Matthew McConville
Director & Solicitor
Contact Information
- Director & Solicitor
- Action Against Public Authorities
- Manchester
- 02072752869
- 07920077027
- @Send Email
Profile / Experience
I am Joint Head and a Director within Duncan Lewis' Actions Against Public Authorities Department, based in Manchester. I represent clients across England and Wales, both face-to-face and remotely, on a legal aid, no win no fee and/or private basis.
I have vast widespread experience of winning cases both within and outside the court process in claims arising from human rights and data protection breaches, false imprisonment (including unlawful arrest and/or restriction of liberty), unlawful handcuffing or excessive force, trespass to property and/or land, malicious prosecution, and misfeasance in public office. The remedies sought in such cases may include admissions of liability, declarations of breach, apologies, compensation (including general damages, causative additional losses, aggravated damages and exemplary damages), internal policy changes, disciplinary action and/or criminal prosecution of those culpable.
Throughout my career, I have successfully pursued claims against every branch of the State, recovering hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation for clients from all walks of life. This includes representing some of the most vulnerable in society and individuals who have been victims of the most serious crimes where the State has failed them.
For example, I have won cases involving State failures that contributed to deaths, failures in the prosecution of sexual assault perpetrators, significant data breaches with far-reaching consequences, arrests or detentions carried out without the requisite reasonable suspicion and/or necessity, unnecessary handcuffing and excessive force, the seizure of property or entry into homes without a legal basis to do so, prosecutions commenced without reasonable or probable cause, and abuses of power or bad-faith conduct that resulted in harm and/or financial loss.
I joined Duncan Lewis in June 2026, where my team and I continue to fight on behalf of our clients and hold the State to its full accountability.
I have vast widespread experience of winning cases both within and outside the court process which seek recourse arising from human rights to privacy and data protection breaches against public authorities and/or private organisations. Such said recourse is in the form of attempting to secure an admission of liability, a declaration of breach, an apology, compensation to include not only general damages but also causative additional losses such as the relocation of individuals in the event of an address breach which puts a person at risk of harm, internal policy change as well as disciplinary action of those culpable whether that is personal or company/organisation-wide either invoked voluntarily or imposed by the ICO who regulate data controllers.
Throughout my career, I have successfully recovered hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation on behalf of individuals and families from all walks of life whose privacy rights and/or personal data have been breached.
For example, I have won cases that have involved the Council erroneously disclosing a home address to a violent ex-partner and/or the birth parents of children being looked after by foster carers, the Police not respecting one's anonymity or holding inaccurate information about a person which causes them to be arrested (or suffer a loss of some kind), a GP or Hospital making mistakes upon someone’s medical records, financial information being shared by banks without authority to do so, telecommunication companies not securely storing personal data of an individual and employers losing personnel files; the majority of human rights to privacy and/or data protection breaches usually involve the disclosure or sharing of personal and sensitive personal data without consent as well as one's information not being accurate.
I joined Duncan Lewis in June 2026, where my team and I continue to fight on behalf of our clients and hold those responsible for privacy and data protection breaches to full accountability.
I have vast widespread experience of winning cases both within and outside the court process in claims arising from human rights and data protection breaches, false imprisonment (including unlawful arrest and/or restriction of liberty), unlawful handcuffing or excessive force, trespass to property and/or land, malicious prosecution, and misfeasance in public office. The remedies sought in such cases may include admissions of liability, declarations of breach, apologies, compensation (including general damages, causative additional losses, aggravated damages and exemplary damages), internal policy changes, disciplinary action and/or criminal prosecution of those culpable.
Throughout my career, I have successfully pursued claims against every branch of the State, recovering hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation for clients from all walks of life. This includes representing some of the most vulnerable in society and individuals who have been victims of the most serious crimes where the State has failed them.
For example, I have won cases involving State failures that contributed to deaths, failures in the prosecution of sexual assault perpetrators, significant data breaches with far-reaching consequences, arrests or detentions carried out without the requisite reasonable suspicion and/or necessity, unnecessary handcuffing and excessive force, the seizure of property or entry into homes without a legal basis to do so, prosecutions commenced without reasonable or probable cause, and abuses of power or bad-faith conduct that resulted in harm and/or financial loss.
I joined Duncan Lewis in June 2026, where my team and I continue to fight on behalf of our clients and hold the State to its full accountability.
Data Claims
I am a Director and the Head of Duncan Lewis' Data Claims Department, based in Manchester. I represent clients across England and Wales, both face-to-face and remotely, on a no win no fee and/or private basis.I have vast widespread experience of winning cases both within and outside the court process which seek recourse arising from human rights to privacy and data protection breaches against public authorities and/or private organisations. Such said recourse is in the form of attempting to secure an admission of liability, a declaration of breach, an apology, compensation to include not only general damages but also causative additional losses such as the relocation of individuals in the event of an address breach which puts a person at risk of harm, internal policy change as well as disciplinary action of those culpable whether that is personal or company/organisation-wide either invoked voluntarily or imposed by the ICO who regulate data controllers.
Throughout my career, I have successfully recovered hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation on behalf of individuals and families from all walks of life whose privacy rights and/or personal data have been breached.
For example, I have won cases that have involved the Council erroneously disclosing a home address to a violent ex-partner and/or the birth parents of children being looked after by foster carers, the Police not respecting one's anonymity or holding inaccurate information about a person which causes them to be arrested (or suffer a loss of some kind), a GP or Hospital making mistakes upon someone’s medical records, financial information being shared by banks without authority to do so, telecommunication companies not securely storing personal data of an individual and employers losing personnel files; the majority of human rights to privacy and/or data protection breaches usually involve the disclosure or sharing of personal and sensitive personal data without consent as well as one's information not being accurate.
I joined Duncan Lewis in June 2026, where my team and I continue to fight on behalf of our clients and hold those responsible for privacy and data protection breaches to full accountability.
Education
- Liverpool John Moores University: First Class Law LLB Honours Degree
- Modules included: Dissertation (Since 9/11, has the United Kingdom participated in the escalation of racial profiling which has disproportionately infringed upon the civil liberties of ethnic minorities?); Police Powers & Human Rights, International Crime and Security Studies and Law of Evidence.
- Legal Practice Course - Commendation
Career
- June 2026-Present - Duncan Lewis - Head of Department (x2) & Director
- September 2018-May 2026 - Irvings Law - Head of Department (x2) & Senior Associate
- September 2018 - Admitted as a Solicitor
- May 2014-September 2018 - DPP Law - Trainee Solicitor
Awards
- Dissertation Prize (2013) - Best overall performance in the Dissertation module
- Liverpool Law Society Prize (2013) - Outstanding performance and results in the 2013 LLB examinations
Interests
- Football
- Director of The Football Pledge Limited with the aim of funding the provision of a football to every infant child.