Iain Christie

Picture of Iain Christie

Profile

Iain specialises in the human rights aspects of media law, in particular the relationship between the right of personal privacy and the right to freedom of expression. Prior to joining 5RB he was a legal adviser at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and acted for the Government in a number of high profile cases before the European Court of Human Rights.  He worked on several Parliamentary Bills including the Human Rights Act 1998.

Iain is now on the Attorney General's B Panel of junior counsel to the Crown. Given that background he is particularly interested in the public law aspects of media law including freedom of information and judicial review of administrative decisions affecting the media. However, his practice covers all areas of media law including defamation, privacy, data protection, contempt of court and breach of confidence. 

Iain was recently instructed as junior counsel for the UK Government in the application brought by Max Mosley in the European Court of Human Rights.  He previously appeared in the House of Lords for the Claimants in Wainwright v Home Office, for which he was nominated for the Bar Pro Bono Award, and in their subsequent successful application to the European Court. He also represented Michael Durant in his bid to overturn the controversial Court of Appeal ruling on access to personal data.  

Iain is the joint editor of The Law of Privacy and the Media (Second Edition published March 2011). 

Mediation
In addition to his practice at the bar, Iain is an accredited mediator in civil and commercial, family and workplace disputes.  He conducts mediations in a wide range of disputes and is on the Bar Council’s top tier of barrister-mediators.  Iain also works as a professional actor having trained at Drama Studio London in 2010/2011. 
 

Career

Called

1989 Called to the Bar

Education

University of Durham BA (Hons) in Law

Qualifications

Fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies
Accredited Mediator

Areas of work

  • Defamation
  • Privacy and Confidence
  • Sports Law
  • Data Protection
  • Pre-publication Advice
  • Mediation
  • Public Access
  • Administrative Law
  • Contempt
  • Foreign Jurisdictions
  • Human Rights
  • Injunctive Relief
  • Malicious Falsehood
  • Media Law
  • Publishing

Cases

Defamation

Bridle & Anor v Williams & Anor

HQ09X02688 17/03/2010

Musa King v Telegraph Group Ltd (QBD)

[2003] EWHC 1312 (QB) 09/06/2003

Brady v United Kingdom

(1997) 24 EHRR CD 38 02/07/1997

Tolstoy Miloslavsky v United Kingdom

(1995) 20 EHRR 442 13/07/1995

Privacy and Confidence

Mosley v UK

Application no. 48009/08; [2012] EMLR 1 10/05/2011

Wainwright v United Kingdom

Application No. 12350/04 26/09/2006

Wainwright v Home Office

[2003] UKHL 53; [2004] 2 AC 406; [2003] 3 WLR 1137; [2003] 3 All ER 943 16/10/2003

WB v H Bauer Publishing Ltd

[2002] EMLR 145 14/06/2001

Attorney General v Times Newspapers Ltd and others

[2001] EWCA Civ 97; [2001] 1 WLR 885; [2001] EMLR 530 25/01/2001

Barclay v United Kingdom

18 May 1999 18/05/1999

Spencer v United Kingdom

(1998) 25 EHRR CD 105 16/01/1998

Brady v United Kingdom

(1997) 24 EHRR CD 38 02/07/1997

Goodwin v United Kingdom

(1996) 22 EHRR 123 27/03/1996

Sports Law

Mullins v Macfarlane & The Jockey Club

[2006] EWHC 986 (QB); [2006] ISLR, SLR-65; (2006) SLJR 4 05/05/2006

R (Mullins) v Appeal Board of the Jockey Club

[2005] EWHC 2197 (Admin); [2006] ISLR, SLR-30; (2006) ACD 2; The Times, 24 October 2005 17/10/2005

Administrative Law

Mullins v Macfarlane & The Jockey Club

[2006] EWHC 986 (QB); [2006] ISLR, SLR-65; (2006) SLJR 4 05/05/2006

R (Mullins) v Appeal Board of the Jockey Club

[2005] EWHC 2197 (Admin); [2006] ISLR, SLR-30; (2006) ACD 2; The Times, 24 October 2005 17/10/2005

Contempt

WB v H Bauer Publishing Ltd

[2002] EMLR 145 14/06/2001

Goodwin v United Kingdom

(1996) 22 EHRR 123 27/03/1996

General Common Law

Barclay v United Kingdom

18 May 1999 18/05/1999

Human Rights

Mosley v UK

Application no. 48009/08; [2012] EMLR 1 10/05/2011

Wainwright v United Kingdom

Application No. 12350/04 26/09/2006

R (Mullins) v Appeal Board of the Jockey Club

[2005] EWHC 2197 (Admin); [2006] ISLR, SLR-30; (2006) ACD 2; The Times, 24 October 2005 17/10/2005

Wainwright v Home Office

[2003] UKHL 53; [2004] 2 AC 406; [2003] 3 WLR 1137; [2003] 3 All ER 943 16/10/2003

Musa King v Telegraph Group Ltd (QBD)

