Paul is recommended in the legal directories for competition law, public law, financial services, public international law, international human rights law, EU law, civil liberties and human rights, and group litigation. The latest editions report the following client feedback: "Paul is exceptional. He is incredibly bright, polished and user-friendly. He is a stellar advocate"; "Paul is a silk in waiting and a solicitor's dream. He absorbs complex information and produces work of the highest quality, even on the tightest of timetables. His advocacy is compelling and precise"; "An absolute genius and definitely someone you want in your corner"; "He's an absolute superstar, a silk in the making. He is amazing on the detail and on the law. He has this very clear way of cutting through the debate and always coming up with the right answer"; "He is ferociously intelligent and has a really impressive court style that is persuasive and knowledgeable" (Chambers & Partners, 2026); "Paul is exceptionally bright, has excellent judgement and written work. He is a powerful advocate clearly respected by judges. His attention to detail and responsiveness make him a pleasure to work with" (Legal 500, 2026).

Paul is regularly instructed in high profile commercial and public law cases. He is on the Attorney General’s A Panel and the Public International Law A Panel.

Experience

Shortlist

Competition

Paul’s experience includes competition damages claims, challenges to merger decisions and CMA investigations, and competition issues arising in a regulatory context in the utilities and telecoms sectors. He has been instructed in some of the largest competition damages claims before the UK courts.

Paul has a Band 1 ranking for competition law in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500. Recent editions report the following client feedback: "He's an absolute superstar, a silk in the making. He is amazing on the detail and on the law. He has this very clear way of cutting through the debate and always coming up with the right answer"; "Paul is an outstandingly intelligent barrister who never misses a point"; "He is exceptionally bright, analytical and very thorough"; "Paul is an outstanding junior. He is whip smart, user-friendly, and his drafting is excellent" (Chambers & Partners, 2026); "Paul is a forensically careful and measured barrister. He's really bright and has a fantastic memory. He's totally reliable and has a great eye for detail" (Legal 500, 2026); "Paul is incredibly talented. He is extremely responsive, clear and practical. I have found him a pleasure to work with" (Chambers & Partners, 2025); "Paul has a formidable intellect. His written work is crisp and persuasive and he is excellent at rapidly digesting complex problems, and providing well-reasoned, commercial advice. He is superb with clients" (Legal 500, 2025).

Cases

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Public & Regulatory

Paul has a wide ranging public law practice. He acts for claimants and defendants, including individuals, companies, regulators, and the government. 

Paul was appointed to the Attorney General’s A Panel in 2021, having previously served on the B and C Panels. He was an editor for the journal Judicial Review from 2013 to 2016.

Paul is recommended in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 for public law. Recent editions report the following client feedback: "Paul is exceptional. He is incredibly bright, polished and user-friendly. He is a stellar advocate"; "Paul is a silk in waiting and a solicitor's dream. He absorbs complex information and produces work of the highest quality, even on the tightest of timetables. His advocacy is compelling and precise"; "Paul is incredible and his written work is utterly brilliant"; "Paul immaculately crafted a winning point. He is ferociously intelligent and has a really impressive court style that is persuasive and knowledgeable"; "Paul is fantastically clever and delivers amazing judgement. He outshines much more senior people and is understated and thoughtful" (Chambers & Partners, 2026); "Paul is exceptionally bright, has excellent judgement and written work. He is a powerful advocate clearly respected by judges. His attention to detail and responsiveness make him a pleasure to work with" (Legal 500, 2026); "His analysis is razor-sharp and delivered in a calm, clear and methodical yet personable manner"; "Paul's work is of an outstanding quality. He can grapple with the most complex legal issues. He is incisive in his analysis and very nice to work with" (Chambers & Partners, 2025); "An excellent tactical thinker" (Legal 500, 2025).

Cases

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Public International Law

Paul's public international law experience includes cases concerning state immunity, diplomatic immunity, international humanitarian law, trade agreements, and the status of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

He is on the Attorney General’s Public International Law A Panel, having previously served on the B and C Panels. In addition to the UK Government, Paul has acted for companies, individuals, international organisations such as UNHCR, and other States.

Paul is recommended in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 for public international law. Recent editions report the following client feedback: "Paul is a superb junior with deep experience of public international law matters. He has great judgement and real depth of experience. He is a measured but highly persuasive advocate and has a great sense of how to pick the winning points to persuade a court" (Legal 500, 2026); "Paul is diligent and thorough. He is totally across his brief and a standout junior on matters of public international law"; "Paul is an incredibly hard-working junior. He hits the sweet spot of general commercial law and PIL. His written work is exemplary"; "Paul is an approachable advocate who is really engaged and collaborative. He is extremely bright, quickly and ably dealing with novel and complex issues" (Chambers & Partners, 2026); "Paul is utterly sensational. His analysis, judgement and drafting are extraordinary"; "Paul is an extremely talented junior - thorough, sharp and extremely knowledgeable"; "His written work is exceptional and he does it faster than you can believe" (Chambers & Partners, 2025); "Fiercely bright, very thorough and an impressive attention to detail" (Legal 500, 2025).

Cases

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Financial Services & Banking

Paul has acted both for and against financial services regulators, including the UK Financial Conduct Authority, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, and the European Securities and Markets Authority. 

In addition to contentious and advisory work in the regulatory context, Paul has considerable experience of commercial litigation in the financial services sector.

