David Pievsky’s practice encompasses Administrative and Public Law, Civil Liberties & Human Rights, Immigration & Nationality, Regulation and Professional Discipline, and Employment. He has substantial experience of appearing in the High Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.

David took silk in 2020 and was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 2021.

As a junior, David was on the Attorney General’s panels of Civil Counsel to the Crown for over 10 years, and the A panel from 2013 onwards.

David is recognised for his expertise and ranked in both leading independent legal directories, Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500. Recent comments include:

  • "An incredibly insightful silk, who is tenacious in fighting his client’s corner."- Legal 500, 2024
  • "He shows incredible judgement and goes the extra mile for his clients."- Chambers & Partners, 2024

Previous comments include:

  • "David is very clever and very thorough. He’s an exceptionally creative lawyer and he sees interesting points that others miss."- Legal 500, 2023
  • "He is incisive, insightful and calm in his advocacy."- Chambers and Partners, 2023
  • "A strong, smart advocate."- Chambers and Partners, 2023

Experience

Shortlist

Public & Regulatory

David acts across a broad range of public law and regulatory areas, both for and against public bodies. His clients include Government Departments, regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council and the Pensions Ombudsman, and companies and individuals acting as claimants in public law matters.

In recent years he has appeared in the Supreme Court in cases relating to Crown Immunity, the reach of positive human rights obligations, taxpayer confidentiality, and public order law; and in the Court of Appeal in cases about legal professional privilege, the human rights compatibility of legislation designed to discourage illegal immigration, and the regulation of professionals who work in more than one jurisdiction.

David’s current and ongoing cases raise issues about the boundaries of freedom of expression on social media, the fairness and appropriateness of Ofsted’s judgments about religious schools, and the fairness at common law and under the ECHR of regulators’ rules and procedures. David is currently instructed in an appeal to the Privy Council concerning an application for judicial review of aspects of the Anguillan government’s response to the financial crisis.

Cases

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Civil Liberties & Human Rights

David has appeared in a wide range of human rights and civil liberties cases, both for and against public bodies. For example, he has regularly acted for claimants seeking to exercise their right to protest, and others seeking to challenge a removal decision on human rights grounds. He also acts for a wide range of organisations, companies and public and charitable bodies in human rights cases. He is particularly interested in the boundary between free expression and legitimate state regulation, and is for example currently acting for a charity in a potential judicial review of a police decision not to prosecute racist and offensive comments on social media; and has advised the Government in cases concerning legislation which seeks to limit the frequency and extent of party political speech published by local authorities.

David has also advised in cases concerning the procedures used to identity and assist victims of modern slavery.

Prior to his silk appointment in 2020, David was a member of the Attorney General’s A panel, and regularly acted for the government in high profile cases brought by prisoners raising issues about the right to liberty, parole and rehabilitation opportunities, the conditions of detention, and freedom of expression; and for the police in high profile public order cases about maintaining public order (such as the “kettling/containment” litigation, and claims for riot compensation arising out of the London Riots in 2012).


Cases

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Investigations & Inquiries

David has experience of conducting sensitive and confidential internal investigations, including in relation to complaints made by an employee at work, and to sensitive complaints made in the context of the work of government departments.

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Immigration

David covers many Immigration and Nationality cases.

Cases

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Professional Discipline

David has substantial experience of acting in judicial review cases raising regulatory issues, and also in regulatory and/or disciplinary proceedings or appeals themselves. 

Cases

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Employment

David acts for employers and employees in cases raising a wide range of employment law issues.

He has acted in many statutory tribunal claims and has also worked on restrictive covenant cases including injunctive work. 

David’s clients have included Barclays Capital, Commerzbank, the Law Society, Linklaters, Network Rail, Tesco, Carphone Warehouse, Vodafone, ABN AMRO, Barclays, the University of Warwick, Odeon Cinemas Limited, the National Association of Head Teachers, and Manchester Airport.

David is also a member of the ELAAS scheme (and has worked with the Bar Pro Bono Unit) and has appeared several times in the EAT on a pro bono basis. 

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Achievements

Education

BA in History (Cambridge University), 1st Class
MPhil in Political Thought (Cambridge University), Distinction
GDL (City University) and BPTC (ICSL)

Publications

  • What does taking into account Strasbourg jurisprudence really mean? [2012] JR 214
  • Lester and Pannick, Human Rights Law and Practice (3rd Edn, Lexis Nexis, 2009) (co-author of chapters on Articles 3, 4, and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights)
  • Tolley’s Discrimination in Employment Law Handbook (LexisNexis Butterworths, 2008) (chapters 5 (marital status and civil partnership) and 9 (sexual orientation))
  • Public Law Update [2006] Solicitors Journal SJ Vol. 150 No. 19 pp. 636-7 (co-author with Mike Fordham)
  • Three Rivers and its implications for legal professional privilege [2005] PTPR 7
  • Focus on Article 3 ECHR [2005] JR 169
  • Legitimate Expectations as a Relevancy [2003] JR 144
  • The Impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on Judicial Review [2003] JR 221 (co-author with Tom de la Mare).

