BA, GDL and BPTC
BA, GDL and BPTC
Which sections would you like to include in your PDF download?
Will has a busy practice in competition, consumer, data protection, EU, human rights, information, public and regulatory law, and is ranked in the legal directories as a ‘rising star’ / ‘up and coming’ in three areas. He has appeared in a range of courts and tribunals, including the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, and Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Recent highlights include: novel human rights challenges (Richards v Environment Agency; GMCDP v DWP); complex commercial and regulatory public law proceedings (Fourth National Lottery Licence litigation; RIIO-2 price control appeals); judicial reviews with a national security dimension (VIP v Home Secretary); central government policy challenges (Birmingham City Council v DfT; Lifescape Project v DESNZ); high profile competition law claims, including collective actions (Gutmann v Apple; Shotbolt v Valve; Gutmann v BT/EE; Aaronson v Royal Mail) and private enforcement (Epic Games v Google; Sportradar v Football DataCo); mergers (the proposed Adobe/Figma merger); unled freedom of information appeals (Sheppard v Cabinet Office; Airwars v MoD); data protection claims and enforcement action (ICO’s investigation into the DfE; X v Master James); and advice on areas of digital regulation (including the Online Safety Act, the Digital Markets Unit legislation and the security of the UK’s telecoms networks).
Other experience includes:
Will is the co-author of the forthcoming chapter on ‘AI and Public Law’ in the Second Edition of The Law of Artificial Intelligence (Sweet & Maxwell).
In August 2022, Will was appointed to the Attorney General’s C Panel.
Will is regularly instructed in a range of public law proceedings, including commercial and regulatory public law challenges, complex human rights claims, environmental judicial reviews, central government policy challenges, cases with a national security dimension, and matters at the intersection of other areas of law (e.g. competition, consumer, data protection, subsidy control and trade law).
In addition to public law litigation, Will has investigations, enforcement and advisory experience in a range of areas, including the digital, education, energy, gambling, product safety, telecoms and transport sectors. He has a particular interest in emerging areas of digital regulation and has advised on the Online Safety Bill, the regulation of crypto-assets, the ‘secure by design’ legislation, the e-commerce legislation, the security of the UK’s telecoms networks, and the Digital Markets Unit legislation.
Will is the co-author of the forthcoming chapter on ‘AI and Public Law’ in the Second Edition of The Law of Artificial Intelligence (Sweet & Maxwell).
Recent instructions include:
Secondment at DCMS: from April to November 2020, Will was seconded at DCMS, where he advised on a range of public and regulatory law issues concerning media enterprises, online platforms, and emerging technologies, including on various aspects of the Online Safety Act.
As a full-time Judicial Assistant in the Administrative Court from January to April 2020, Will assisted Supperstone J (Judge in Charge) and other High Court judges on various substantive and procedural matters. The cases he worked on included: Pwr and others v DPP (interpretation of s.13(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 and compatibility with Article 10 ECHR); R (Banks) v SoS for BEIS (renewable energy state aid challenge); R (X School) v Ofsted (injunctive relief to prevent publication of an OFSTED report); AR v SSWP (interpretative obligation under section 3 Human Rights Act in a social welfare context); R (Morris) v Parole Board (status of unproven allegations of criminal conduct in Parole Board proceedings); Gladman v SoS for HCLG (‘tilted balance’ in the National Planning Policy Framework); and a number of extradition appeals, including Mallya v Government of India.
Will is regularly instructed by commercial clients, regulators, and other public bodies in a wide range of contexts, including standalone, follow-on and class action competition law claims, regulatory appeals, regulatory enforcement and investigations, mergers, public law cases with an economic angle, and in an advisory capacity.
Case experience includes:
Regulatory experience includes:
Advisory experience includes:
Will is the co-author (with Brendan McGurk and Antonia Fitzpatrick) of the competition law chapter of the ‘Blockchain Legal & Regulatory Guidance’ produced by the Law Society and Tech London Advocates.
Will is regularly instructed in contentious and advisory matters concerning the GDPR, Data Protection Act, PECR, ECHR Article 8, Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations.
Will regularly acts for NGOs, regulators, central government and private clients on data protection matters in the context of private claims, investigations, regulatory enforcement and judicial reviews, as well as in an advisory capacity.
Litigation and enforcement experience includes:
Advisory experience includes:
Will has appeared in dozens of freedom of information appeals (often against KCs and leading juniors) in front of the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal.
Cases include:
Will is the co-author of the Practical Law note on section 40 of the Freedom of Information Act (the personal data exemption).
Will regularly advises on a range of Retained EU law, EU Relations and international trade law issues, including accrued EU law rights, issues arising under the EU Withdrawal Acts, the Withdrawal Agreement, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and other international agreements such as the CPTPP and WTO SPS Agreement. He also has significant experience advising on international data transfers.
Will has acted for WWF and 7 other environmental NGOs in a complaint to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee on the lack of public participation in the negotiation and ratification by the UK of Free Trade Agreements; in Pan United v Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a challenge concerning the allocation of the Chinese garlic tariff rate quota; and for the Government in AFM and SAG-AFTRA v Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, a Francovich damages claim regarding the UK’s alleged failure to implement EU and international copyright laws.
He is also a regular contributor to Monckton’s EU Relations Law Blog.
Will regularly acts for challengers and contracting authorities in cases before the TCC.
Experience includes:
Up and Coming in Data Protection: “He handles information calmly and coolly.” “Will is brilliant. He always goes the extra mile and is always a pleasure to work with.” – Chambers UK, 2025
Rising Star in Data Protection: “Will has an exceptional grasp of FOIA. He is a forceful advocate, who takes good points and makes them firmly and economically.” – Legal 500, 2025
Rising Star in Administrative Law and Human Rights: “Will is highly intelligent, easy to work with and reliable.” – Legal 500, 2025
Rising Star in Competition: “Will is a very strong advocate, who understands the technical and economic detail of complex competition matters, but is able to make it simple for the client and court.” – Legal 500, 2025
Up and Coming in Data Protection: “Will is really calm and measured.” “Brilliant and always a pleasure to work with.” – Chambers UK, 2024
Rising Star in Data Protection: “An effective advocate with a good court manner, yet is tenacious on behalf of his client.” – Legal 500, 2024
Rising Star in Administrative Law and Human Rights: “Will is operating at a level well beyond his call. Silks love working with him because he is all over the detail and razor-sharp.” – Legal 500, 2024
Rising Star in Data Protection: “Will is really friendly, picks things up quickly and is very thorough in his work.” – Legal 500, 2023