Tom Longstaff

Call 2017

longstaff@exchangechambers.co.uk

‘Tom is calm and thinks quickly on his feet. He is excellent in conference with clients and is able to put them at ease. His advice is clear, concise and always with an understanding of the commercial impact of the advice, rather than solely the legal aspects.’

The Legal 500 2023

Defamation and Privacy

Tom is developing a defamation and privacy practice.

He has experience of acting in defamation proceedings and of acting in disputes with a privacy element, including making applications to search engines for the removal of adverse results.

Recent cases in which Tom has been instructed includes:

  • One of the leading authorities on the ability to restrain publication by a public body: R. (on the application of the Governing Body of X) v Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills [2020] EWCA Civ 594
  • Acting for Claimants and Defendants in a number of claims relating to the alleged infringement of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation, including for interim relief at private hearings.
  • Advising in claims for defamation and malicious falsehood in relation to:
    1. A claim brought by a former dentist against a colleague who made a report to a regulator regarding alleged drug use; and
    2. Adverse reviews posted on the internet.
  • Instructed by a company director previously convicted of criminal offences in an application to search engines for the removal of adverse search results.