Paul Mertens

Practice Areas

Paul is Head of Pump Court Chambers’ Inquests and Inquiries team and has been involved in many of the most prominent public inquiries of recent years. He has significant experience of working for Inquiry counsel teams and has also represented core participants and witnesses. Paul has a specialist interest in information rights (data protection, freedom of information, breach of confidence / privacy / Article 8) and has provided expert advice and training in these areas to government departments and a number of Inquiries / Reviews.

Career

-Called to Bar in 2010;

-Appointed to Attorney General’s Panel of Special Advocates in 2018;

-Appointed to Attorney General's London B Panel of Junior Counsel in 2020;

-Appointed as a Deputy District Judge in 2021.

Paul is currently instructed to represent UK Government Investments (UKGI), a core participant in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. He is also instructed as Junior Counsel to the Department of Transport in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. In 2021, Paul represented three corporate witnesses in the Infected Blood Inquiry. Between 2019 and 2021, Paul was instructed as Junior Counsel in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, investigating institutional responses to allegations involving the late Lord Janner of Braunstone Q.C. In 2019, Paul provided advice to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review on matters relating to data protection / the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). From 2016-2018, Paul was part of a team of junior counsel to the Undercover Policing Inquiry.