Member Profile
Phil Hartley
Partner | Schillings
Office Location: England and Wales
Jurisdiction
England and Wales, Ireland
Top Specialisms
Commercial Litigation
Dispute Resolution or Arbitration
Reputation and Crisis Management
Connect
Professional Biography
Phil is a trusted advisor to some of the world’s most prominent individuals and businesses on high stakes reputation and privacy matters. Phil has considerable experience in defamation, privacy, data protection and counter-harassment. A highly skilled crisis management practitioner, he is a specialist in navigating complex, time-sensitive threats such as media crises, smear campaigns and data breaches. Phil’s proficiency in these fields have attracted an international client base, resulting in a significant amount of his work being cross-jurisdictional. He has a particular interest and a depth of expertise in contentious cases related to the protection of data, particularly online and in connection with social media, while he is working on an increasing number of cutting-edge cases involving AI. Phil works closely with private clients and Family Offices on crisis mitigation, proactive strategies to combat threats to privacy and reputation and building strong resilience against risk and future uncertainties. He has also worked extensively in connection with compliance databases, challenging incorrect information or outdated classifications to remove barriers to his client’s ambitions. Phil is dual-qualified in England and Wales and Ireland and has recently co-founded Schillings’ Dublin office. This provides his clients with an avenue to access legal services in the EU, as well as a direct route to address issues involving social media and the world’s big-tech companies which have their European headquarters in Ireland.
Question : What drew you to specialise in private client law/ wealth advisory?
Answer: At law school, I was particularly interested in cases about protecting against invasions of privacy and malicious threats to reputation, so I wrote to the firm that had taken the leading case to establish the common law privacy tort in England up to the H
Question : For lawyers entering private client law, what are key skills you think are essential?
Answer: As well as being a great technical lawyer, you are also counselling clients in what are often their most difficult situations, so empathy, tact and resilience are key attributes for any private client practitioner.
Question : With the evolving landscape of the private client world, what are recent trends or shifts you are excited to explore?
Answer: The methods used to spread misinformation and disinformation on social media are becoming ever more sophisticated and complex, bolstered by the rise of AI. We are constantly developing strategies to combat this. I was excited to recently co-found our offi
Question : Where is your favourite place to take a peer for a cocktail or coffee?
Answer: Planque