Philip Coppel KC

Silk: 2009 | Call: 1994

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Philip Coppel KC
Daniel Gatt, Senior Practice Manager
> People > Barristers > Philip Coppel KC

Mr Coppel is a versatile silk who maintains a broad practice covering commercial litigation,
information law and governmental matters.

More particularly, Coppel has extensive experience in:

  1. contractual disputes, civil fraud claims (deceit, conspiracy, business interference etc)
    and regulatory matters;
  2. data protection and privacy claims, FOIA appeals and other information access rights;
  3. election disputes, judicial review claims and local government matters; and
  4. planning and environmental law.

This breadth of experience makes Coppel singularly well placed to deal with disputes that cross
over different areas of law. Thorough preparation, effective use of team resources and client
commitment are combined with an open style to ensure clear advice and convincing
representation.

Publications

Coppel has written a number of practitioner texts:

  1. He is the author of Information Rights, now in its sixth edition (published 2023). This is the leading text on data protection, freedom of information and other information Since its first publication over 20 years ago, it has been widely acclaimed and regularly cited. Variously described in reviews as “a scholarly work of intensely practical use”, as a “magisterial work, comprehensive and incisive” and as “encyclopaedic and authoritative.”
  2. He is the consultant editor for the Local Government volumes (69 and 69A) of Halsbury’s Laws of England, published 2024.
  3. He is the consultant editor for the Local Government Finance volume (70) of Halsbury’s Laws of England, published 2024.
  4. He is the author of volume 38(1) (Torts) of Atkins’s Court Forms, covering civil conspiracy, deceit, inducing a breach of contract and misfeasance in public office, published 2025.
  5. He is the author of volume 18(1) (Elections and Evidence) of Atkins’s Court Forms, covering election law and evidence, published 2021.

Expertise

    He is exceptionally bright and tactically incredible.

    Chambers UK Bar (2025)

    A very practical silk with exceptional legal expertise.

    Legal 500 (2025)

    Top-class counsel whose expertise is second to none.

    Chambers UK Bar (2024)

    He is very skilled at spotting the killer points.

    Chambers UK Bar (2024)

    A highly flexible and imaginative silk.

    Chambers UK Bar (2023)

    A doyen of the Bar.

    Chambers UK Bar (2022)

    He is fantastic, really user-friendly, and his advocacy is spot on. He is a brilliant barrister.

    Chambers UK Bar (2022)

