Defamation Case Note by Adil Navaid
Adil Navaid successfully represented Travelodge Hotels Limited at a strike out application in a claim brought against the hotel chain for alleged libel and...
Senior Clerk – Civil, Commercial & Employment
Assistant Senior Clerk
Civil Clerk
Civil Clerk
“Adil’s advocacy style is exceptional. He is always familiar with the subject matter and he delivers his arguments meticulously and persuasively. His preparation for hearings is also exceptional and he always has a thorough knowledge of the papers.”
Legal 500, 2026 (Property & Construction and Commercial Litigation)
Adil is a specialist commercial barrister with a broad business and property practice. His areas of expertise include commercial and chancery disputes, property and land disputes, landlord and tenant claims, inheritance and trusts and intellectual property disputes. Adil also has a growing practice in public law and judicial review as well as defamation and data privacy claims.
Adil prides himself in his commercial approach. He provides tactical advice to both lay and corporate clients whilst keeping their commercial interests at the forefront. Where cases progress to court, Adil is meticulous and creative in his arguments.
Adil is adept at witness handling, both in conference and court, and his ability to navigate sensitive hearings both for and against litigants-in-person has been praised by judges and opponents. He has also been praised for his submission advocacy and the ability to navigate complex matters.
Adil was ranked as a Rising Star by Legal 500 2025.
Before commencing pupillage, Adil participated in various national and international mooting competitions and was highly ranked consistently. Adil also worked with victims of human trafficking through the award-winning Liverpool Law Clinic Anti-Human Trafficking project in 2019-2020. He managed case files as well as translated for Urdu-speaking clients.
Adil has a rapidly growing practice in defamation law and has acted for and advised numerous clients across the country. He is sought after for his commercial approach to what is often a very costly process as well as his creative thinking in pursuing cases of this nature. As a result, he has managed to carve out a practice as a notable name in the north of England in such matters.
Adil recently pursued a novel point successfully in the High Court regarding the definition and scope of a ‘third-party’ in the context of conveying a libellous or slanderous statement from one party regarding another. He has provided a Case Note which is available here: Defamation: No Publication to a Third-Party for Intra-Company Communications.
In addition to defamation itself, Adil advises on and is alive to alternative causes of actions such as malicious communication/falsehood, data breach either in tort or statute, misuse of private information and harassment.
Adil is also regularly instructed on data protection and privacy cases and is well-versed in GDPR and DPA compliance. Adil provides advice to litigants who may have a claim in such areas with a realistic view of the damages they are likely to recover. This is a rapidly developing area of law and Adil keeps up-to-date with the novel arguments being put forward and is reasonably ambitious in his arguments where there is a scope for development in the law.
A number of the cases Adil is currently working on are still either in the pre-issue stage or pleadings stage and as such cannot be listed below, but recent cases include:
Adil is regularly instructed on various commercial disputes and enjoys a broad practice and expertise, such as on the supply of goods and services, agency, unjust enrichment and other equitable causes of action, tortious causes of action such as harassment and nuisance, misrepresentation and partnership disputes. Adil regularly appears in the High Court on such matters and has been praised for his simplification of complex matters and submission advocacy.
In relation to chancery work, Adil has a keen interest in the area and is regularly instructed to act for and against estates and other trust work. Adil has been praised for his ability to deal with especially contentious family disputes and his ability to approach issues with a wide lens, incorporating the breadth of his practice to pursue various avenues. Adil has been praised for how he deals with clients in these often emotionally-charged proceedings and has been called a ‘guiding light’ in conference.
Adil regularly attends in urgent injunction hearings and was recently praised for successfully applying for the continuation of an injunction despite the client not having fulfilled its undertaking to the court. He is adept in working in time-pressured and difficult situations.
Recent cases include:
Adil is regularly instructed on winding up and bankruptcy proceedings, both appearing at hearings as well as drafting advices and pleadings. Adil recently advised creditors on a matter in which a national construction company had gone into liquidation and the practical steps a creditor could take in recovering both the sums owed as well as any goods left on construction sites. The case involved dealing with Quistclose trusts, lien, bailor/bailee relationships and trespass to goods. Adil has also been instructed in partnership disputes and regularly advises as to issues arising from the same. Adil has a growing practice in shareholder and partnership disputes and director disqualifications.
Adil recently represented a city council in an application to extend the administration of a company involved in development project worth over £10 million. Adil also assisted David Berkley KC and Steven McGarry on a multi-million-pound fraud case in the High Court and in an application for an urgent freezing injunction regarding the fraudulent sale of PPE equipment to the NHS.
Adil is regularly instructed on personal guarantees and unwinding finance agreements, either in relation to loans or linked to properties.
Adil has a broad practice in and regularly acts for landlord and tenants in commercial as well as residential property cases. Adil has advised on business tenancies, residential tenancies, disrepair claims, service charge disputes, boundary disputes and easements, breach of covenants, property trusts and proprietary estoppel, construction cases, possession claims, adverse possession, wills and probate and Inheritance Act claims.
Adil has also appeared in the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) on matters relating to the Mobile Homes Act 1983 and is available for instructions on such matters. Adil also appears in the Property Chamber on matters concerning rent reviews and boundary disputes.
Adil receives repeat instructions on matters concerning leases and licenses and is well-versed in the law. Recently, Adil successfully opposed a pre-action disclosure application by a landlord regarding a commercial lease and is instructed in defending proceedings by a landlord seeking possession on the basis that a breach by a tenant has caused ‘stigma’ to be associated with the property and as such the breach cannot be remedied.
Adil successfully appealed a case involving a boundary dispute between neighbours, with issues such as restrictive covenants and easements, and secured a successful outcome for the client at trial.
Adil has dealt with numerous possessions claims on both mandatory and discretionary grounds. He is alive to issues that may affect even mandatory claims, such as bankruptcy and breathing space policies, and has successfully manoeuvred around last-minute attempts to avoid possession claims by opponents in the past.
Recent cases include:
Adil has a growing practice in dealing with matters of IP and passing off. He has a breadth of knowledge in such matters and is regularly asked to advise on matters from the outset in relation to “reverse” passing off, breach of copyright and paternity rights as well as IP infringement.
Recently, Adil has advised clients on a passing off claim in relation to a bespoke artistic work as well as pursuing a claim for breach of paternity rights.
Adil assisted Joseph O’Brien KC on a judicial review matter relating to a harbour authority ordinance and has been praised in his ability to navigate a complex limitation argument and forensic research on the substantial merits. Adil also recently advised on a matter relating to a resident being charged under the wrong tax bracket due to an error by the local council in allocating a tax bracket.
Adil has acted both for and against local authorities in care proceedings with a commercial angle, such as overcharging the estates of deceased patients. Recently, Adil advised two clients on a complex estoppel point against an energy company and a local authority funding a care home.
Further, Adil is sought after by local authorities for injunction hearings dealing with the exercise of the council’s powers over land owned by individuals.
Adil has written articles on public and criminal international law and is available for instructions on the same. Further, Adil achieved a distinction in his dissertation on constitutional law and is keen to grow his public law practice in this area.
“Adil is well-prepared for his hearings.” Legal 500 2025