Dinah Rose KC has a broad practice, encompassing public law, competition law, EU law and employment law. 

Her particular areas of interest include human rights and civil liberties, competition damages claims, telecommunications, regulation (acting for both regulators and regulated parties), and discrimination law. 

She has a particular strength in written and oral advocacy, across a range of different legal fields. She has appeared in the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union in many of the leading cases of recent years, as well as appearing in Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and the European Court of Human Rights.

Unusually, Dinah has considerable experience both of leading teams in large scale litigation in a commercial environment, and of representing individuals bringing publicly-funded claims against the State.

Dinah was appointed President of Magdalen College, Oxford and took up office in September 2020. She will be the 43rd President of the College since its foundation in 1458, and the first woman to hold the post.

Some recent highlights of Dinah’s practice have included: 

  • representing Visa Inc in competition damages claims brought by large retailers, currently pending before the Supreme Court
  • representing UNISON in the Supreme Court in its successful challenge to the lawfulness of Employment Tribunal fees, which the Court found to be a breach of the common law right of access to justice (R (UNISON) v Lord Chancellor July 2017)
  • representing the Law Society in its intervention in the Court of Appeal in the case of ENRC v Serious Fraud Office (August 2018), concerning the scope of legal professional privilege;
  • representing the claimant in the Court of Appeal and Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong in the case of QT v Director of Immigration (July 2018). Both Courts ruled that the Director's refusal to grant dependent spouse's visas to gay married couples was discriminatory and unlawful;

Chambers and Partners 2019 named Dinah as one of its top 25 ‘Stars at the Bar’ and she was also recognised as a Legal 500 2019 Silk of the Year for Employment Law. Dinah is ranked in Chambers UK and Legal 500 in several practice areas. Recent comments include:

  • "Dinah is an absolute star. A stellar performer in employment law." -Chambers UK, 2023
  • "The most naturally gifted advocate one has ever seen." - Chambers UK, 2023

Pervious comments include:

  • "Intellectually brilliant, Dinah is peerless and astonishingly quick – the best advocate at the English Bar." - Legal 500
  • "One of the outstanding lawyers of her generation."- Chambers UK


Experience

Shortlist

EU & Competition

Dinah is currently instructed in some of the largest competition investigations and private litigation, including the European Commission’s investigation into alleged Euribor fixing, the CMA's investigations into the pricing of various drugs, and the Commission's investigation and claims for damages brought against Visa, concerning multilateral interchange fees. Dinah has appeared before the Commission in Brussels, and has extensive experience of appeals before the Competition Appeal Tribunal, and claims in the Commercial Court, where she has acted for both claimants and defendants.

Dinah has longstanding expertise in EU law, and has appeared in the CJEU on many occasions. Her European practice covers a very wide range, including social policy (discrimination and employment rights, free movement of workers, social security), competition, environmental law, sanctions (Iranian and Ukrainian), and other forms of regulation, including taxation and tobacco regulation.

Cases

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Public & Regulatory

Dinah has a very broad practice across the whole spectrum of public  law. She represents both claimants and defendants in a wide variety of courts and specialist tribunals, from the Administrative Court to the highest appellate levels. She has appeared in many of the leading public law cases of recent years. Dinah’s public law work overlaps with her expertise in human rights and EU law. 

Claimants Dinah has advised and represented range from NGOs and publicly-funded individuals to large commercial entities and trade associations challenging regulatory or Government decisions and legislation. Dinah has also represented JUSTICE, Liberty, and other public interest groups in appellate interventions.

On the Defendant side, Dinah has advised and represented many public authorities, including Government departments, the NHS, local authorities, and a wide variety of regulators, including Ofcom, Ofgem, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the GMC and other medical regulators, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the Advertising Standards Authority, The Teaching Standards Council, the Bar Council and the Law Society.

Cases

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Civil Liberties & Human Rights

Dinah has appeared in many of the leading civil liberties and human rights cases of recent years, in UK courts and specialist tribunals (including the Investigatory Powers Tribunal and SIAC), appellate courts including the Supreme Court, as well as the European Court of Human Rights. Her clients have included terrorist suspects facing deportation to torture, a Christian registrar disciplined for refusing to conduct civil partnerships, prisoners in solitary confinement, the mother of a British soldier who died in Iraq, and individuals and NGOs seeking to defend their privacy rights against surveillance by the State.

Cases

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Telecommunications

Dinah acts regularly for Ofcom and for communications providers, in the CAT and the High Court, and advises on all aspects of telecommunications regulation in the UK.

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Employment

Dinah has a particular interest and expertise in discrimination and equal pay, and in appellate advocacy. 

Dinah was retained by the BBC in December 2012 to investigate and report on instances of harassment and bullying, and the BBC’s policies and training, in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. Her report, Dignity at Work, was published in April 2013. She represented UNISON in its successful challenge to the introduction of fees for bringing claims in Employment Tribunals, decided by the Supreme Court in July 2017.

Cases

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Immigration

Dinah has appeared in a number of leading Immigration cases, particularly in relation to asylum, human trafficking, and  the deportation of individuals said to present a risk to national security. She has appeared in SIAC on many occasions, both as a special advocate and representing appellants. See the Public Law and Civil Liberties sections for further details.

