'Mentor, inspiration and a good friend': Tributes pour in for Paul Darling KC

Tributes have been paid to Paul Darling KC, a ‘towering figure’ at the bar, who died suddenly on Friday at Middle Temple, where he was treasurer, aged 64. His cause of death has not been confirmed.

Last week he had presided over the ceremony for students called to the bar at Middle Temple and attended a mock trial event at the Inn for new members, with actors from the Actors Theatre School and James Bolam.

A statement on Middle Temple’s website from Dame Kate Thirlwall, Court of Appeal judge and master of the Inn, said: ‘It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden death of our much loved and respected treasurer, Master Paul Darling, OBE, KC.

‘Paul died on Friday in Middle Temple, a place he loved. For over forty years he was a constant in every part of the Inn. Throughout that time, he worked selflessly and tirelessly for the good of others and the Inn, most recently as a wonderful Treasurer. He will be very much missed by us all.’

A statement from his chambers paid tribute to ‘a towering figure and one of the finest advocates of the construction bar, whose cross-examination was as devastating as it was entertaining’.

It added: ‘He was also a mentor, an inspiration and a good friend with a caring nature which could not be hidden behind his large personality. We are in shock and grief. Our loss is profound and his going will affect many’.

Born in 1960, Darling grew up in Cleadon in County Durham, attending Tonstall School in Sunderland and Winchester College before studying jurisprudence at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. 

Called to the bar in 1983, he had a wide commercial practice, covering construction and engineering, procurement, domestic and international arbitration, and took silk in 1999. He was also called to the Northern Ireland Bar.

He was head of Keating Chambers from 2010 to 2015 and also led the technology and construction bar. In 2017, he moved to 39 Essex Chambers, where the website says that he ‘established a formidable reputation as an advocate in all types and levels of tribunals all over the world’. His chambers website added: ‘An ability to work with colleagues from any jurisdiction, and to grasp detail, strategy, and tactics quickly has allowed Paul to develop a practice which has taken him to every major jurisdiction, appearing in a wide variety of construction, energy, and commercial matters. Adaptability and focus have contributed to Paul’s reputation as a gamechanger, brought in to direct some of the construction and commercial world’s most difficult cases.’

He was chairman of the Horserace Betting Levy Board and had also chaired the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and the Association of British Bookmakers. In 2015, he received an OBE for services to sport safety and horse racing. A statement from Martin Cruddace, chief executive of Arena Racing Company, said: ‘I first met him in 1988 when I was a newly qualified solicitor and Paul a young barrister. We were fortunate to work together professionally then and also when he was my chairman at the Association of British Bookmakers and I was the interim CEO.

‘Paul was a supremely intelligent man with incredible judgment. His passion for horse racing and support of Newcastle Racecourse shone through his life.’

Michael Dugher, chairman of the Betting and Gaming Council also paid tribute to a ‘formidable and distinguished lawyer’ and ‘powerful and progressive force for British horseracing and a very dear friend to many of us in the betting industry’. Dugher said: ‘Such an incredibly clever person but always such great company and great fun. I will remember with much fondness a warm, wise old bear of a man. He made you think and he made you smile.’

Darling was a keen supporter of the Temple Church, the church of Middle and Inner Temple. Andrew Spink KC, chairman of the Temple Church Trust, paid tribute to Darling’s ‘huge energy, focus, diligence and consideration, mixed with great kindness and a fabulous sense of humour, which he applied to everything he did in the Inn and for the church.’

Darling remained close to his roots and was a director of Darling’s Pharmacy in South Shields, which was established by his grandfather John Darling in 1905. Radio Shields posted on X/Twitter: ‘We’re deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Paul Darling OBE KC of Darling’s Pharmacy. Paul played a vital part in our application to launch Radio Shields on DAB Digital Radio. We will be forever greatful (sic) with his kind contribution. A vital member of our community.’ He also held a senior committee position at the Garrick Club, where he was tipped as a future chairman. Darling’s late mother Ann was a magistrate and his brother Ian is a circuit judge. His grandfather, Jack Allen, played football for Newcastle United. 

He was the husband of Dr Camilla Darling and son-in-law to Dame Anne Rafferty, the retired Court of Appeal judge and His Honour Brian Barker KC, formerly the recorder of London – the second most senior judge at the Old Bailey.