Directors
Sir Charles Grey | Alastair Brett | Robert George Clinton
Sir Charles Gray | Founder and Chairman
Sir Charles Gray was educated at Winchester and Trinity College Oxford. He was called to the Bar in 1967 by Lincolns Inn, and practised at the Bar from the chambers now known as 5RB. His practice initially covered a broad range of common law, including commercial, copyright, confidence, contempt, employment and other civil cases. Latterly he specialised in media cases which included Crossman Diaries, Spycatcher, Aldington v Tolstoy, Elton John v MGN and Aitken v Guardian. He was appointed a Recorder in 1984, and became a Bencher of Lincolns Inn in 1986. In 1998 he was appointed to the High Court Bench (Queen’s Bench Division). In addition to trying criminal cases on circuit, he specialised in media cases — principally defamation, but also confidence, privacy and contempt including Grobelaar v NGN, Loutchansky v TNL and David Irving v Lipstadt. He was made an honorary fellow of Trinity College in 2004. In 2008 he retired from the High Court Bench and rejoined his old chambers to do arbitration work.
Alastair Brett | Founder and Managing Director
Alastair Brett is a solicitor, Media Law Consultant and Managing Director of Early Resolution CIC. He has spent 33 years working in the world of media law. He started his career at Macfarlanes, the City firm of solicitors, and moved to The Times/Sunday Times in 1977. In the mid-1980s he pioneered rights of audience for solicitors and since then has been at the forefront of libel reform, setting up the Fleet Street Lawyers (now the Media Lawyers’ Association) and helping develop Reynolds qualified privilege. In 2009, Lord Justice Jackson asked him to chair a Working Group looking at the possibility of a Civil Legal Aid Fund for defamation proceedings and the Group reported in October of that year. Last year he organised the Early Resolution Procedure Group under Sir Charles Gray, and he was on Lord Lester’s advisory group helping with his Defamation Bill. Alastair is a trained mediator and passionately believes in everyone having access to justice at a reasonable cost.
Robert George Clinton CVO | Director
Robert read law at Brasenose College Oxford. He then joined Farrer & Co, the well-known City firm of solicitors in 1971. He was Senior Partner between 2002 and 2008, and remains a consultant to the firm. He specialises in issue and reputation management for individuals, institutions and corporates as well as defence work for newspapers, magazines and broadcasters. He was admitted to the Royal Victorian Order as part of the 2008 Queen’s birthday honours list.