[2003] EWHC 1312 (QB) 09/06/2003

WB v H Bauer Publishing Ltd

[2002] EMLR 145 14/06/2001

Attorney General v Times Newspapers Ltd and others

[2001] EWCA Civ 97; [2001] 1 WLR 885; [2001] EMLR 530 25/01/2001

Barclay v United Kingdom

18 May 1999 18/05/1999

Spencer v United Kingdom

(1998) 25 EHRR CD 105 16/01/1998

Brady v United Kingdom

(1997) 24 EHRR CD 38 02/07/1997

Goodwin v United Kingdom

(1996) 22 EHRR 123 27/03/1996

Tolstoy Miloslavsky v United Kingdom

(1995) 20 EHRR 442 13/07/1995

Injunctive Relief

Mosley v UK

Application no. 48009/08; [2012] EMLR 1 10/05/2011

Attorney General v Times Newspapers Ltd and others

[2001] EWCA Civ 97; [2001] 1 WLR 885; [2001] EMLR 530 25/01/2001

Goodwin v United Kingdom

(1996) 22 EHRR 123 27/03/1996

Tolstoy Miloslavsky v United Kingdom

(1995) 20 EHRR 442 13/07/1995

Malicious Falsehood

Brady v United Kingdom

(1997) 24 EHRR CD 38 02/07/1997

Media Law

Bridle & Anor v Williams & Anor

HQ09X02688 17/03/2010

Musa King v Telegraph Group Ltd (QBD)

[2003] EWHC 1312 (QB) 09/06/2003

WB v H Bauer Publishing Ltd

[2002] EMLR 145 14/06/2001

Attorney General v Times Newspapers Ltd and others

[2001] EWCA Civ 97; [2001] 1 WLR 885; [2001] EMLR 530 25/01/2001

Barclay v United Kingdom

18 May 1999 18/05/1999

Spencer v United Kingdom

(1998) 25 EHRR CD 105 16/01/1998

Brady v United Kingdom

(1997) 24 EHRR CD 38 02/07/1997

Professional Discipline

Mullins v Macfarlane & The Jockey Club

[2006] EWHC 986 (QB); [2006] ISLR, SLR-65; (2006) SLJR 4 05/05/2006

R (Mullins) v Appeal Board of the Jockey Club

[2005] EWHC 2197 (Admin); [2006] ISLR, SLR-30; (2006) ACD 2; The Times, 24 October 2005 17/10/2005

Public Law

R (Mullins) v Appeal Board of the Jockey Club

[2005] EWHC 2197 (Admin); [2006] ISLR, SLR-30; (2006) ACD 2; The Times, 24 October 2005 17/10/2005

Attorney General v Times Newspapers Ltd and others

[2001] EWCA Civ 97; [2001] 1 WLR 885; [2001] EMLR 530 25/01/2001

Publishing

Musa King v Telegraph Group Ltd (QBD)

[2003] EWHC 1312 (QB) 09/06/2003

WB v H Bauer Publishing Ltd

[2002] EMLR 145 14/06/2001

Attorney General v Times Newspapers Ltd and others

[2001] EWCA Civ 97; [2001] 1 WLR 885; [2001] EMLR 530 25/01/2001

Articles

News

31 Oct 2012

5RB Sponsors National Pro Bono Centre

Chambers continues support for Pro Bono work as Bronze Sponsor

27 Sep 2011

Mosley refused ECHR Grand Chamber

Prior notification crusade concludes

27 Sep 2011

'Truly experts'

—The Legal 500 review 2012

1 Sep 2011

Iain Christie returns to practice

fresh from Sabbatical

10 May 2011

ECHR rejects Mosley privacy application

Pre-notification of privacy subjects unnecessary, Strasbourg court rules

17 Mar 2011

New edition of privacy book published

Second edition of Tugendhat & Christie: The Law of Privacy and the Media published

19 Mar 2010

Asbestos slander claim struck out

High Court strikes out claim by Asbestos Watchdog chief as abuse of process

23 Apr 2008

Charity regulator reports privileged

Traditional common law qualified privilege extends to publication to the world at large

26 Sep 2006

Victory in Europe for Wainwrights

Domestic law fails to provide adequate privacy remedy as ECHR finds strip searches breached Article 8

8 May 2006

Trainer's bid to overturn race result fails

Judge holds that Appeal Board did not act arbitrarily or capriciously

2 Feb 2006

Wainwright declared admissible

European Court to review controversial strip-searching case

29 Nov 2005

Data Protection appeal refused leave

Controversial ruling on Data Protection Act will not be reviewed by Lords

17 Oct 2005

Jockey Club sees off challenge

Appeal Board is not amenable to Judicial Review

13 Jul 2004

Law Commission Report on Local Authority Inquiries

Lillie & Reed case prompts defamation law reform proposals


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