Robert Bailey

Rob is a Partner at Taylor Hampton with over a decade of experience in acting in substantial and complex litigation matters. He has particular expertise in representing Claimants in claims arising from breaches of their privacy/confidentiality and defamation of character (libel and slander) by both traditional media and online publications (including social media). He is also well versed in wider civil and commercial litigation matters.

Rob is a Departmental Head of the firm’s phone hacking department and has successfully acted, and continues to act, on behalf of a large number of Claimants in claims against major newspaper titles for misuse of private information, arising out of the unlawful interception of their voicemail messages and other related unlawful practices. In doing so, he has obtained substantial damages and other relief for clients, including apologies both privately and in open court, as well as legally enforceable undertakings to prevent any further unlawful targeting of them.

Rob counts amongst his clients individuals who are (or have previously been) members of the House of Lords and Parliament; financial and business executives; journalists and media personalities; well-known musicians and actors; professional footballers; talent agents, managers and PRs; as well as members of the public (including victims of crime).

In addition, the following of his cases have been reported on and so are a matter of public record:

• Acting for a Trial Claimant in the High Court case of Duke of Sussex v MGN. Despite strenuous denials by MGN, the Court found that unlawful information gathering by MGN took place over a longer period of time than had previously been held to be the case, that a substantial number of private investigators instructed by MGN were engaged in unlawful information gathering on its behalf, that certain members of the board and legal department were aware of MGN’s wrongdoing, and that MGN nonetheless concealed its unlawful activities (or the extent of them) from Parliament, the Leveson Inquiry, the Courts, and from shareholders and from the public over a significant period of time.

• Acting for the Claimant in the High Court case of Burrell v Clifford. The Claimant was awarded damages for misuse of private information and his costs after it emerged that the Defendant had faxed to the News of the World, without his authority, a copy of a private letter which he had written to the Defendant for the purposes of engaging the Defendant’s professional services.

• Acting for the Claimant in the High Court case of Garcia v Associated Newspapers Ltd. The Claimant was awarded substantial damages for libel and his costs after an article in the Daily Mail had falsely condemned him as “a foreign doctor” who had subjected a bus driver patient to “a year of hell” by having his driving licences wrongly and inappropriately revoked.

Given the highly sensitive and private nature of the matters on which he is routinely instructed, however, the majority of Rob’s work is dealt with discreetly and outside of Court and Rob has particular expertise in successfully resolving issues on behalf of his clients prior to proceedings being issued or by utilising forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution, such as negotiation, mediation and arbitration. More generally, Rob understands that prevention is better than cure and is adept at seeking to prevent the publication of private or defamatory information concerning clients before it has entered the public domain or otherwise in providing pre-publication advise to publishers.

Rob has long held a particular interest in all aspects of media law and prior to entering practice completed a Masters Degree in Media Law, Policy and Practice at the University of East Anglia, for which he was awarded a distinction and the School of Law Annual Prize for the Best Performance in Taught Modules.