020 7242 4986 or 0333 240 0591 London | Birmingham | Cardiff
He maintains a broad practice with a particular interest in Public and Constitutional Law, Planning and Environmental law, Data Protection and Privacy, and Freedom of Information.
Sam has provided legal and policy advice at all levels of government, from the Council of Europe to parish councils, appearing in many of the leading public law cases of recent years.
He maintains a broad practice with a particular interest in Public and Constitutional Law, Planning and Environmental law, Data Protection and Privacy, and Freedom of Information. He has appeared in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, Crown Court, County Court, and Magistrates Court.
Sam has particular experience in complex an high profile public policy matters. His recent work includes Gina Miller v The Prime Minister [2019] UKSC 41 and The Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party v ITV [2019] EWHC 3282 (Admin). He represents individuals, NGO, and companies as well as government bodies.
Sam applies his background in public policy, social entrepreneurship, and academia to connect with clients from all backgrounds. Sam has advised on numerous pieces of legislation, including the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018, Trade Bill 2017-19, and Data Protection Bill 2018. He has first-hand experience of running a range of public sector organisations; sitting on the boards of a leading university, major public-sector body, and grassroots political campaign. Sam continues to provide legal and public policy advice to a wide range of MPs and NGOs.
Applying his background in public policy, Sam is able to provide advice and representation on all aspects of Brexit. He has advised on several of the major pieces of Brexit legislation and continues to provide advice, training, and representation to local authorities, NGOs, companies, and members of parliament on the practical impacts and responses to Brexit.
Sam has a particular interest in information law and he was appointed Standing Counsel to the Request Initiative on 3 April 2018.
Sam is a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre, where he specialises in information governance, data protection, environmental law and policy, trade and investment, constitutional law, and Brexit. He has taught at the University of London Institute in Paris, the Centre for Commercial Law Studies at the University of London, and the University of Birmingham. He was a formerly a Visiting Scholar at the University of Sydney.
He regularly appears in national and international media speaking and writing on information and data protection, constitutional law, international trade, and Brexit. He has appeared in or on BBC Business, BBC World, The Guardian, The Independent, New Statesman, Huffington Post, and Al Jazeera.
Sam holds an MA in History from the University of St Andrews (first class) and a PhD in Law from the University of London. While a PhD candidate Sam founded the Rule of Law Project, a non-profit initiative using drama and debate to engage young people with legal issues. Sam's contribution as a social entrepreneur was recognised with election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Sam enjoys rugby, squash, and musical theatre. He has acted and directed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and on London's West End.
"Many many thanks to Sam for great advocacy in submissions and response. Huge talent and commitment. Star in the making! If not made" - Christopher Stanley, solicitor
"The sort of advocate who makes you want to give a spontaneous standing ovation" - Susan Suliman, Environmental Campaigner
Sam Provides advice and representation in the full range of public and constitutional law matters. His experience ranges from constitutional litigation in the Supreme Court to training parish councillors on their duties. he undertakes public law work on behalf of individuals, NGO, companies, and government bodies.
Sam is also a recognised expert on the interplay between international law, particularly international trade, and domestic public law. He has appeared before Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights on this subject and his work is often cited in Select Committee Reports.
Recent work includes:
Sam has broad experience in data protection and privacy, freedom of information, and defamation matters. He is particularly experienced providing advice and representation for organisations at high risk of public scrutiny or with complex corporate structures. He is experienced at representing a range of appellants, including journalists and NGO, in the information tribunal.
Recent work includes:
Sam provides advice and representation on all aspects of planning and environmental law. He has a particular interest in matters involving renewable energy and climate change.
Recent work includes:
Sam accepts instructions in the full range of Cornerstone's local government work. He has a particular interest in matters involving:
Sam acts in the full range of Cornerstone's housing work. He has experience in possession matters, section 204 appeals, the full range of anti-social behaviour injunctions, disrepair, and homelessness matters.
Sam has a particular interest in a range of legal measures available to protect individuals from domestic violence. He is able to provide advice and representation on possession proceedings based on domestic violence, anti-social behaviour injunctions, and domestic violence protection orders.