Appointments

David took silk in 2020, and was appointed a Deputy High Court Judge in 2021.

Memberships

  • Administrative Law Bar Association
  • Employment Lawyers’ Association

Selected earlier reported cases

Public & Regulatory

  • R (Moos and McLure) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2012] EWCA Civ 12
  • Grant and Gleaves v Ministry of Justice [2011] EWHC 3379 (QB)
  • R (Garland) v Secretary of State for Justice [2011] Civ 1335
  • Seldon v Clarkson Wright and Jakes [2011] ICR 60
  • Fisher v Dorset PCT [2011] PHL/15323
  • Bergonzi v Metropolitan Police Commissioner
  • R (Milner) v South Central Strategic Health Authority [2011] EWHC 218 (Admin)
  • R (Rowe) v Parole Board [2010] EWHC 524
  • Attorney General’s Reference (No. 3 of 1999) [2010] 1 AC 145
  • R (Unison) v Monitor [2009] EWHC 3221 (Admin)
  • R (Tabernacle) v MOD [2009] EWCA Civ 23, The Times 25 February 2009
  • R (Gulliver) v Parole Board [2007] EWCA Civ 1386 
  • R (Gray) v Legal Services Ombudsman [2007] EWHC 215 (Admin) 
  • Blum and others v Director of Public Prosecutions [2006] EWHC 3209 (Admin) 
  • R (Singh) v Chief Constable of West Midlands Police [2006] EWCA Civ 532 [2006] 1 WLR 3374 
  • R (Haw) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2006] EWCA Civ 532 [2006] QB 780 
  • R (Boughton and others) v HM Treasury [2006] EWCA Civ 504 
  • R (Elias) v Secretary of State for Defence [2005] EWHC 1435 (Admin), The Times, August 25, 2005 
  • R (T Mobile and others) v The Competition Commission and The Director-General of Telecommunications [2003] EWHC 1566 (Admin)

Civil Liberties & Human Rights 

  • R (Moos and McLure) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2012] EWCA Civ 12
  • Grant and Gleaves v Ministry of Justice [2011] EWHC 3379 (QB)
  • R (Garland) v Secretary of State for Justice [2011] Civ 1335
  • Seldon v Clarkson Wright and Jakes [2011] ICR 60
  • R (Milner) v South Central Strategic Health Authority [2011] EWHC 218 (Admin)
  • R (Rowe) v Parole Board [2010] EWHC 524
  • Attorney General’s Reference (No. 3 of 1999) [2010] 1 AC 145
  • R (Tabernacle) v MOD [2009] EWCA Civ 23, The Times 25 February 2009
  • R (Gulliver) v Parole Board [2007] EWCA Civ 1386 
  • R (Gray) v Legal Services Ombudsman [2007] EWHC 215 (Admin) 
  • Blum and others v Director of Public Prosecutions [2006] EWHC 3209 (Admin) 
  • R (Singh) v Chief Constable of West Midlands Police [2006] EWCA Civ 532 [2006] 1 WLR 3374 
  • R (Haw) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2006] EWCA Civ 532 [2006] QB 780 
  • R (Boughton and others) v HM Treasury [2006] EWCA Civ 504 
  • R (Elias) v Secretary of State for Defence [2005] EWHC 1435 (Admin), The Times, August 25, 2005 

Immigration & Nationality

  • OA (Nigeria) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2009] EWCA Civ 1065 
  • OM (Returning Citizens, minorities, religion) Uzbekistan v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2007] UKAIT 00045
  • AI (Nigeria) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2007] EWCA Civ 707
  • DK (Serbia) and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2006] EWCA Civ 1747 [2007] 2 All ER 483    
  • R (Refugee Legal Centre) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2004] EWCA Civ 1481 [2005] 1 WLR 2219 

Professional Discipline

  • Nwogbo v GMC [2012] EWHC 2666 (Admin)
  • Uddin v GMC (unreported) 2 February 2012)
  • Fisher v Dorset Primary Care Trust (2012), unreported
  • Naheed v GMC [2011] EWHC 702 (Admin)
  • R (Unison) v Monitor [2009] EWHC 3221 (Admin)

Employment

  • Seldon v Clarkson Wright and Jakes [2011] ICR 60, CA
  • Grundy v Kier (ET)
  • Brown v Epsom (ET)
  • Parmar v Commerzbank (ET)
  • Khan v Vignette Europe Limited (EAT, 22 April 2009)
  • CAB Automative v Blake (EAT, 12 February 2008)
  • D & H Travel v Foster (EAT, 2 August 2006)

Previous experience

Before coming to the Bar, David graduated in History and then completed an M.Phil in Political Thought and Intellectual History at Cambridge University.  He also worked as an employment lawyer for the Free Representation Unit (FRU) prior to joining Blackstone Chambers.

Other interests

David has a strong background in music and plays in the leading non-professional orchestras in London.


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