Sam joined 5RB in 2023 upon successful completion of third six pupillage. He accepts instructions across all areas of Chambers’ practice, including defamation, privacy, data protection and information law, and harassment.
His recent work includes:
- Acting unled in the High Court (Fam Div) for the BBC in relation to reporting restrictions imposed in the proceedings concerning Sara Sharif’s siblings and half-siblings: see reporting here.
- Sir James Dyson v Mirror Group Newspapers: acting for D in a libel claim brought by Sir James Dyson (led by Adrienne Page KC with Ben Gallop).
- Davidoff v Hargrave: acting for D in a defamation claim brought by four claimants in respect of online publications (led by Adam Speker KC).
- R (Alexander) v Secretary of State for Justice: successful judicial review of the decision to prevent a prisoner being interviewed by the media (assisting Greg Callus for C).
Sam also provides pre-publication advice to the Daily Mail and The Sunday Times and pre-publication and pre-broadcast advice to the BBC.
During pupillage, Sam’s supervisors were David Hirst and Victoria Simon-Shore. Cases with which Sam assisted during pupillage included:
- FKJ v RVT: strike out, summary judgment and reverse summary judgment applications in misuse of private information claim (assisting Adrienne Page KC and David Hirst for C).
- R (the3million and Open Rights Group) v Secretary of State for the Home Department: judicial review of the amended immigration exemption in the Data Protection Act 2018 (assisting Aidan Eardley KC for D).
- Hayden v Family Education Trust: summary judgment application prior to meaning determination in defamation claim (assisting Victoria Simon-Shore for D).
Sam is a member of the Middle Temple Hall Committee.
Prior to 5RB
Prior to joining 5RB, Sam was a researcher and co-author of the Independent Review of the Governance of Biometric Data (The Ryder Review), commissioned by the Ada Lovelace Institute, which focussed on the legal framework for the processing and governance of biometric data in England and Wales. He also worked in the legal and policy team at a rapidly-growing digital identity company, advising on legal and policy issues, as well as representing the company to policymakers and lawmakers.
Sam’s Master’s thesis, undertaken at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, investigated the application of domestic communications offences to anti-vaccination disinformation. During his legal studies, he sat on Index on Censorship’s Youth Board.
Scholarships and Awards
- Queen Mother Scholarship (Middle Temple, awarded for the GDL and BPTC)
- Blackstone Exhibition (Middle Temple)
- GDL Scholarship (City, University of London)
- BPTC Scholarship (City, University of London)
Called
2021 Called to the Bar of England and Wales
Education
City, University of London: Bar Professional Training Course
City, University of London: Graduate Diploma in Law
Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford: MSc Social Science of the Internet (Distinction)
University of East Anglia: BA American Literature with Creative Writing (Starred First)
Areas of work
Defamation and Malicious Falsehood
Privacy and Confidence
Data Protection and Information Law
Pre-publication Advice
Injunctive Relief
Reporting the Courts and Contempt
Media regulation
Memberships
Middle Temple
Featured cases
Davidoff & Ors v Hargrave
[2023] EWHC 1825 (KB) 21/07/2023
All cases
In 5RB News
20 Feb 2024
5RB hosts BVL student internship
7 Feb 2024
A ‘SLAPP’ Struck Out: NI Court Finds Proceedings are Abuse of Process
1 Dec 2023
Judgment in Sir James Dyson v MGN Limited
21 Nov 2023
Dyson v MGN: Libel trial begins
3 Nov 2023
Net Benefit? The Online Safety Bill receives Royal Assent
Jonathan Barnes KC and Samuel Rowe review the Online Safety Act 2023
12 Oct 2023
5RB and Hiscox panel on AI
Risks and Opportunities of Generative AI: Panel Discussion
21 Jul 2023
Strike out judgment in Davidoff v Hargrave
4 Jul 2023
Davidoff v Hargrave trial of preliminary issues
14 Jun 2023
5RB supporting London Legal Walk 2023
17 Apr 2023
Welcome to our newest tenant, Samuel Rowe, and farewell to Desmond Browne CBE KC
Contact
Email: clerks@5rb.com
LinkedIn