Sam was a member of the Bar Human Rights Council working group on Violence Against Women. He co-authored the BHRC reports on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Violence Against Women. He was involved with the development of FGM Protection Orders and the new offence of failing to protect children from FGM.
Sam is able to provide advice and representation on a full range of commercial law matters. He is particularly interested in the commercial aspects of information law and has experience in matters concerning data protection, privacy, and freedom of information in a commercial context.
Sam is able to provide advice and representation on a full range of property law matters.
Sam accepts instructions in the full range of Cornerstone's licensing work.
Sam accepts instructions in the full range of Cornerstone's work on inquests and inquiries.
14th September 2018
The Trade Bill 2017-19, currently undergoing its second reading in the House of Lords, marks a significant step in the evolution of the UK's constitution in that it gives Parliament a greater say in the making of international trade agreements ("ITA") than ever before.
Constitutional law and international trade are rarely spoken of in the same breath. This approach is outdated. Read the full blog here.
14th September 2018
Is Brexit just a choice between the Chequers deal or a 'hard Brexit'? Supporters of 'associate citizenship' believe there is not.
The proposed associate citizenship would allow individuals to enjoy some of the benefits of EU citizenship in return for a (likely substantial) fee.
While this would undoubtedly bring benefits to those able to take up associate citizenship, it would also have a transformative effect on the concept of citizenship itself, exacerbating existing trends towards transnational forms of citizenship and a reduced role for nation states. Read the full article here.
1st March 2018
Media
Blogs and Articles
Television
News:
Sam Fowles appointed Lecturer at St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford
16th May 2022
Sam Fowles has been appointed as a Stipendiary Lecturer at St Edmund Hall, the University of Oxford's oldest college for Trinity Term 2022. Sam will teach administrative (public) law to students....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
10th February 2022
We are pleased to announce the launch of Overruled: Our Vanishing Democracy in 8 Cases written by Dr Sam Fowles.
....News: Court of Protection
Dr Sam Fowles joins the Chair of the Bar’s advisory group on the Human Rights Act
2nd December 2021
We would like to congratulate Dr Sam Fowles, who has been asked to join the Chair of the Bar's advisory group on the Human Rights Act. The group has been set....News: Planning and Environment
Cornerstone Planning Day 2021 - Tickets available
20th September 2021
The Cornerstone Planning Team is delighted to host its annual planning conference on Monday 8 November at Royal College of Surgeons of England. Aimed at planning specialists, solicitors, and policy makers, this....Case: Planning and Environment
2nd July 2021
Today the Planning Court handed down judgment in an important judicial review concerning the correct approach of planning decision-makers in the context of sites presenting serious health and safety risks.....Case: Public Law and Judicial Review
Court of Appeal Overturns 39 Convictions Following "Biggest Miscarriage of Justice in History"
23rd April 2021
The Court of Appeal today gave judgment in the case of Hamilton and Ors v Post Office Limited. The case concerned the convictions of 42 former sub-postmasters found to have....Case: Commercial and Regulatory
Court of Appeal hears appeals on behalf of 42 former Post Office workers convicted
29th March 2021
Last week the Court of Appeal heard appeals on behalf of 42 former post office workers convicted, between 2000 and 2013 of various counts of theft, fraud, and false accounting,....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
16th March 2021
All-Party Parliamentary Group appoints Cornerstone Barristers' Dr Sam Fowles as Counsel at inaugural event and announces inquiry into policing of Clapham Common vigil At its inaugural meeting the All-Party Parliamentary Group....Case: Information Law
Tribunal Confirms No Territorial Limitation in FOIA
28th January 2021
In what may be one of the most important FOIA cases of the year, the First-tier Tribunal has given its decision on jurisdiction in five linked appeals, each of which....Case:
22nd January 2021
