Clara Hamer - 5RB Barristers

Clara specialises in all areas of media, communications and information law.

She has acted in many high-profile and significant cases in this area, including successfully defending the former King of Spain, His Majesty Juan Carlos de Borbon y Borbon, in a harassment claim for £126m damages; acting for the Sun newspaper in its successful defence of Johnny Depp’s libel action; and representing Bloomberg in the Supreme Court in the privacy case of ZXC v Bloomberg LP, and in the Court of Appeal in the Court of Protection reporting restrictions case of Hinduja v Hinduja.

Clara is listed as a Leading Junior in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners for Defamation, Privacy and Data Protection. She won the Media and the Arts Junior of the Year award at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2022 and was shortlisted for the same award in 2023 and 2024. Clara was also shortlisted in 2021 for Media, Defamation, Privacy and Data Protection Junior of the Year by the Chambers UK Bar Awards.

RECENT WORK

Defamation and Harassment

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn v HM Juan Carlos I [2023] EWHC 2478 (KB): successfully defending the former King of Spain in a harassment claim for an injunction and £126m damages (led by Adam Wolanski KC)
Jusan Technologies Ltd v The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: for the defendant in a libel action concerning the former president of Kazakhstan (led by Gavin Millar KC)
Rebekah Vardy v Coleen Rooney [2022] EWHC 1209 (QB): for the Sun in applications for disclosure of documents and journalists’ sources in the “Wagatha Christie” case (led by Adam Wolanski KC)
Johnny Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2020] EWHC 2911 (QB) and [2021] EWCA Civ 423: for the Sun in successfully defending the “wife beater” libel claim brought by Johnny Depp (led by Sasha Wass KC and Adam Wolanski KC)
Caine v Facebook Ireland Limited [2021] EWHC 2264 (QB): for Facebook in applications for civil restraint orders, and Caine v Advertiser and Times Ltd [2019] EWHC 39 (QB) and [2019] EWHC 2278 (QB) for the defendant newspaper in related libel and malicious falsehood claims
Public Joint Stock Company Rosneft Oil Co. v HarperCollins Publishers Ltd [2021] EWHC 3141 (QB): for the claimant in trial of meaning/opinion as a preliminary issue (led by Desmond Browne CBE KC)
Ward v Associated Newspapers Ltd [2020] EWHC 2797 (QB) and [2021] EWHC 641 (QB): for the Mail on Sunday in claim for libel and malicious falsehood (led by Catrin Evans KC and Andrew Caldecott KC)
Brown v Bower; Faber & Faber: for historian Tom Bower and publisher Faber & Faber in libel claim brought by Nick Brown MP (led by Andrew Caldecott KC)
Miah v BBC [2018] EWHC 206 (QB), [2018] EWHC 1054 (QB): for the BBC in libel, privacy and data protection claim (led by Catrin Evans KC)
Kozbar v Telegraph Media Group Ltd [2017] 12 WLUK 232: for the Telegraph in preliminary determination of meaning in libel claim (led by David Price KC)
Rowland v Mitchell: work on ‘Plebgate’ case for the claimant police officer against Andrew Mitchell MP (led by Desmond Browne CBE KC and Catrin Evans KC)

