Guy Vassall-Adams

Guy Vassall-Adams specialises in media law and human rights law. He has a developing practice in public law and also undertakes civil actions against the police.

In media law, Guy Vassall-Adams' practice embraces defamation, contempt of court, reporting restrictions, freedom of information and data protection. He has a particular interest in cases relating to freedom of expression and privacy. He was second junior counsel for the Wall Street Journal Europe before the House of Lords in Jameel v Wall Street Journal Europe [2006] UKHL 44, the leading case on the scope of the Reynolds public interest defence, and junior counsel for Searchlight magazine in Roberts v Gable [2007] EWCA Civ 721, where the magazine successfully established a qualified privilege defence based on "reportage". As sole counsel he recently represented Times Newspapers and the BBC before the President of the Family Division in Re LM (Reporting Restrictions; Coroner's Inquest) [2007] EWHC 1902 (Fam), successfully challenging reporting restrictions imposed under the inherent jurisdiction and establishing that the open justice principle applies to the reporting of inquests.

The range of Guy's recent media work includes successfully striking out a libel claim for abuse of process (Chaney v Searchlight Information Services), representing MGN Limited when summonsed to appear for possible contempt of court (R v Mendonca and others), successfully persuading the CPS to drop the prosecution of a Sky News journalist for trespass-related offences when filming a protest (R v Mansfield and others), successfully resisting a police application for access to journalistic material for the BBC (Re: A Summer with the Johnsons) and obtaining substantial damages against The Daily Sport for defamation and breach of privacy.

He regularly provides pre-publication advice to national newspapers and campaigning organisations across the spectrum of media law, as well as training on topics ranging from freedom of expression (the Council of Europe) to protecting journalist's sources (the CLT annual defamation conference 2006). He also trains public sector organisations on freedom of information. Click here to read an article of his on the Freedom of Information Act published by Legal Action magazine in January 2005.

Guy Vassall-Adams also has a developing practice in public law. He recently acted for a claimant in a judicial review challenging the Home Secretary's decision to refuse to award statutory compensation for a miscarriage of justice (Clibery v SSHD), a case heard by the Lord Chief Justice (in which judgment is awaited). He also undertakes civil actions against the police, where he has particular experience in cases involving protests and freedom of expression. He was junior counsel in Tamara Merson v AG of the Bahamas [2005] UKPC 38, a civil action against the Bahamian police and the leading case on the availability of damages for breaches of human rights under the Constitution of the Bahamas. He is a member of the Human Rights Lawyers Association.

Before coming to the Bar, Guy worked as a television journalist for London Weekend Television, as a researcher for Oxfam and as a humanitarian affairs officer for the United Nations in Africa, where he was a founder member of the human rights information network IRIN. He is the author of a book on UN peacekeeping reform, Rwanda: An Agenda for International Action, Oxfam Publications, 1994.

last updated July 2007

Year of Call

2000

Education

BA Hons (Oxon), LLM International Human Rights Law (Distinction), Queen Mother Scholar, Middle Temple (1998, 1999)

Email Address

g.vassall-adams@doughtystreet.co.uk

Specialist Teams

Guy Vassall-Adams is a member of the following specialist law teams:

• Actions Against the police
• Criminal Law
• Human Rights
• Media and Defamation
• Mental Health