About Philip

  • Directory quotes
    • Elections – “Robust pragmatic advice with a willingness to push innovative legal arguments. Clear legal risk assessments which build confidence in his advice. Highly expert public sector barrister with a deep understanding of the political and public context.” Legal 500 2026
    • Commercial litigation – “Philip is a masterful advocate. His style is persuasive, forensic and joy to witness. He is an excellant leader for both his juniour barristers and the wider legal team he works with on a case. He has a limitless knowledge of numerous areas of law which he manages to bring together to his advantage in any case.” Legal 500 2026
    • Data Protection –  “A skilful appeal advocate. As charming as he is inscrutable. A tough opponent who works hard to test arguments in a lateral manner.” Legal 500 2026
    • Local Government – “Philip Coppel KC is a highly popular choice of local government counsel who is particularly well known for his appellate practice. His broad expertise encompasses further areas, such as information law and commercial disputes.” Chambers and Partners 2026
    • Local Government – “He showed himself to be a very savvy operator and, in particular, extremely effective in cross-examination.” Chambers and Partners 2026
    • Election Law – “Philip Coppel KC is a respected election law silk who regularly acts for returning officers and is the go-to for the Electoral Commission. He advises clients on all aspects of elections: from the build-up, to election night, and the aftermath.” Chambers and Partners 2026
    • Election Law – “Philip is our go-to lawyer for complex and sophisticated electoral matters.” Chambers and Partners 2026
    • Data Protection – “Philip Coppel KC draws upon valuable previous experience as a solicitor and as A Panel counsel, as well as an extensive oeuvre of authoritative writing on the subject. He has an impressive track record of representing an array of clients, ranging from businesses and private individuals to public authorities, in high-profile cases.” Chambers and Partners 2026
    • Data Protection – “Philip is very well-versed in data protection and has a wealth of knowledge. His guidance allows us to excel.” Chambers and Partners 2026
    • Data Protection – “He is a significant authority on information law and data protection matters.” Chambers and Partners 2026
    • Data Protection – “He is well regarded.” Chambers and Partners 2026
    • Data Protection – “He is exceptionally bright and tactically incredible.” Chambers and Partners 2025
    • Election Law – “You wouldn’t fancy being cross-examined by him.” “Philip is very collaborative and one of those barristers who really involves the team in the case.” Chambers and Partners 2025
    • Elections – “A very practical silk with exceptional legal expertise.” Legal 500 2025
    • Data Protection – “Top-class counsel whose expertise is second to none.” Chambers and Partners 2024
    • Election Law: “He’s incredible on his feet.” “He is very skilled at spotting the killer points.” Chambers and Partners 2024
    • Local Government – “He is proactive and quick to respond.” Chambers and Partners 2024 
    • Data Protection – “Philip is excellent at getting into the detail of an issue.” Legal 500 2024
    • Data Protection – “Philip Coppel KC is very experienced and pleasant to work with.” “He wrote the leading textbook on information rights and gets straight to the core of each matter.” Chambers and Partners 2023
    • Election Law – “A stellar public law KC.” “A highly flexible and imaginative silk.” Chambers and Partners 2023 
    • Local Government – “He is a jack of all trades.” Chambers and Partners 2023
    • Data Protection – “Philip is the barrister any client would be lucky to have on their team. His advice is clear and pragmatic. His advocacy is persuasive and well structured.” Legal 500 2023
    • Local Government – “Very clever and very good at explaining matters to the lay client. He has a masterly overview and command of many-stranded matters.” Legal 500 2023
    • Local Government – “He is fantastic, really user-friendly, and his advocacy is spot on. He is a brilliant barrister.” Chambers and Partners 2022
    • Data Protection – “A dean of the Bar.” “He has an encyclopedic knowledge of data protection law but is extremely personable at the same time. He puts clients at ease, is an extremely safe pair of hands, and will refuse to roll over. He puts up a fight.” Chambers and Partners 2022
    • Election Law – “He knows this area of law very well, and is a serious specialist in it.” “Very insightful and helpful, his expertise shines through.” “He is a tenacious advocate, who is very knowledgeable on technical points.” Chambers and Partners 2022
    • Administrative and Public Law – “Philip is a real pleasure to work with. He is bright, enthusiastic and great with clients.” Legal 500 2022
    • Local Government – “Very clever and very good at explaining matters to the lay client. He has a masterly overview and command of many-stranded matters.” Legal 500 2022
    • Philip is also ranked in Data Protection and Planning with Legal 500.
    • Local Government – “A highly popular choice of local government counsel who is particularly well known for his appellate practice. His broad expertise encompasses further areas, such as information law and commercial disputes. Strengths: “A very experienced and persuasive advocate who exudes calm when addressing difficult points.” Chambers and Partners 2021
    • Data Protection – “Draws upon valuable previous experience as a solicitor, and as A Panel counsel, as well as an extensive oeuvre of authoritative writing on the subject. He has an impressive track record of representing an array of clients, ranging from businesses and private individuals to public authorities, in high-profile cases. Strengths: “He finds angles for the defence that his clients might have not thought about.” “He gets straight to the heart of the issues.” “He is approachable and his manner of explaining things to the lay person is astonishing.” Chambers and Partners 2021
    • Election Law – A respected election law silk who acts for returning officers and the Electoral Commission. He advises clients on all aspects of the build-up to elections, as well as matters on election night and its aftermath.Strengths: “A tenacious barrister who understands the law and takes good points.” “He’s enthusiastic, a stickler for detail and not one to suffer fools gladly.” Chambers and Partners 2021
    • “Very clever, very good explaining matters to the lay client, masterly overview and command of this many-stranded matter.” Legal 500 2021
    • “His knowledge of the area is unrivalled. He is strong on litigation strategy and undaunted by difficult cases.” Legal 500 2021
    • “Very prompt, approachable, succinct and to the point, while thinking ‘out of the box’ – solutions-focused.” Legal 500 2021
    • “He’s punchy, he’s always right and his level of experience is unparalleled.” “He’s very good in the environmental law field, and he’s very intellectually rigorous.” Chambers and Partners 2020
    • “Very much on the ball.” “He calls it as he sees it and gives very practical advice.” “He’s a fighter who has great clarity of thought.” Chambers and Partners 2020
    • “He has an excellent legal brain.” Chambers and Partners 2020
    • “He is a big name in the data protection world.” Legal 500 2020
    • “He looks out for the bear traps.” Legal 500 2020 
    • “One of the most experienced data protection advocates at the Bar, and very inventive.” “A direct and incisive communicator who leaves no room for misunderstanding.” Chambers and Partners 2019
    • “Always impresses when dealing with election law. He has considerable knowledge of the subject and is able to give firm advice on what can and cannot be done.” Chambers and Partners 2019
    • “One of the most experienced and knowledgeable barristers on information law.” Legal 500 2018
    • “An outstanding level of service, particularly for planning matters.” Legal 500 2018
    • “Very high calibre.” “He has a very good manner.” Chambers and Partners 2018
    • “He understands the real issues of election law and always provides practical advice.” Legal 500 2017
    • “He is undaunted by challenging cases.” Legal 500 2017 
    • “If the case involves original and creative thinking or the mastery of an obscure regulatory regime, he is ideal.” Legal 500 2017 
    • “He is thorough and technically excellent.” Chambers and Partners 2017
    • “A very robust advocate.” Chambers and Partners 2017
    • “Clear and knowledgeable.” “He’s excellent on complex cases where there’s no margin for error.” Chambers and Partners 2016
    • “A tireless and passionate advocate” Legal 500 2016
    • “A matchless knowledge of existing case law and ingenuity in developing the law further.” Legal 500 2016
    • “A very high-calibre lawyer, at the top of his game.” Legal 500 2016
    • “Unflinching in his approach.” Legal 500 2015
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