)
[2005] EWHC 773 (QB) 22/04/2005
Miller v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No.3)
[2005] EWHC 557 (QB) 08/04/2005
Matadeen v Associated Newspapers Ltd
17 March 2005 17/03/2005
Miller v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No.2)
[2005] EWHC 21 (QB) 18/01/2005
Blake v Associated Newspapers Limited
[2003] EWHC 1960 (QB) 31/07/2003
Stallwood & Stallwood v Smith
1 July 2003 01/07/2003
Sharma v Jay & Others
15 April 2003 15/04/2003
Lillie & Reed v Newcastle City Council & Others (No.2)
[2002] EWHC 1600 (QB) 30/07/2002
Lillie & Reed v Newcastle City Council & others
[2002] EWHC 252 (QB) 07/02/2002
Privacy and Confidence
Abbey v Gilligan
[2012] EWHC 3217 (QB) 20/11/2012
RJA v AJR
22 March 2011 22/03/2011
Sports Law
Modi & IMG v Clarke
[2011] EWCA Civ 937 29/07/2011
Data Protection
Tycon Energy Corp v The Motley Fool Limited
Unreported, 9 December 2008 09/12/2008
Sunderland Housing Company & another v Baines & others
[2006] EWHC 2359 (QB) 26/07/2006
Reporting the Courts
Qadir v Associated Newspapers Ltd
[2012] EWHC 2606 (QB) 05/10/2012
Foreign Jurisdictions
Mahfouz and another v Brisard & another
[2006] EWHC 1191 (QB) 25/05/2006
Al Amoudi v Brisard & Another
[2006] EWHC 1062 (QB); [2007] 1 WLR 113; [2006] 3 All ER 294 16/05/2006
Mahfouz and another v Brisard and another
[2005] All ER (D) 174 (Sep) 30/09/2005
General Common Law
Mireskandari v Associated Newspapers Limited (No 3)
[2010] EWHC 967 (QB) 04/05/2010
Wakefield v Ford & Anor
[2009] EWHC 122 (QB) 29/01/2009
Tycon Energy Corp v The Motley Fool Limited
Unreported, 9 December 2008 09/12/2008
Ascension Securities Limited v The Motley Fool Limited
[2005] EWHC 3064 (Ch) 06/12/2005
Georgallides v Etzin
12 July 2005 12/07/2005
Sharma v Jay & Others
15 April 2003 15/04/2003
Harassment
Thompson v James and Carmarthenshire County Council
[2013] EWHC 515 (QB) 15/03/2013
RJA v AJR
22 March 2011 22/03/2011
Bloom v Robinson-Millar
7 October 2009 07/10/2009
Sunderland Housing Company & another v Baines & others
[2006] EWHC 2359 (QB) 26/07/2006
Georgallides v Etzin
12 July 2005 12/07/2005
Sharma v Jay & Others
15 April 2003 15/04/2003
Human Rights
Thompson v James and Carmarthenshire County Council
[2013] EWHC 515 (QB) 15/03/2013
Abbey v Gilligan
[2012] EWHC 3217 (QB) 20/11/2012
Miller v Associated Newspapers Limited (No 2)
[2011] EWHC 2677 (QB) 11/11/2011
Modi v Clarke; IMG v Clarke
[2011] EWHC 1324 (QB) 24/05/2011
RJA v AJR
22 March 2011 22/03/2011
Ronaldo v Telegraph Media Limited
[2010] EWHC 2719 (QB) 27/10/2010
Tycon Energy Corp v The Motley Fool Limited
Unreported, 9 December 2008 09/12/2008
Apsion v The Bar Standards Board
D2006/098&099 10/10/2008
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others (No.3) (CA)
[2007] EWCA Civ 972; [2008] 1 AllER 750 11/10/2007
Sunderland Housing Company & another v Baines & others
[2006] EWHC 2359 (QB) 26/07/2006
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others (No.3)
[2006] EWHC 1756 (QB); [2007] 1 All ER 622 13/07/2006
Georgallides v Etzin
12 July 2005 12/07/2005
Blake v Associated Newspapers Limited
[2003] EWHC 1960 (QB) 31/07/2003
Lillie & Reed v Newcastle City Council & Others (No.2)
[2002] EWHC 1600 (QB) 30/07/2002
Lillie & Reed v Newcastle City Council & others
[2002] EWHC 252 (QB) 07/02/2002
Injunctive Relief
Bloom v Robinson-Millar
7 October 2009 07/10/2009
Sunderland Housing Company & another v Baines & others
[2006] EWHC 2359 (QB) 26/07/2006
Ascension Securities Limited v The Motley Fool Limited
[2005] EWHC 3064 (Ch) 06/12/2005
Georgallides v Etzin
12 July 2005 12/07/2005
Malicious Falsehood
Wright v Caan
