Paul Brisby

Paul Brisby is one of the UK’s leading regulatory lawyers. He has a particular specialism in the financial impact of regulation, especially regulatory price controls. He has acted on more price control appeals than any other UK lawyer.

Paul’s practice spans all the major regulated sectors. He began his career in telecoms in 1995, since when he has advised on almost every significant regulatory and policy matter in that sector. He is also now particularly active for major clients in the energy, aviation and water sectors.

He has a special interest in the development of statutory frameworks for regulation. For example:

• He led the telecoms industry’s negotiations with government on the Communications Act 2003 – the main governing statute for UK telecoms regulation.
• He  represented a major industry stakeholder in their negotiations with government on the Civil Aviation Act 2012, which sets the legislative framework for the economic regulation of airports in the UK.
• He advised the three largest fixed and the three largest mobile telecoms companies on a key aspect of the Digital Economy Act 2017, including through the parliamentary process.
• He represented Centrica plc during the passage of the Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Act 2018, the statute which mandated retail price control in the energy sector.

In contentious matters, Paul’s recent public cases include:

• British Gas v Ofgem (([2019] EWHC 3048 (Admin), [2019] 11 WLUK 152):  representing the successful claimant in this landmark Judicial Review of the retail price control in energy markets
• TalkTalk Telecom Group plc v. Ofcom (2017), acting for the successful Appellant
• Representing Vodafone, Three, TalkTalk, COLT as interveners in the BCMR Appeals (BT v Ofcom) (2017)
• Representing Verizon, Virgin Media and Vodafone as successful Respondents at the Court of Appeal in BT v Ofcom (Ethernet) (2016/17)
• Representing British Gas, as Appellant, in British Gas Trading Limited v. Ofgem (2015)

Paul is General Editor of Global Telecommunications Law and Practice (Sweet & Maxwell/Thomson Reuters; with Colin Long). He is recognised as one of the UK’s leading regulatory lawyers by the independent legal directories who have variously described him as an ‘outstanding strategic thinker…‘, ‘exceptionally talented…’, and ‘commercially astute and aware’.

Paul has held senior in-house roles at major UK telecoms companies, including as the senior Director responsible for regulation globally at a listed PLC.

Paul has an MA from Oxford University. His legal qualifications are from the College of Law. His interests include Byzantine mosaic art and polyphonic choral music of the Renaissance.