Tom took silk in March 2023. He has a broad practice across Chambers’ core areas of work.  He is an experienced trial and appellate advocate, having argued cases before a wide range of courts and tribunals, including the Commercial Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal and Privy Council.  

Tom is recognised in the latest editions of both the leading legal directories, Chambers UK and Legal 500, for his expertise in Administrative, Human Rights & Public, Employment, Media & Entertainment, Offshore, Sport and Telecommunications Law. Key recent comments include:

  • "Super bright and an excellent advocate. A real star of the future."- Legal 500, 2024
  • "He is a superb junior; very effective."- Chambers UK, 2023
  • "An outstanding practitioner."- Chambers UK, 2022

Tom was a member of the Attorney General's "A" Panel of Counsel until his appointment to silk in March 2023.  

Experience

Shortlist

Civil Fraud, Asset Recovery & Injunctive Relief

Tom has acted in several of the major commercial fraud cases of recent years.  He also has experience of actions to recover the proceeds of crime, public inquiries into corruption, and constitutional and adminstrative law aspects of criminal defence work.

Cases

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Civil Liberties & Human Rights

Tom acts for individuals, companies and governments in civil liberties and human rights cases, including judicial review claims, applications to Strasbourg and private law actions against the police, Home Office and other public authorities.  Tom’s practice in this area has included appearances before the European Court of Human Rights, Privy Council, Court of Appeal and Administrative Court.  For his specific experience of damages claims against the State, please see under that heading below.

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Commercial

Tom is a commercial litigator experienced in working both as sole counsel and as a member of a large legal team.  For his specific experience of civil fraud, media and entertainment, sport and telecommunications work please see the relevant headings above and below.

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Damages Claims Against the State

Tom’s practice across commercial, human rights, EU and public law has seen him acting for or advising both claimants and defendants in a wide range of damages claims against governments and public authorities, including under section 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998, on Francovich principles, and in private law (e.g. in contract, misfeasance in public office, malicious prosecution, false imprisonment and breach of fiduciary duty). 

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Employment

Tom’s employment practice has a focus on claims raising issues of EU law, but he accepts instructions for both claimants and respondents in all areas of employment law.  Tom co-wrote the age discrimination chapter in Tolley’s Discrimination in Employment Handbook and was a member of the CBI’s working party on holiday pay.

Cases

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EU Law

Tom has appeared in EU law cases from the Employment Tribunals to the CJEU.  For Tom’s specific EU law experience in the sectors of employment, intellectual property, sport and telecommunications please see above and below under the relevant headings.

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Competition

Competition law features in a wide range of contexts across Tom’s practice, including the cases included below.

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Intellectual Property

Tom’s intellectual property practice has its focus on soft IP.  He has experience of copyright (including issues of Crown copyright, digital royalties and streaming, film rights, literary adaptation, online infringement and music royalties), design right, passing off, trademarks and confidential information; and he is particularly interested in the nexus between intellectual property and EU law (a subject on which he has lectured and has been interviewed by the BBC).  

Cases

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Media & Entertainment

Tom is ranked as a media and entertainment law junior by both leading directories. 

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Privy Council & Offshore

Tom has a particular interest in the constitutional law of the Anglophone Caribbean but his practice includes commercial as well as public law work.  He has appeared before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in more than 10 appeals, in several of which he has had conduct of the advocacy.

In April 2016 Tom was called as a permanent member of the Bar of Trinidad & Tobago.

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Public & Regulatory

Tom is recommended as a public law junior by both the leading directories and has appeared as an advocate in public and regulatory law cases in the Upper Tribunal, Administrative Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Privy Council.  His clients include individuals (particularly in the fields of asylum and social security), corporations, governments and other public bodies.

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Sport

Tom is recommended as a sports law junior by both leading directories.  He has experience of a variety of sport-related disputes, including in relation to competition law, doping issues, appeals over penalty, broadcasting rights, players’ agents and player transfers; and his clients have included sports associations (e.g. The Football Association, The Football League, the Rugby Football League, the Welsh Rugby Union, UK Athletics), clubs and corporations (e.g. Cardiff City FC, London Welsh RFC, Leyton Orient FC, Matchroom Sport Ltd) and individuals (e.g. Joe Calzaghe, Barry Hearn).  

Tom is an author of the competition law chapter in Lewis and Taylor’s Sport: Law and Practice and of the Financial Fair Play chapter in De Marco's Football and the Law.

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Telecommunications

Tom is ranked in the telecommunications sector by both leading directories.  He has advised on, or acted in, challenges to decisions of ATVOD, the BBC, the Communications Authority of Hong Kong, HM Government, Ofcom and PhonepayPlus, as well as commercial disputes between operators.  His experience in the sector includes telecoms-related issues of: broadcasting; competition law; dispute resolution by Ofcom; Francovich damages; intellectual property; internet-law and e-commerce; procurement; regulatory investigations; regulatory reform; and spectrum auctions, licensing and management.  

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Achievements

Education

Classics & English, BA Hons (Oxon); Diploma in Law (City)

Prizes & Scholarships

  • 2007 Phoenicia Scholarship (Bar European Group)
  • 2005 The Uthwatt Award (Gray’s Inn)
  • 2004 David Karmel Entrance Award (Gray’s Inn)
  • 2003 Passmore-Edwards Prize (Oxford University prize for best performance in Classics & English Finals)
  • Magdalen College Selig Poetry Prize
  • 2002 Magdalen College Tutorial Prize in English
  • 2001 Passmore-Edwards Prize (Oxford University prize for best performance in Classics & English Honour Moderations); Magdalen College Scholarship; Magdalen College Lawlor Prize in English 

Publications

  • Bullen & Leake & Jacob’s Precedents of Pleadings, 18th ed., London, 2016 (contributor)
  • Lewis and Taylor’s Sport: Law and Practice, 3rd ed., London, 2013 (contributor)
  • “Zambrano, McCarthy and Dereci: reading the leaves of EU citizenship”, J.R. 2012, 17(3), 272-285
  • Tolley’s Discrimination in Employment Handbook, 2nd ed., London, 2011 (contributor)
  • “Appeal and Review in the Competition Appeal Tribunal and High Court” 2010 J.R. 2010, 15(3), 201-219 (with Dinah Rose QC)
  • Tolley’s Discrimination in Employment Handbook, London, 2008 (contributor).

Appointments / Awards

  • Attorney General’s "A" Panel (2020)

Memberships

  • ALBA
  • BEG
  • CBA
  • COMBAR
  • ELA
  • ELBA

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