Barrister Profile

Main Areas of Practice

Commercial Law
Defamation Law or Privacy Law
Insolvency
Professional Negligence

Biography

• Called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2007; Bar of the Republic of Ireland in 2016; Bar of England and Wales in 2017
• Previously worked as a Solicitor for seven years both in London (Gouldens; Jones Day) and Northern Ireland (L’Estrange & Brett)
• General civil practitioner with a particular focus on Commercial and Chancery actions
• Ongoing representation of Facebook Inc. in interim and final proceedings as to privacy/defamation/data protection claims
• Significant experience in the Fair Employment and Industrial Tribunals, as well as having appeared before the Information Tribunal in matters relating to Freedom of Information and Data Protection
• Particular interest in insolvency-related proceedings, intellectual property claims and construction disputes

Qualifications

MA (Cantab) degree in law (Upper Second Class Honours) Emmanuel College, Cambridge University

Distinction in Legal Practice Course, Nottingham Law School

2002; Admitted as Solicitor in England and Wales

2005; Admitted as Solicitor in Northern Ireland

2007; Barrister at Law

2012; Appointed to Government Civil Panel of Junior Counsel

Member of British and Irish Commercial Bar Association; Commercial Bar Association Northern Ireland

Experience

Corporate/commercial – acting in range of actions including contractual disputes, professional negligence claims, construction disputes (including by way of ADR) and finance-related cases.

Chancery – acting across full ambit of land law disputes and equitable claims, as well as finance-related and insolvency proceedings, intellectual property disputes, probate actions, commercial frauds and partnership disputes (both at final hearing and in securing interim relief).

Queen’s Bench – acting for Facebook Inc. in respect of claims raising issues as to privacy, defamation, data protection, freedom of expression and other human rights, both at interlocutory and final stages, as well as ongoing personal injury work for plaintiffs and defendants.

Employment - acting for both employers and employees in respect of equal pay, TUPE, all forms of discrimination and dismissals.

Information rights – appearing before the First Tier Tribunal in appeals from decisions of the Information Commissioner as to Freedom of Information and Data Protection.

Recent or notable decisions:

• J19 v Facebook Ireland Limited [2017] NIQB 42
• CG v Facebook Ireland Limited & another [2016] NICA 54
• J20 v Facebook Ireland Limited [2016] NIQB 98
• AY (a minor) v Facebook (Ireland) Limited & others [2016] NIQB 76
• HL (a young person) by her father and next friend AL v Facebook Incorporated & others
• CG v Facebook Ireland Limited & another [2015] NIQB 11
• CG v Facebook Ireland Limited & another [2015] NIQB 28
• GS (a minor) by her father and next friend CS v Facebook Incorporated & others [2014] NIQB 101
• Rafferty, Kieran v GB Finance Group Limited & another [2013] NICA 21
• Tagro, Serge v Royal Mail Group [2013] NICA 30
• Norbrook Laboratories Limited v Maguire, Peter; Norbrook Laboratories Limited v Trainor, Gerard [2012] NICh 32
• XY v Facebook Ireland Limited [2012] NIQB 96
• HL (a minor) by her father and next friend AL v Facebook Incorporated & others [2013] NIQB 25
• J19 & another v Facebook Ireland [2013] NIQB 113
• G B Finance Group PLC v Colgan, Seamus & another [2010] NIMaster 2

Publications

“Data Protection and Privacy” - British and Irish Commercial Bar Association 2016 annual conference

“Data Protection in a post-Brexit World” - British and Irish Commercial Bar Association, June 2017

“Social media in the Employment Field” – Employment Lawyers’ Group, May 2017

“GDPR: A Challenge On The Horizon For NI Businesses” – Business Eye, June 2017 edition