Charles Bourne

Date of call: 1991 Middle Temple

Charles Bourne has an extensive practice in administrative and local authority law, human rights and employment. His judicial review work involves areas including prisons, mental health, immigration, public transport and telecommunications. He advises many local authorities and other public bodies on their powers in areas such as public transport, planning, environment, finance and regulatory and disciplinary functions. He is also experienced in general civil litigation, with particular expertise in multi-party actions and product liability.

His work for the Government is wide ranging, encompassing immigration appeals (he is presently instructed by the Home Secretary in a House of Lords appeal relating to the correct approach to be taken to human rights arguments), discrimination, judicial review and public inquiries. Having appeared in the Zahid Mubarek public inquiry into a racist murder in HMYOI Feltham, Charles is currently instructed to represent the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Prison Service in the Public Inquiry into the murder of Billy Wright in HMP Maze in December 1997.

He regularly publishes and lectures on the subject of human rights. In 2003 he was the founding chairman of the Human Rights Lawyers Association and he has recently taken over the editorship of the Human Rights section of the Civil Court Practice.

Charles is accredited for Public Access work.

APPOINTMENTS
Junior Counsel to the Crown (Attorney General's London A Panel, 2009)
Recorder (Crown Court) (2009)
Member of Chartered Accountants Compensation Scheme Panel (2003)
Member of the Bar Council Disciplinary Tribunals (2003)
Accredited Mediator (CEDR, 2000)
Welsh Assembly Government Panel of Counsel – appointed 2009

AFFILIATIONS
Human Rights Lawyers Association (inaugural chairman)
Constitutional & Administrative Law Bar Association
Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers
Justice
Bar European Group
London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association
Bar Pro Bono Unit

EDUCATION
Pupillage at Henderson Chambers, 2 Harcourt Buildings, with 2 months at Stanbrook & Hooper, Brussels
Bar Vocational Course, ICSL 1991
Diploma in Law, PCL (University of Westminster), 1990
Maîtrise en Lettres Modernes, Université de Paris IV (Sorbonne), 1987
MA in English, Trinity College Cambridge, First Class Honours, 1986

SCHOLARSHIPS & PRIZES
Astbury Law Scholarship (1990)
Harmsworth Major Entrance Exhibition, Middle Temple(1989)

LANGUAGES
French, fluent
Italian, conversational

LECTURES
Lectures and seminars to solicitors and Government lawyers on:

Human rights and public law subjects including Article 6 ECHR, and proportionality and rationality.
Inquests
Product liability
Asbestos claims
Subsidence claims
Civil procedure

DIRECTORY ENTRIES
Chambers & Partners, 2010:
Recommended junior in Adminstrative and Public Law: "very good intellectual skills and powers of analysis" (2008) and "a leading junior" (2009).

Legal 500, 2009:
Recommended junior in Administrative & Public Law; Human Rights/Civil Liberties.

Legal Experts, 2010:
Leading expert in Administrative & Public Law (inc Judicial Review ) and Civil Liberties.

CLERKS EMAIL
Mark Regan and Stephen Broom