Oliver Doherty is an experienced and highly regarded advocate specialising in media law and serious crime.
Oliver is the Director of Legal for News Group Newspapers (NGN) and News Broadcasting. NGN publishes The Sun newspaper.
Oliver specialises in media law. He provides pre-publication advice to the journalists and editors covering defamation, privacy, misuse of private information, breach of confidence, reporting restrictions, contempt of court and copyright.
He advises journalists at an early stage of the newsgathering process on all legal and regulatory issues.
He also manages post publication complaints and litigation.
His criminal work at Furnival Chambers saw him appear as sole counsel or working as part of a team often in multi-handed cases. Oliver has defended and prosecuted in jury trials involving complex and sensitive issues from homicides down through the full calendar of criminal work.
Oliver has advised individuals and businesses on potential liability under The Bribery Act.
Defence instructions as junior alone have included cases of serious and sexual violence including attempted murder, rape, arson with intent to endanger life, s.18 and firearms offences (often with a gang element).
At the criminal Bar he specialised in fraud and financial crime. He defended the lead salesman in a sophisticated and far reaching “Boiler-Room” fraud involving the sale of carbon credits.
He has been instructed by the Crown in a case brought under the Modern Slavery Act and has significant experience of the law and evidential challenges in these cases.
Oliver is a Grade 3 Panel Advocate for the CPS and is on the Specialist Fraud Panel at Grade 3. He has been instructed by the Complex Casework Unit and Specialist Fraud Divisions of the Crown Prosecution Service.
He has provided advice to prosecution authorities, pre-charge, on the sufficiency of evidence in cases and potential avenues of investigation when a prosecution is anticipated.
Oliver is a former soldier. Before pupillage he served as an infantry officer in the Irish Guards for 7 years. His military experience on operations overseas and in the UK allows him to understand and represent the interests of service personnel and veterans. He has frequently appeared before the Courts Martial and represented ex-military clients before the civilian courts.
- 2009 Bar Vocational Course (Very Competent), Inns of Court School of Law (City Law School)
- 2003 Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- 2002 LLB University of Durham, Hatfield College
- Inner Temple Exhibition Scholarship
- Oliver teaches advocacy for the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.
- CPS Panel Advocate Grade 3
- CPS Specialist Fraud Panel Grade 3
- Oliver is a member of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, The South Eastern Circuit (Circuit Junior 2014), the CBA, the Association of Military Court Advocates and the Media Lawyers Association (MLA).
Away from his professional life Oliver is a busy father of 3 children with whom he likes to climb mountains and sail. He is also a keen marathon runner.