[2011] EWHC 1978 (QB) 27/07/2011
Marathon Mutual Ltd & Anor v Waters & Anor
[2009] EWHC 1931 (QB), [2009] All ER (D) 06 (Aug) 31/07/2009
Media Law
Miller v Associated Newspapers Ltd
[2012] EWHC 3721 (QB) 21/12/2012
Abbey v Gilligan
[2012] EWHC 3217 (QB) 20/11/2012
Qadir v Associated Newspapers Ltd
[2012] EWHC 2606 (QB) 05/10/2012
Foley & Others v Lord Ashcroft
[2012] EWCA Civ 423; [2012] EMLR 25 04/04/2012
Dominic Raab MP v Associated Newspapers Ltd
[2011] EWHC 3375 (QB) 15/12/2011
Miller v Associated Newspapers Limited (No 2)
[2011] EWHC 2677 (QB) 11/11/2011
Wright v Caan
[2011] EWHC 1978 (QB) 27/07/2011
Ashcroft v Foley & Others (No 2)
[2011] EWHC 1710 (QB); [2011] EMLR 30 01/07/2011
Modi v Clarke; IMG v Clarke
[2011] EWHC 1324 (QB) 24/05/2011
Ashcroft v Foley & Ors
[2011] EWHC 292 (QB) 17/02/2011
Ronaldo v Telegraph Media Limited
[2010] EWHC 2719 (QB) 27/10/2010
Peacock v MGN Ltd (Costs)
[2010] EWHC 90174 (Costs) 30/07/2010
Mireskandari v Associated Newspapers Limited (No 3)
[2010] EWHC 967 (QB) 04/05/2010
Miller v Associated Newspapers Limited
[2010] EWHC 700 31/03/2010
Mireskandari v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No 2)
[2010] EWHC 527 (QB) 19/02/2010
Ronaldo v Mirror Group Newsapers Ltd; Ronaldo v Telegraph Media Group Ltd
[2009] EWHC 2862 (QB) 14/10/2009
Peacock v MGN Ltd
[2009] EWHC 769 (QB) 08/04/2009
Wakefield v Ford & Anor
[2009] EWHC 122 (QB) 29/01/2009
Tycon Energy Corp v The Motley Fool Limited
Unreported, 9 December 2008 09/12/2008
Mireskandari v Associated Newspapers Ltd
19 November 2008 19/11/2008
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others (No.3) (CA)
[2007] EWCA Civ 972; [2008] 1 AllER 750 11/10/2007
Sunderland Housing Company & another v Baines & others
[2006] EWHC 2359 (QB) 26/07/2006
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others (No.3)
[2006] EWHC 1756 (QB); [2007] 1 All ER 622 13/07/2006
Mahfouz and another v Brisard & another
[2006] EWHC 1191 (QB) 25/05/2006
Loughton Contracts Plc v Dun & Bradstreet Ltd
[2006] EWHC 1224 (QB) 25/05/2006
Al Amoudi v Brisard & Another
[2006] EWHC 1062 (QB); [2007] 1 WLR 113; [2006] 3 All ER 294 16/05/2006
Ascension Securities Limited v The Motley Fool Limited
[2005] EWHC 3064 (Ch) 06/12/2005
Mahfouz and another v Brisard and another
[2005] All ER (D) 174 (Sep) 30/09/2005
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others
17 June 2005 17/06/2005
Miller v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No.4)
[2005] EWHC 773 (QB) 22/04/2005
Miller v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No.3)
[2005] EWHC 557 (QB) 08/04/2005
Miller v Associated Newspapers Ltd (No.2)
[2005] EWHC 21 (QB) 18/01/2005
Blake v Associated Newspapers Limited
[2003] EWHC 1960 (QB) 31/07/2003
Passing off
RJA v AJR
22 March 2011 22/03/2011
Professional Discipline
Apsion v The Bar Standards Board
D2006/098&099 10/10/2008
Ascension Securities Limited v The Motley Fool Limited
[2005] EWHC 3064 (Ch) 06/12/2005
Public Law
Thompson v James and Carmarthenshire County Council
[2013] EWHC 515 (QB) 15/03/2013
Publishing
Ashcroft v Foley & Others (No 2)
[2011] EWHC 1710 (QB); [2011] EMLR 30 01/07/2011
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others (No.3)
[2006] EWHC 1756 (QB); [2007] 1 All ER 622 13/07/2006
Charman v Orion Publishing Group & others
17 June 2005 17/06/2005
Articles
Privilege, and this time we mean it
By Adam Speker. 24 Apr 2007
News
15 Mar 2013
Blogger loses libel claim against Council
Chief Executive awarded £25,000 damages for counter-claim
8 Oct 2012
Mail on Sunday report privilege fails
