David Sherborne

Lawyer and criminal barrister

David Alexander Sherborne is a British media barrister.

His previous high-profile cases have included the representation of Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and OK (magazine) in their suit against Hello! (magazine) for publishing unauthorised pictures of their wedding; getting Amy Winehouse, Cheryl Cole, Lily Allen, Harry Styles and Sienna Miller injunctions against certain paparazzi; and representing the ‘core participants’ in the Leveson Inquiry, including the McCanns, the Dowler family, JK Rowling and Hugh Grant".[1][2] From 2023 onwards, Sherborne has represented the Duke of Sussex against the Mirror Group and several other UK newspapers.[3]

## Career

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He is the son of a KC who practised as a criminal barrister.[4][5] Sherborne was educated at UCS Hampstead[6][5] and at Oxford. He was called to the bar in October 1992,[7][8] to specialise, like his father (b.1930) in criminal law.[4]

By 2003 Sherborne had opted to change disciplines in favour of practising civil law.[9] He is part of 5RB chambers, "a leading set of media and communications law barristers [who] represented Johnny Depp in his libel suit against The Sun" newspaper.[10]

Sherborne played a significant role in the Wagatha Christie 2022 trial, where he successfully represented Coleen Rooney in a failed Libel action, brought by Rebekah Vardy.[11] He deliberately and obscurely drew attention to the missing mobile phone communication evidence, declaring the phone to be "in Davy Jones's locker", requiring the judge to explain to Vardy the underlying meaning of the phrase.[12]

In 2011, Sherborne[13] appeared on behalf of the victims of phone hacking in the Leveson Inquiry. Twice married, he briefly raised eyebrows when he began dating Lord Leveson's junior counsel, Carine Patry Hoskins.[1] Following a bar complaint from a serving MP they were both cleared of any professional mis-conduct by the Bar Standards Board.[14] Parliamentary figures revealed Hoskins received £218,606 for nearly eighteen-months of fact checking.[1]

In 2015, he appeared for victims in a phone hacking action against Trinity Mirror.[15]

In 2020, he appeared on behalf of Coleen Rooney against Rebekah Vardy in the libel action that came to be known as Wagatha Christie.[16]

In 2023, he successfully appeared in the High Court on behalf of the Duke of Sussex and others against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for breaches of privacy.[17][18][19] In December 2023, the court awarded significant damages to Prince Harry against MGN. In February 2024, Sherborne told the High Court that Harry had settled the remainder of his claim with MGN. The publisher agreed to pay Harry substantial additional damages and cover his legal costs, with an interim payment of £300,000.[20][21][22]

In December 2023, the Times newspaper[23] named Sherborne as their "Lawyer of the Week" and 5RB chambers website acknowledged the accolade.

## Personal life

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Sherborne has been married twice and divorced both times.[4]

In 2022 Channel 4 broadcast Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama. Actor Michael Sheen was cast in the lead role of Sherborne in the two-part legal drama.

## References

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1. ^ a b c "Who is David Sherborne? Prince Harry's lawyer who also represented Princess Diana". Tatler. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
2. ^ "David Alexander Sherborne > Chambers of Adrienne Page KC and Jane Phillips > London > England | Lawyer Profile". www.legal500.com. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
3. ^ "Duke of Sussex arrives at High Court to give evidence in hacking trial". Borehamwood Times. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
4. ^ a b c "Celebrity lawyer David Sherborne: 'I regard myself as on the side of the angels'". www.ft.com. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
5. ^ a b Adams, Tim (14 May 2022). "David Sherborne: the 'Wagatha Christie' star lawyer with a celebrity following". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
6. ^ "University College School Hampstead London". UCS Hampstead. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
7. ^ Board, The Bar Standards. "Barrister Details – Mr David Alexander Sherborne". www.barstandardsboard.org.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
8. ^ "Calls to the Bar". The Independent. 13 October 1992. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
9. ^ Newkey-Burden, Chas; updated, The Week UK last (18 May 2022). "David Sherborne: the 'barrister to the stars' representing Prince Harry". theweek. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
10. ^ "Media and Communications Law Specialists". 5RB Barristers. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
11. ^ Atkinson, Dan (23 April 2023). "Wagatha Christie™? My pun's been trademarked, but the joke is on me". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
12. ^ Hyde, Marina (13 May 2022). "Like a phone dropped in the North Sea, Vardy v Rooney is full of absolute gold". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
13. ^ "Leveson Inquiry: Did David Sherborne and Carine Patry Hoskins really". The Independent. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
14. ^ "Complaint over alleged relationship between Leveson lawyers dismissed". The Guardian. Press Association. 19 December 2013. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
15. ^ Gulati & Ors v MGN Ltd (un-redacted) [2015] EWHC 1482 (Ch), 21 May 2015, retrieved 17 December 2023
16. ^ Mount, Harry (19 May 2022). "Who is David Sherborne, libel lawyer to the stars?". The Spectator. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
17. ^ Sparkes, Nathan (15 December 2023). "BREAKING: Prince Harry successful in phone hacking claims against Mirror – Hacked Off". Retrieved 17 December 2023.
18. ^ Webster, Ben (18 December 2023). "Leveson lawyer Carine Patry Hoskins was paid £220k". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
19. ^ Higginson, John (4 June 2013). "Leveson 'woman on left' is £220,000 fact checker". Metro. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
20. ^ "Prince Harry settles phone-hacking claim with Mirror group". BBC News. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
21. ^ Foster, Rob Picheta, Caitlin Danaher, Max (9 February 2024). "Prince Harry gets 'substantial' payout in phone-hacking case against British tabloid, lawyer says | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 10 February 2024.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
22. ^ Topping, Alexandra (9 February 2024). "Prince Harry settles rest of Mirror Group phone-hacking claim". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
23. ^ Baksi, Catherine (25 December 2023). "David Sherborne on his career and representing Prince Harry". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 December 2023.