Barristers
Clare Kissin
Email:
ck@onebrickcourt.com
Call: 2009
SPECIALISATION
- Defamation
- Privacy and Confidence
- Media Injunctions
- Reporting Restrictions
- Harassment
- Malicious Falsehood
- Contempt of Court
- Data Protection
- Human Rights Law, particularly articles 8 and 10 of the ECHR
- Freedom of Information
Clare specialises in all aspects of media and information law, providing advice and representation to clients both pre and post publication. Although she focuses predominantly on defamation and privacy law, Clare has also been involved in a number of harassment and reporting restriction cases, and regularly advises on internet publication issues. Clare has a particularly strong advocacy record, including in short-notice injunctions and interlocutory applications.
Clare acts for both claimants and defendants, and past clients include local authorities, universities, corporations, charities, parliamentarians and private individuals. She also provides regular pre-publication advice to publishing houses and national newspapers, including The Times, The Daily Mail and The Sun.
Outside of client work, Clare is a co-author of the latest Halsbury’s volume on Defamation, and a tutor of Media Law students at King’s College London. In 2013 she has again been invited to speak in Beijing at a conference for Chinese media law judges, sponsored by the UK FCO and EU.
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
M.A. (Cantab) Law, Pembroke College, Cambridge (2004 - 2007)
Willoughby Prize (2006)
Searle Prize (2007)
Middle Temple Queen Mother’s Scholarship (2008)
Bar Vocational Course, City Law School (Outstanding) (2008 - 2009)
Pupillage, One Brick Court (2009 - 2010)
Tenant, One Brick Court (From 2010)
Pegasus Scholarship to Washington D.C., USA (2011)
REPRESENTATIVE CASES OF INTEREST
Makudi v Triesman [2013] EWHC 142 (QB): for the successful Defendant, the former chairman of the FA and England 2018 World Cup bid, in a libel claim brought by the head of the Thailand football association in respect of allegations of corruption. Claim struck out by Tugendhat J, both as an abuse of process and because of a qualified privilege defence without a realistic case on malice.
McLaughlin & Ors v London Borough of Lambeth & Ors (2012) - for the Defendant Council (with Richard Rampton QC and Timothy Atkinson) in a libel and Article 8 claim in respect of emails sent to the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The claim was concluded at the start of trial by statement in open court.
Registration 4 Vehicles v Associated Newspapers Ltd (2012, unreported) - for the successful Defendant, the publisher of the Mail on Sunday, in a libel and malicious falsehood claim in respect of a column in the Financial Mail section. Claim struck out.
Ibrahim v Swansea University [2012] EWHC 290 (QB) - for the successful Defendant university in a libel claim by a former student. Claim struck out as an abuse of process by Eady J.
WXY v Gewanter & others [2012] EWHC 496 (QB) - for the successful Claimant (with Aidan Eardley) in a breach of confidence, privacy and harassment claim. Judgment entered by Slade J following a ten-day trial.
R v D (2010, unreported) (Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)) - for the Media (with Andrew Caldecott QC) in a successful application to lift reporting restrictions about the decision to allow the re-trial of Gary Dobson for the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
PUBLICATIONS AND SEMINARS
Contributor, Arlidge, Eady and Smith on Contempt, 4th Edition (2011)
Co-Author, Halsbury’s Law of England, Volume 32: Defamation, 5th Ed (2012)
“Promoting Legal Protection for the Media in China”, Beijing, (2012) See: www.inforrm.wordpress.com
Seminars on contempt for News Group Newspapers (2012)
Tutor in Media Law at King’s College London (2012/13)
OTHER INFORMATION
Intern, ARTICLE 19: The Global Campaign for Free Expression (2007)
Parliamentary researcher and constituency office caseworker for Simon Hughes MP (2007 - 2008)
Intern, Office of the Prosecutor at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (2008)
Member of the Bar Pro Bono Unit
Member of the Human Rights Lawyers Association
INTERESTS
Playing hockey, attempting most other sports, painting and drawing.