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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
Seray-Wurie v Charity Commission of England and Wales
[2008] EWHC 870 (QB) 23/04/2008
Musa King v Telegraph Group Ltd (QBD)
[2003] EWHC 1312 (QB) 09/06/2003
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
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
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
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
Seray-Wurie v Charity Commission of England and Wales
[2008] EWHC 870 (QB) 23/04/2008
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
Divergent Views of the European Commission and the ECtHR
By Iain Christie. 1 Mar 2001
News
31 Oct 2012
5RB Sponsors National Pro Bono Centre
Chambers continues support for Pro Bono work as Bronze Sponsor
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
29 Nov 2005
Data Protection appeal refused leave
Controversial ruling on Data Protection Act will not be reviewed by Lords
13 Jul 2004
Law Commission Report on Local Authority Inquiries
Lillie & Reed case prompts defamation law reform proposals