Privacy/Confidence/Data Protection/Freedom of Information

ZXC v Bloomberg LP [2019] EWHC 970 (QB), [2020] EWCA Civ 611 and [2022] UKSC 5: for Bloomberg in trial of privacy/confidence and data protection claim over an article about a fraud, bribery and corruption investigation into the claimant at a time when he had not been charged with any offence (led at trial by Gavin Millar KC and on appeal to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court by Antony White KC)
Your Lawyers Ltd v Capital Interchange Ltd [2024] EWHC 287 (Ch): for defendant broker of litigation funding in claim for breach of a non-disclosure agreement concerning the funding of the Volkswagen diesel emissions litigation (led by Stuart Isaacs KC)
Verlingue Ltd v Persons Unknown [2022] EWHC 616 (QB): for the claimant company on a cyber-attack data breach injunction application involving allegations of blackmail (led by Adam Speker KC)
Lownie v University of Southampton; Cabinet Office: for the claimant in data protection Subject Access Request claim and FOIA case to access archival material relating to the late Louis Mountbatten, 1^st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
XKF v BBC [2018] EWHC 1560 (QB): for the BBC in interim privacy injunction to restrain Panorama from revealing the claimant’s spent convictions (led by Andrew Caldecott KC)
Miah v BBC [2018] EWHC 206 (QB), [2018] EWHC 1054 (QB): for the BBC in libel, privacy, and data protection claim (led by Catrin Evans KC)
Dyer v News Group Newspapers Ltd: for the Sun in privacy and data protection claim brought by Danny Dyer
Demouh v Times Newspapers Ltd: for the Sunday Times in privacy and data protection claim over an article about benefit cuts (led by Catrin Evans KC)
Kutcher v Associated Newspapers Ltd: for Wyatt Kutcher in application to approve child settlement agreement in privacy and data protection claim
Doyen Global Ltd v Times Newspapers Ltd [2016] EWHC 3642 (QB): for the Sunday Times in privacy injunction (led by Catrin Evans KC)

Reporting the Courts/Open Justice

KRD v PTL [2023] EWHC 1952 (Fam): reporting restrictions case involving novel application of the Family Court Transparency Reporting Pilot Guidance to a non-Pilot case (led by Adam Wolanski KC)
R v Jian Wen: for the Financial Times in applications to lift reporting restrictions and for access to documents in Bitcoin laundering case
Hinduja v Hinduja [2022] EWCA Civ 1492 and [2022] EWCOP 36: sole counsel for Bloomberg LP in the Court of Appeal and the Court of Protection in reporting restrictions applications
Inquest into death of Neal Saunders: for ITN, the BBC and the Guardian in application for media access to body worn video and CCTV footage
R v Imran Khan MP: for the Sun in reporting restriction applications in magistrates’ court and Central Criminal Court
R (Learndirect Ltd) v OFSTED: for education magazine in application to lift reporting restrictions and injunction in judicial review proceedings
Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry: for the BBC in application to lift reporting restrictions in public inquiry
Times Newspapers Ltd v Newman: for the Sunday Times (Ireland) in application for media access to bankruptcy court file

PUBLICATIONS

Contributor to The Law of Privacy and the Media (OUP, 2024)
Contributor to Information Rights (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023)
Contributor to Arlidge, Eady & Smith on Contempt (Sweet & Maxwell, 2019)
“When legally privileged material is accidentally sent to the wrong recipient: Advertising Standards Authority Ltd v Mitchell”, LexisNexis Q&A, 2019
“Anonymity Orders in Harassment Claims: Khan (formerly JMO) v Khan (formerly KTA)”, LexisNexis Q&A, 2018

SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS

Winner or shortlisted for Legal 500 Media and the Arts Junior of the Year Award (2022, 2023 and 2024)
Shortlisted for Chambers UK Media, Defamation, Privacy and Data Protection Junior of the Year Award (2021)
Inns of Court Pegasus Scholarship to the United States (2015)
Winner, Inner Temple Lawson Moot (2013)
Inner Temple Major Scholarship (2012)
University of Cambridge Reddaway Scholarship; Burton Prize; and Fitzwilliam College Foundation Essay Prize (2009)

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Pre-publication advice to major newspapers and book publishers
On-set legal adviser to Denial, a BAFTA-nominated film about the Holocaust denial libel case of David Irving v Professor Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books Ltd [2000] All ER (D) 523
Prior to coming to the Bar, Clara worked as an editorial intern at a leading publisher of political and current affairs books and as a copy editor.

