Mark Stephens CBE

Mark Stephens CBE, who specialises in international, human rights, and media law, is a passionate advocate for a free press. He has been involved in anti-censorship trials around the world, and is usually brought in when free expression is under threat. 

A past president of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, he has also litigated and advised in many Commonwealth jurisdictions. He is the co-chair of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. In his private practice, he has created a niche in international comparative law and regulation, most recently informing the Lawfare and SLAPP public policy debates and defending cases. He acts in many Privy Council cases, as well as before international courts, committees, and tribunals.

Stephens has been appointed by the Foreign Secretary to the FCDO Free Expression advisory board. In 2018, he became board chair of Internews Europe, an international charity dedicated to freedom of expression and trusted media.