Details
Quick links
Sir Charles Gray
Profile
We are pleased to announce that Sir Charles Gray has re-joined 5RB, his former chambers, as an Associate Member. Sir Charles is now specialising in arbitration and mediation work, as a CEDR accredited mediator and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Early Resolution, an initiative of Sir Charles Gray and Alastair Brett, formerly of Times Newspapers Limited launches 21 June 2011. It will offer a speedy and economic service of voluntary binding arbitration for key issues in libel disputes, such as the meaning of the words complained of and whether they are comment or fact. See http://www.earlyresolution.co.uk/ for more information.
Sir Charles is the independent adjudicator appointed by News Group Newspapers the publisher of The Sun and The News of the World to decide the numerous cases brought against News Group Newspapers by those whose voice-mails had allegedly been intercepted.
Whilst in practice he handled substantial commercial cases and several ICC arbitrations. He appeared regularly in the High Courts and Appeal Courts of Hong Kong and Singapore. He was instructed by firms in those countries. He was also often instructed by firms of solicitors in India and Malaysia. Sir Charles is available for Arbitrations in these jurisdictions. He is a CEDR accredited mediator a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Sir Charles was a High Court Judge, sitting in the Queens Bench Division from 1998 to 2008 (and judging on a part time basis for the last three years). Prior to his appointment to the Bench Sir Charles practised at the Bar for many years taking silk in 1984. Both as a barrister and subsequently as a judge he handled a wide variety of civil cases: defamation, contract, tort, confidence/privacy, employment and copyright.
At the Bar the many high profile cases in which he was instructed included Crossman Diaries ("government confidentiality"), Wickman v Schuler (commercial arbitration appeal to HL), Spycatcher (confidence/contempt), Elton John v MGN (libel), AG of New Zealand v Ortiz (conflict of laws), Tolstoy v Aldington (libel) and Saatchi and Saatchi v Saatchi (employment); Charleston v News Group and Aitken v Guardian.
Sir Charles represented most of the national newspapers, many broadcasters and TV productions (e.g., Have I Got News for You). Besides representing many MPs, his individual clients included the Prince of Wales, Sean Connery, Ian Botham, Armand Hammer, Viscount Linley, Lord Bernstein, Carman Proetta, Robert Maxwell, James Dyson, Jason Donovan, George Michael and Hugh Grant.
As a Judge Sir Charles presided over several significant cases, notably Grobelaar v NGN, Ashcroft v Cabinet Office, Jockey Club v Buffham, Condliffe v Pressdram and David Irving v Penguin Books (dealing with libel and holocaust denial).
Career
Called
1966 Called to the Bar
1984 Silk
1990 Year of Recorder
1998 Year of HC Judge
Education
Oxford, Trinity College, scholor, PPE
Qualifications
Bencher, Lincoln's Inn
Areas of work
- Privacy and Confidence
- Mediation
- Copyright
- Foreign Jurisdictions
- General Common Law
- Media Law
- Arbitration
News
17 Jun 2011
Sir Charles Gray to Adjudicate Phone Hacking
News Group appoints former HC judge to oversee compensation scheme
14 Dec 2010
Procedure Group calls for defamation reform
Early Resolution Procedure Group chaired by Sir Charles Gray publishes report