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Environment

Dinah has been instructed in significant environmental law matters, including the important claim brought by ClientEarth concerning the UK’s breach of EU law on air pollution standards. See the EU law and public law sections for further details.

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Achievements

Education

BA (Hons) First Class, Magdalen College, Oxford (Modern History); Post-Graduate Diploma in Law with distinction, City University

Awards

  • One of The Lawyer Magazine’s Hot 100 UK lawyers 2015
  • Public Law Silk of the Year 2013, The Legal 500 UK Awards
  • Competition/EU Silk of the Year 2012, Chambers Bar Awards
  • Human Rights & Public Law Silk of the Year 2011, Chambers Bar Awards 
  • Barrister of the Year, The Lawyer Awards 2009
  • Human Rights Lawyer of the Year 2009 (Liberty & JUSTICE  Human Rights Awards)
  • Public Law and Human Rights Silk of the Year 2009, Chambers Bar Awards

Selected earlier reported cases

Public & Regulatory and Civil Liberties & Human Rights

  • Al Rawi v Security Services and ors [2011] UKSC 34
  • R (Smith) v Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner [2010] UKSC 29; [2010] 3 WLR 223
  • R (S (Sri Lanka)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2012] EWHC 2638 (Admin) 
  • R (Sinclair Collis) v Secretary of State for Health [2011] EWCA Civ 437
  • R (Law Society) v Legal Services Commission [2010] EWHC 2550 (Admin)
  • R (Binyam Mohamed) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Office [2009] EWHC 1159 (Admin); [2009] EWHC 152 (Admin); [2010] EWCA Civ 65; [2010] EWCA Civ 158 
  • R (E) v JFS [2009] EWCA Civ 626 [2009] UKSC 15; [2010] 2 WLR 153
  • R (Age UK v Secretary of State for Business Innovations & Skills [2009] EWHC 2336 (Admin); [2010] ILR 260; ECJ Case C-388/07; [2009] ECR I-1569
  • R (Purdy) v Director of Public Prosecutions [2009] EWCA Civ 92; [2009] UKHL 45; [2009] 1 AC 345
  • R (Equitable Members Action Group) v HM Treasury [2009] EWHC 2495 (Admin)
  • R (Saunders) v Independent Police Complaints Commission [2009] EWCA Civ 187
  • Hutchison 3G  UK Ltd v Ofcom/Vodafone v Ofcom [2009] CAT 11
  • R (Corner House and Campaign Against the Arms Trade) v Serious Fraud Office [2008] UKHL 60; [2008] 3 W.L.R. 568
  • R (Bradley and Others) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Administrative Court (hearing 7 February 2007) CA 7 February 2008 [2008] EWCA Civ 36; [2009] Q.B. 114

Telecommunications

  • BT v Ofcom (080) [2011] EWCA Civ 245
  • The Number v Ofcom Case C-16/10 (17 February 2011)
  • O2 v Ofcom [2010] CAT 25
  • H3G v Ofcom [2009] EWCA Civ 683
  • Vodafone v Ofcom [2009] CAT 11
  • O2 v Ofcom [2008] EWCA Civ 1373; [2009] Bus. L.R. 794

Employment

  • Seldon v Clarkson, Wright and Jakes [2010] EWCA Civ 899, [2012] UKSC 16
  • R (Age UK v Secretary of State for Business Innovations & Skills [2009] EWHC 2336 (Admin); [2010] ILR 260; ECJ Case C-388/07; [2009] ECR I-1569 Case C-388/07 [2009] ICR 1080
  • R (E) v Governors of JFS [2009] UKSC 15
  • Health and Safety Executive v Wilson [2009] EWCA Civ 1074
  • Bloxham v Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (ET) [2007] Pens. L.R. 375
  • Tofeji v BNP Paribas 
  • Prebon Yamane Singapore v Spring and others
  • Villalba v Merrill Lynch (EAT) [2007] I.C.R. 469
  • B v BAA (EAT) [2005] ICR 1530 : [2005] IRLR 927
  • Maxcor v Tullett Liberty Ltd
  • Diem (Ho) v Crystal Services Plc (EAT) UKEAT/0398/05/DM, 16 December 2005
  • R (Amicus and others) v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry [2004] EWHC 860 (Admin); [2007] I.C.R. 1176; [2004] I.R.L.R. 430
  • R v MoD, ex parte Leale and Lane 
  • Bahl v Law Society (2003) EAT
  • Farr and others (2003)
  • Croft v Royal Mail (2003) CA
  • Lawrence v Regent Office Care (2002) ECJ
  • RCO v Unison (2002) CA
  • Fulham FC v Tigana
  • Williamson and Everington v KoreaOnline
  • Nagarajan v London Underground [1999] 3 WLR 425 (HL (E))
  • French v Barclays Bank [1998] IRLR 646 (CA)
  • Diocese of Hallam v Connaughton [1996] ICR 860 (EAT)
  • Ratcliffe v North Yorkshire County Council [1995] IRLR 439 (HL) 
  • MoD v Cannock and others [1994] ICR 918 (EAT
  • James v Eastleigh Borough Council [1990] 2 AC 751 (HL)

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