Paul Darling

Paul Darling
OBE KC
Chair, Horserace Betting Levy Board
In office
1 April 2020 – 2 August 2024
MinisterOliver Dowden
Preceded byPaul Lee
Succeeded byTBD
Personal details
Born
Paul Antony Darling

(1960-03-15)15 March 1960
Died2 August 2024(2024-08-02) (aged 64)
NationalityBritish
Alma materSt Edmund Hall, Oxford
OccupationConstruction & Commercial Barrister
Websitehttps://www.pauldarlingqc.co.uk

Paul Antony Darling OBE KC (15 March 1960 – 2 August 2024) was an English commercial law barrister, King's Counsel, and chair of the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

Early life and education

Darling grew up in Cleadon in County Durham and went to Tonstall School in Sunderland before attending Winchester College and then St Edmund Hall, Oxford.[1] His mother was a magistrate and his brother Ian Darling is a British circuit judge.[1] Darling's grandfather was Newcastle United player Jack Allen, who scored for Newcastle in the 1932 FA Cup final.[2]

Career

Darling was called to the bar at Middle Temple in 1983, and in 1999 was appointed King's Counsel.[3] He was also called to the Northern Ireland Bar.

In 2010, Darling became head of Keating Chambers where he remained until 2017. He then took the unusual step of moving chambers, joining general commercial set, 39 Essex Chambers.[2][4]

His areas of practice included construction and engineering, procurement, domestic and international arbitration – areas in which he had been ranked at tier or band 2 levels by The Legal 500[5] and Chambers and Partners directories.[3] He was Treasurer of Middle Temple for 2024.[6]

Significant cases

Darling was instructed as lead counsel on several significant cases.

Horse racing

In 2006 Darling was appointed a non-executive member of the Horserace Totalisator Board or “Tote”.[11][12] Between 2008 and 2014, he was a government-appointed member of the Horserace Betting Levy Board. He was chairman of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority between 2009 and 2015. He was appointed chairman of the Association of British Bookmakers in 2014.[13] In 2020 he was appointed chairman of the Horserace Betting Levy Board, and was reappointed in July 2023.[14][11][15][16]

Personal life and death

Married to Camilla, Darling was chairman of Darling's Pharmacy, a family business established in 1905 by John Darling.[2] Paul Darling died suddenly on 2 August 2024, at the age of 64.[17][18]

Publications

Darling wrote and edited several articles and books, and his cases and work have been described in learned and peer-reviewed journals. Examples include:

  • Who Do You Want? Who Do You Get? Appointing the Right Arbitrator, a peer-reviewed article in Asian Dispute Review in 2010[19]
  • Lafarge (Aggregates) Ltd v Newham London Borough Council - case review in Arbitration Law Reports and Review[20]
  • Wilmot-Smith on Construction Contracts, 4th Ed. 2021 (Co-Editor)[22]

Honours

In the 2015 Birthday Honours, Darling became the third member of his family to be appointed to the Order of the British Empire. He was recognised for his services to sport safety and horse racing.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b "A hat-trick of OBEs for Cleadon family". The Shields Gazette. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Wilks, Stuart (6 August 2024). "Obituary: leading construction lawyer Paul Darling OBE KC". Construction Management. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Paul Darling QC Chambers Directory Entry". chambers.com. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Construction Specialist Swaps Chambers in London". Global Arbitration Review. 8 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Paul Darling OBE QC, The Legal 500 Directory Entry".
  6. ^ "Officers of the Inn," Middle Temple website, retrieved 29 May 2024.
  7. ^ ["Alfred McAlpine Construction Limited v Panatown Limited"] B/1996/0898.html [2001] EWCA B/1996/0867; B/1996/0898 (Civil) (5 April 2001) (England and Wales)
  8. ^ "Alfred McAlpine v Panatown - Law Gazette". www.lawgazette.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Law Reports:CASE SUMMARIES: 13 OCTOBER 1997". The Independent. 12 October 1997. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Friday Law Report: Professional judge's duty to give reasons". The Independent. 22 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  11. ^ a b Barber, Bill (1 April 2020). "Paul Darling Returns to Levy Board as New Chairman of Racing's Funding Body". Racing Post.
  12. ^ "Trading Places". The Times, London. 13 June 2006. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Darling to Chair the ABB". SBC News. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Cabinet office Public Appointments". Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Secretary of State Appoints Paul Darling OBE QC as Chair..." www.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Paul Darling and Anne Lambert Reappointed to HBLB". www.hblb.org.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Master Paul Darling OBE KC". Middle Temple. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Paul Darling KC obituary: charismatic figure in court and in racing". The Times. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  19. ^ Darling QC, Paul (2010). "Who Do You Want? Who Do You Get? Appointing the Right Arbitrator". Asian Dispute Review. 12: 19. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Lafarge (Aggregates) Ltd v Newham London Borough Council". Arbitration Law Reports and Review. 2005 (1): 507–519. 1 June 2005. doi:10.1093/alrr/2005.1.507. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  21. ^ Flood, John; Whyte, Avis (November 2008). "Straight There No Detours: Direct Access to Barristers". University of Westminster Research Paper No. 09-05. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  22. ^ Wilmot-Smith, Richard (May 2021). Wilmot-Smith on Construction Contracts. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198832805.
  23. ^ "A hat-trick of OBEs for Cleadon family". www.sunderlandecho.com.
Government offices
Preceded by Chair, Horserace Betting Levy Board
2020–2024 		Succeeded by
TBD