Judge rules court report articles 'not for the public benefit' and malicious
28 Oct 2011
5RB tops Chambers and Partners 2012
Adam Wolanski wins Defamation and Privacy Junior Barrister of the Year
17 Mar 2011
New edition of privacy book published
Second edition of Tugendhat & Christie: The Law of Privacy and the Media published
30 Nov 2010
New Supplement to Gatley published
The First Supplement to the 11th edition of Gatley on Libel and Slander has been published by Sweet & Maxwell
8 Nov 2010
Ronaldo wins libel damages
Footballer also receives apology and costs in full for Telegraph story
27 Apr 2010
Doctor accepts substantial libel damages
Newspaper apologises for untrue front page terrorism allegations
12 Jan 2010
Peaches accepts libel damages
Daily Star apologises to Peaches Geldof for 'prostitute' claim
9 Nov 2009
Ronaldo accepts libel damages
Mirror Group admits footballer was not 'on the lash' in LA and settles claim
7 Oct 2009
Accountant wins £30,000 damages for libel and harassment
Neighbour's conduct was obsessive and irrational
24 Sep 2009
5RB's juniors: the Legal 500 verdict
What the legal directory had to say about 5RB's junior barristers
30 Jul 2009
Jacob Zuma wins libel damages
Guardian makes unqualified offer of amends to President of South Africa
24 Nov 2008
Accountant wins ‘IVA Council’ claim
Insolvency practitioner obtains apology and damages over mis-selling allegations
21 Nov 2008
New edition of Gatley out soon
11th edition of leading practitioner's text on libel and slander on sale in December
20 Jun 2008
Ronaldo wins 'text message' damages
Manchester United star accepts apology and libel damages over Sun story
4 Apr 2008
Largest damages yet for internet libel
Social housing firm and CEO receive total of £119,000
19 Mar 2008
Adelson accepts apology, damages
Associated Newspapers apologises to US entrepreneur and settles libel claim
13 Feb 2008
Danish newspaper apologises to bank
Anglo-Icelandic bank accepts libel damages for internet publications
22 Jan 2008
New York to fight 'libel tourism'
Proposed legislation to prevent enforcement of foreign libel judgments
8 Nov 2007
5RB tops Chambers & Partners review
20 Barristers rated and recommended in the new annual survey
11 Oct 2007
Author succeeds on Reynolds Appeal
Court of Appeal vindicates journalist and dismisses libel claim brought by former Flying Squad officer
20 Sep 2007
5RB tops Legal 500
20 Barristers rated and recommended in Defamation, Privacy, Intellectual Property, Sport and Media & Entertainment Law
28 Jun 2007
Damages for trio cleared of murder
Chief Constable accepts innocence in malicious prosecution settlement
24 Nov 2005
New media law titles available
New edition of Arlidge, Eady & Smith on Contempt; new Supplements to Gatley and The Law of Privacy & The Media
24 Oct 2005
Chambers' Review: 5RB top again
20 barristers recommended for Media, Entertainment, Defamation, Privacy, Intellectual Property & Sports Law
15 Sep 2005
London hosts MLRC Conference
5RB's Desmond Browne QC to participate in worldwide media law event
22 Apr 2005
Indemnity costs in police libel case
Claimant faces enormous costs bill following failure to accept payment in
8 Apr 2005
Court dismisses police claim for libel
Police failures led to the wrongful arrest of the Hamiltons
17 Mar 2005
First defamation costs capping order
Queen's Bench Master grants cost-capping Order against CFA funded Claimant
24 Feb 2005
Hamilton 'rape' claims in new trial
Libel trial over police investigation of false allegations
13 Jul 2004
Law Commission Report on Local Authority Inquiries
Lillie & Reed case prompts defamation law reform proposals