Stephen practised as a barrister for approximately 30 years in civil and commercial disputes. He left 5RB Chambers in 2017 and now practises full-time as a mediator and arbitrator.

In his barrister work, Stephen acted in many high-profile cases in the media and entertainment sphere, for which he was consistently highly commended in the legal directories. He also  advised and represented clients in a wide variety of other commercial disputes.

Stephen qualified as a mediator in 2003 with CEDR and has now been mediating (in excess of 150 appointments) for 15 years across a wide range of business disputes. He is a member of CEDR Chambers: see his mediation CV at https://www.cedr.com/solve/panel-mediators/.

Stephen has also been a Chartered Arbitrator since 2007 and has since been appointed by courts, appointing bodies and parties in a wide range of domestic and international arbitrations. His arbitration practice is carried on from ArbDB Chambers: see his arbitration CV at http://www.arbdb.com/pdf/15-01-19-Stephen%20Bate%20CV%20Jan%202019.pdf. He also sits as a legal assessor, advising tribunals on disciplinary law: see at www.independentlegalassessors.co.uk.

Stephen has co-authored a number of legal textbooks, namely The Law of Privacy and the Media (OUP) 2015, Satellite Communications in Europe: Law and Regulation (Sweet & Maxwell) 1996 and Video Law (Sweet & Maxwell) 1994.

Rodney A. Brooks, former Deputy Managing Editor/Money at USA TODAY, is the author of the book Fixing the Racial Wealth Gap: Racism and Discrimination Put Us Here, But This Is How We Can Save Future Generations. The book was a winner of the National Association of Black Journalists’ (NABJ) Outstanding Book Award in 2022 and also made the shortlist for the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) Third Annual Best in Business Book Awards. A recipient of the President’s Award from the National Association of Black Journalists, he was elected to the NABJ Hall of Fame in 2021.  He was named a Senior Fellow at Prosperity Now in 2022.

Harriet Brown is a barrister and Jersey advocate practising from Old Square Tax Chambers. She advises on UK (and Jersey) taxes, particularly with an offshore and international focus, and advises regularly on all forms of international tax information exchange. She appears in Courts and tribunals in the UK and Jersey regularly in relation to tax and trust matters. She is the author of the Jersey Law of Trusts and a co-author of The Interaction of EU Treaty Freedoms and the UK Direct Tax Code.

Mark Butler is Lecturer in Law at Lancaster University Law School, where he specialises in labour and employment law.

Mark Chesham has specialised in advising businesses in the financial services and insurance sectors for nearly 40 years. He started with HM Customs and Excise, working in a specialist insurance team, before spending 15 years in two of the ‘Big 4’ accounting firms. He set up his own consultancy practice in 2005 and was Director of Indirect Tax Services at Moore. He now operates as a consultant based in Portugal.

The author can be contacted at mark@cheshamconsultancy.com

Wyn Derbyshire originally trained as a research chemist, gaining a PhD from the University of Cambridge before qualifying as a lawyer. He has for many years been interested in financial history. He is writing a series of biographies of tycoons for Spiramus Press.