In 2020 the Criminal Cases Review Commission referred to the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal forty one cases in which sub postmasters and mistresses and other Post Office....News:
Dr Sam Fowles has been nominated as Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year
9th October 2020
We are very pleased to annouce that Dr Sam Fowles has been nominated as Young Pro Bono Barrister of the Year at the Advocate Pro Bono Awards. Sam acted on a....News: Information Law
Information Tribunal to Review Scope of FOIA Right
7th October 2020
In a case which will likely be one of the most important in recent years, the First Tier Tribunal is to consider 13 linked cases, each of which raises questions....Case: Public Law and Judicial Review, Information Law
Constitutional Law in the Information Tribunal
16th September 2020
When we think of constitutional law it tends to be in the context of the vaulting argument in the Supreme Court (or at least the High Court’s vaulting atrium ceiling),....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
Coronavirus police powers: know your rights
9th April 2020
By Dr Sam Fowles and Yvonne Kestler (solicitor, Leigh Day). The UK is in lockdown. The Government has advised people to remain in their homes and Parliament has passed extraordinary legislation....News: Housing
Litigation in lockdown: the housing cases receiving pandemic priority
7th April 2020
From ministerial intent, to clarification, legislation and Civil Procedural Rule Amendment: we now have some clarity about the cases the courts will not be dealing with, certainly in the 90....News: Planning and Environment
Budget 2020: Infrastructure Bonanza (in theory)
11th March 2020
By Sam Fowles The new Chancellor's first budget includes some eye-catching infrastructure spending commitments which could herald a bonanza for both housing and infrastructure development. What is not clear, however, is....Case: Public Law and Judicial Review, Information Law
10th February 2020
On Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 February 2020 the First-tier Tribunal will hear the last two days of an appeal to the Department for International Trade's refusal to disclose Brexit....Case: Public Law and Judicial Review, Information Law
FOI: US trade working group papers released
29th November 2019
This week the Labour Party released unredacted records of the UK's trade working group negotiations with the United States. The documents concern negotiations about the NHS, drug pricing, data protection,....Case: Public Law and Judicial Review
General Election: SNP seek judicial review of exclusion from the leaders debate
18th November 2019
Philip Coppel QC and Sam Fowles have been instructed by the Scottish National Party (SNP) to challenge ITV's decision to exclude Nicola Sturgeon from the leaders debate on Tuesday 19....Case: Public Law and Judicial Review
Sam Fowles has been instructed to obtain the Russia Report
15th November 2019
Dr Sam Fowles will act for the Bureau of Investigative Journalists to seek to obtain disclosure of the report of the Intelligence and Security Committee into Russian interference in UK....Case: Public Law and Judicial Review
Supreme Court's case Cherry/Miller: What’s Next?
3rd October 2019
Cherry/Miller v Prime Minister
....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
Supreme Court judicial review challenge to the prorogation of Parliament
17th September 2019
Dr Sam Fowles will be in the Supreme Court this week (17-19 September) as part of the legal team who is representing Joanna Cherry MP and other MPs in Cherry/Miller v Prime....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
Dr Sam Fowles' BBC interview about the Northern Ireland Bill and its implications for no-deal Brexit
22nd July 2019
Sam Fowles was on BBC News on 18 July to discuss the amendment to the Northern Ireland Bill and its implications for a potential parliament's prorogation to stop a no-deal....News: Information Law
The Three Minute Brief - British Airways and Marriott Hotels: GDPR fines
11th July 2019
A few days ago, the Information Commissioner has stated an intention to impose two of the largest ever data breach fines on British Airways and Marriott Hotels. In this week's video, Sam....News: Public Law and Judicial Review, Housing
The Three Minute Brief - When is someone 'intentionally homeless'?
4th July 2019
Samuels v Birmingham City Council [2019] UKSC 28
....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
The Three Minute Brief - Can the Prime Minister prorogue Parliament to deliver a No Deal Brexit?