Called

2013 Called to the Bar of England and Wales

Education

University of Cambridge (Fitzwilliam College), MA (Cantab) Social and Political Sciences
City University London, GDL (commendation) & BPTC (outstanding)

Areas of work

Reporting the Courts and Contempt
Data Protection and Information Law
Defamation and Malicious Falsehood
General Common Law
Harassment
Human Rights
Injunctive Relief
Pre-publication Advice
Privacy and Confidence

Testimonials

Clara Hamer is a rising talent with a practice covering all aspects of media and information law. She acts in privacy and defamation matters for national newspapers, publishers and broadcasters. Clara Hamer cultivates a strong practice across the spectrum of information law, data protection, media and defamation matters, with a client base comprising high-profile publishers, broadcasters, and public sector entities. She brings to bear a valuable affinity for transatlantic and US-based media and information law cases. Please see what the Legal Directories say about Clara.

Chambers and Partners

“Clara is an exceptionally talented young junior. She is destined for great things, is very bright and very practical.” (Defamation/Privacy 2025)
“She is an absolutely fantastic junior. Her greatest skills are that she is completely assiduous and a master of detail on cases that are factually complex or document-heavy.” (Defamation/Privacy 2025)
“Clara is an absolute star. She is thorough, hard-working, always across the detail and a pleasure to work with.” (Defamation/Privacy 2025)
“Clara is good at detail and is a joy to work with.” (Data Protection 2025)
“Clara is an exceptionally talented young junior. She is very bright and very practical.” (Data Protection 2025)
“Clara is dynamic, fearless and robust.” “Really forensic, bright and on top of things; she is an excellent part of any trial team.” (Defamation/Privacy 2023)
“Clara is extremely detail-focused, very strong and a forceful but persuasive advocate on her feet, getting great results.” “She gives very clear, well thought-out and comprehensive advice, delivered in a manner that’s accessible to lay clients.” (Data Protection 2023)
“Her mastery of detail is extraordinary, and she has a very easy manner with clients.” “She is very pragmatic, knows what needs to be done and doesn’t leave it until last minute.” (Defamation/Privacy 2022)
“She works very hard and is able to spot things in the detail that others don’t.” “She’s a very impressive, forensic and thorough barrister and is good with complex issues.” “She gives comprehensive and well-thought-out advice that is accessible to lay clients.” (Data Protection 2022)
“Hard-working and sensible, certainly one to watch.” (Defamation/Privacy 2020)
“She’s diligent, creative and brilliant at what she does, and she has skills that far surpass her years at the Bar.” “She’s very personable, and her industry experience is clear to see.” (Data Protection 2020)

The Legal 500

“Clara is, in many ways, the perfect junior – incredibly smart and diligent, with a hugely impressive eye for detail. Others cannot think of another junior they would rather have on the team for a trial.” (Defamation/Privacy 2025)
“Clara’s research and analysis of both fact and law is very thorough. Her oral advocacy is fearless and determined. She is the best defence barrister at her level of call in this area of the law.” (Defamation/Privacy 2024)
“Clara has impressively good knowledge of data protection law and grapples with the difficult issues with ease. She combines confidence with a calm and understanding manner, which makes her a good choice for cases involving sensitive matters.” (Data Protection 2024)
“Clara is exceptionally organised and hardworking. She has a phenomenal grasp of the facts and understanding of the law involved in the case.” (Defamation/Privacy 2023)
“Clara is exceptionally high quality. Her tactical acumen, attention to detail, analysis and communication skills are absolutely outstanding – she never misses anything. And her oral advocacy is excellent.” (Data Protection 2023)
“She is extremely bright, able to offer practical advice and hugely hard-working. She is already one of the best juniors at the media Bar.” (Defamation/Privacy 2022)
“Clara gives very clear and well-presented advice, which can be easily digested by clients.” (Data Protection 2022)
“She is bright and tenacious and also very personable, and clients love her, especially the media defendants.” (Data Protection 2021)
“A future star of the bar and a fantastic advocate with an exceptional grasp of media law.” (Defamation/Privacy 2021)
“Sympathetic yet confident manner with a keen eye for detail.” (Defamation/Privacy 2020)