David Allen Green | |
|---|---|
 David Allen Green in 2010 | |
| Born | David Allen Green (1971-03-28)28 March 1971 (age 53) Birmingham, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Jack of Kent |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
|
| Awards | Orwell Prize (2009) |
| Website | davidallengreen |
David Allen Green (born 28 March 1971;[1][2] 'Allen' is his second forename) is an English lawyer[3] and writer. He is the former legal correspondent for theNew Statesman;[4] writes about law and policy for theFinancial Times;[5] and has previously blogged using the pseudonymJack of Kent.[6][7]
Green's articles on legal matters have been published byThe Guardian,The Lawyer,New Scientist,Financial Times[8][5]Prospect.[9] and others.
Green was shortlisted for theOrwell prize for blogging in 2010 and was a judge of the same in 2011. He was also named in 2010 as one of the leading innovators in journalism and media,[10] and in 2011 as one of the 'Hot 100' lawyers byThe Lawyer.[11]
Green was born atSelly Oak Hospital[12] and brought up inBirmingham. After attendingFour Dwellings comprehensive school andHalesowen College sixth-form,[citation needed] he studiedmodern history at theUniversity of Oxford as an undergraduate student ofPembroke College, Oxford. He subsequently studied law at theUniversity of Birmingham.[12]
In 2012, Green was listed on theIndependent on Sunday newspaperPink List, a list of influential British LGBT people.[13] On Twitter, Green said that he wasbisexual[14] in response to the listings. He has also said that he was "not Christened, and am still less a Christian".[15]
After being awarded the Sir Thomas More and Hardwicke Scholarships byLincoln's Inn,[12] Green wascalled to the Bar in 1999[12] and became a solicitor in 2001.[12] Formerly a lawyer atBaker McKenzie,Herbert Smith, and theTreasury Solicitor, he is now (and since 2009) head of the media practice at Preiskel & Co.[3]
He was involved on apro bono basis with Simon Singh'ssuccessful libel defence campaign against the British Chiropractic Association.[3]
In 2010, he advisedSally Bercow over possible libel action by think tankMigrationWatch UK and their chairman SirAndrew Green which was later dropped.[16][17]
He led the defence in theTwitter Joke Trial,[18] in which defendant Paul Chambers was acquitted on appeal on 27 July 2012.
Green is a blogger on his own blog, and previously one under the name Jack of Kent (named afterJack o' Kent[19]), is a columnist on law and policy for theFinancial Times;[18] and has contributed to theNew Statesman,The Guardian,The Lawyer, and theNew Scientist in the past. He has been a guest on theRemainiacs podcast several times in 2019, and has used his expertise to explain aspects ofUnited Kingdom constitutional law as they relate toBrexit and the2019 British prorogation controversy.[20]
In 2012, he gave evidence to theLeveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press.[21]