12th June 2019
In this week's video, Sam Fowles explores the Prime Minister's power to prorogue Parliament to deliver a No Deal Brexit and how such a constitutional crisis could be worked out....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
The Three Minute Brief - school protests in Birmingham and anti-social behaviour
6th June 2019
In this week's video, Sam Fowles is joined by anti-social behaviour law expert and Cornerstone Barristers member Kuljit Bhogal to discuss Birmingham City Council's injunction preventing protests outside schools teaching....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
The Three Minute Brief - domestic violence and local authority powers
30th May 2019
In this week's Three Minute Brief, Sam Fowles focuses on the powers that local authorities and housing providers have to protect women and men from domestic violence. In particular, he....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
The Three Minute Brief - Caster Semenya: Human Rights And Proportionality
13th May 2019
When can public bodies discriminate against individuals? The Caster Semenya decision raises important human rights issues for both international and domestic lawyers. Sam breaks down the Court of Arbitration for....News: Public Law and Judicial Review, Planning and Environment
Dr Sam Fowles' Recommendations Adopted by Lords Constitution Committee
1st May 2019
The House of Lords Constitution Committee published its report into parliamentary scrutiny of international treaties, recommending substantial reform amounting to constitutional change. International treaties, such as trade agreements, can have....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
The Three Minute Brief: Privacy and the Police
30th April 2019
Privacy and the Police: Met mistaken to rely on consent says Dr Sam Fowles In the first post of a new video blog on the legal issues on cutting edge legal....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
13th March 2019
The Joint Committee on Human Rights yesterday published its report into human rights in international agreements. Dr Sam Fowles appeared as an expert witness before the Committee during its inquiry. The....Case: Housing
Possession on the domestic violence ground (without proving domestic violence)
28th February 2019
Paragraph 14A of Part 2 of Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 provides that a social landlord may gain possession of a property where it is occupied by a....News: Public Law and Judicial Review
Sam Fowles gave evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights
23rd January 2019
Sam gave evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on Wednesday 23 January as part of the Committee's inquiry into Human Rights Protections in International Agreements. The session focused on human rights protections in....Case: Public Law and Judicial Review
11th December 2018
Dr Sam Fowles comments on two major constitutional cases on the BBC and in The Independent. In Wightman and Others v Secretary of State for Exiting the EU the Court of....News: Information Law
Use of personal data in child safeguarding: opportunities and challenges
19th September 2018
Child safeguarding is necessarily a multi-agency exercise. Increasingly local authorities are beginning to take a data-based approach, combining data from across agencies to identify which families are most in need....Case: Planning and Environment
Council justified in seeking £800k price tag for retirement scheme
24th July 2018
An Inspector has upheld Braintree District Council's decision to refuse permission for a retirement scheme, partly on the basis that the developer had failed to provide a policy driven affordable....Case: Information Law
Defamation, privacy, and public statements: a warning for the Brexit debate
7th June 2018
The High Court on Thursday 17 May accepted a statement in open court from Another Europe is Possible, an NGO campaigning against Brexit, in settlement of a defamation suit brought....News:
Sam Fowles gave lecture series at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies
12th March 2018
Cornerstone pupil Sam Fowles gave a lecture series entitled Environmental Law in a Global Context: Brexit, Trade, and Human Rights at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, University of London. The....News:
Sam Fowles spoke at the Union Debating Society, University of St Andrews
15th February 2018
Cornerstone pupil, Sam Fowles, spoke at the Union Debating Society in Lower Parliament Hall, University of St Andrews, Scotland's version of the Oxford Union. Sam spoke alongside Robert MacGillivray, Regional....News:
Sam Fowles spoke at Global Justice Now Trade Day
5th February 2018
Cornerstone pupil Sam Fowles gave the first speech at the Global Justice Now Trade Day, focusing on the issues for public and constitutional lawyers raided by post-Brexit trade agreements. Other....Court of Appeal hears appeals on behalf of 42 former Post Office workers convicted
29th March 2021
Last week the Court of Appeal heard appeals on behalf of 42 former post office workers convicted, between 2000 and 2013 of various counts of theft, fraud, and false accounting,....Tribunal Confirms No Territorial Limitation in FOIA
28th January 2021
In what may be one of the most important FOIA cases of the year, the First-tier Tribunal has given its decision on jurisdiction in five linked appeals, each of which....Constitutional Law in the Information Tribunal
16th September 2020
When we think of constitutional law it tends to be in the context of the vaulting argument in the Supreme Court (or at least the High Court’s vaulting atrium ceiling),....020 7242 4986 or 0333 240 0591
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