Paul is recommended for financial services law in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500. Recent editions report the following client feedback: "He is a terrific barrister, very sensible and good at drafting"; "Paul is a safe pair of hands, he is very helpful and trustworthy. He works on complex matters and his analysis is reliable. He is also very work-driven and responsive" (Chambers & Partners, 2026); "Paul is responsive, hard-working and really stands out. He is extremely bright and can boil complex issues down in an understandable way. His drafting is excellent and he is always available to help" (Chambers & Partners, 2025); "Paul is excellent. Calm and measured, very clear thinking... He is careful in his written work, thorough in his research, and very responsive" (Legal 500, 2025); "Paul’s strengths are clarity of thought and expression, as well as extremely good drafting, Paul is a thinker and is always a good choice to guide through tricky issues" (Legal 500, 2024); "Paul is an excellent advocate. He is very good on the detail and very knowledgeable on the subject matter" (Legal 500, 2023); "A very bright advocate and a strategic thinker. He understands the FCA process and provides good cogent, coherent advice" (Legal 500, 2022).

Cases

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Commercial

Paul has experience of a range of commercial litigation including competition damages, shareholder disputes, commercial fraud, banking contracts, professional negligence, applications for freezing orders, and claims for injunctive relief to protect confidential information.

His recent work has included cases across a range of sectors, including financial services, aviation, energy, and hotels.

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EU Law

Paul has extensive experience of EU law in the domestic courts and before the Court of Justice of the European Union. He has appeared as sole advocate for the UK in infraction proceedings before the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice.

Paul is recommended for EU law in Legal 500, with a Tier 1 ranking. Comments include: "Paul has superb responsiveness, great insights and is a pleasure to work with" (Legal 500, 2025); "Paul has a first class brain" (Legal 500, 2024); "Paul is extremely bright and is excellent at developing strategic advice for clients. His drafting is also very good. He is calm, capable and incisive in court" (Legal 500, 2021); "Excellent at mapping out the strategy for any dispute" (Legal 500, 2020).

Paul has been called to the Irish Bar and therefore maintains rights of audience before the EU courts. He is currently representing Amazon and JP Morgan in high profile cases before the General Court and Court of Justice.

Cases

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Civil Liberties & Human Rights

Paul has a wide ranging human rights practice, including claims where there is overlap with public international law. Paul’s clients include individuals, NGOs, and public interest groups. His recent work has included cases before the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights.

Paul is recommended in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 for civil liberties and human rights and for international human rights law. Recent editions report the following client feedback: "Paul Luckhurst is brilliant. He knows the public law landscape inside out and is completely in his element"; "Instantly clued in and laser-focused, Paul engages deeply with the issues and gets straight to the heart of the matter" (Chambers & Partners, 2026); "Paul is exceptionally bright, has excellent judgement and written work. He is a powerful advocate clearly respected by judges. His attention to detail and responsiveness make him a pleasure to work with" (Legal 500, 2026); "Paul is good strategically and in his drafting. He is very bright and has experience in working on complex matters"; "Paul is absolutely brilliant!" (Chambers & Partners, 2025); "An excellent tactical thinker" (Legal 500, 2025); "very approachable, thorough and brilliant to work with" (Chambers and Partners, 2024); "A tremendous junior: intelligent, analytical and precise. Clients warm to him" (Legal 500, 2024).

Cases

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Group Litigation

Paul’s experience includes collective proceedings before the Competition Appeal Tribunal and group litigation in the High Court. He has been instructed in some of the largest group actions before the UK courts.

Paul is recommended for group litigation in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500. Recent editions report the following client feedback: "An absolute genius and definitely someone you want in your corner"; "A fantastic brain, destined for silk. He is always reliable and always calm, and very measured on his feet"; "An excellent advocate with a very clear grasp of the facts and ability to distil complex issues into a digestible format for the tribunal"; "Paul is smart, a team player, strategic and a pleasure to work with" (Chambers & Partners, 2026); "Paul is a star junior. He is on top of all of the detail, even in very fact-heavy cases, and he is extremely bright" (Legal 500, 2026); "He is extremely smart, very hard-working and an absolute joy to work with"; "Paul is really forensic" (Chambers & Partners, 2025); "Steeped in group litigation issues and adept strategist" (Legal 500, 2024); "Paul is absolutely fantastic. His advice is always clear and well structured, and he has a knack for presenting even the most complicated arguments in a manner that is both simple and compelling"; "Paul has a razor-sharp legal mind, and is able to understand and navigate complex issues and client subtleties with apparent ease"; "Paul is brilliant and we can always count on him to pick up small but really important details. He is also very responsive and understands clients' needs before advising them"; "Extremely intelligent and able to provide user-friendly advice. He is very good with clients" (Chambers & Partners, 2024).

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Achievements

Education

BA in History and Politics (Oxford University) (double first & top of year); MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History (Cambridge University); Graduate Diploma in Law (City University) (distinction); Bar Vocational Course (BPP Law School) (outstanding).

Paul’s MPhil dissertation, for which he received a distinction, examined whether there are universal concepts of human rights or crimes against humanity that legitimise humanitarian intervention.

Prizes & Scholarships

After finishing top of his year at Oxford University, Paul was awarded the Gibbs Proxime Accessit Prize in Politics, a Book Prize for History, and a Wadham College Prize.

Appointments

  • Attorney General’s A Panel
  • Attorney General’s Public International Law A Panel

Memberships

  • Commercial Bar Association
  • Administrative Law Bar Association
  • Bar European Group
  • Human Rights Lawyers Association
  • Financial Services Lawyers Association

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