Background

Dominic Carman was born on August 23, 1961, in Hale, Cheshire. He is the son of George, a prominent lawyer, and Cecilia Carman.

Education

Dominic Carman studied at Manchester Grammar School. Then he graduated from Durham University in 1980.

Career

Dominic Carman is a leading legal journalist and author. He executes bespoke projects for international law firms and investment banks. Dominic also sometimes writes and contributes to Legal Week, Legal Business, Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail, and The Times, where he was a regular feature writer for several years.

After graduation, his career started in the banking sphere. After a spell at News International, Dominic Carman became head and later managing director of Euromoney's Legal Media Group in London and Hong Kong, where he lived for three years. He was then appointed as European Head of Operations at the Institute for International Research, the world's largest conference company, responsible for offices in seven European countries.

In addition to undertaking projects for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, a law firm, and others in Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid, Paris, and Zurich, Dominic Carman wrote the inaugural Legal Business Euro Elite report. His work for Legal Week Intelligence includes the annual research reports: Best Legal Employers, Best Legal Technology, and Best Legal Advisers for sixteen major law firms, including Allen & Overy.

Also, Dominic Carman is a writer. His books include Heads Up and No Ordinary Man.

No Ordinary Man: A Life of George Carman, describes the public and private sides of the elder Carman, who came from a middle-class family in the north of England.

George Carman first became famous in 1979 when he won the acquittal of Jeremy Thorpe, former head of Britain's Liberal Party, who had charged with conspiring to murder a man alleged to have been his lover. Later, Carman won numerous libel suits brought by celebrities, such as singer Elton John, actor Tom Cruise, and publisher Robert Maxwell. Sometimes he crossed to the other side, acting in defense of newspapers against libel claims, and was usually victorious.

For all his success in court, however, he had many failings in his personal life, according to his son's account, which was published a year after George Carman's death. Dominic Carman reports that his father was an alcoholic, a reckless gambler, an abusive husband, and a cruel, cold parent. He also believes his father may have sexually molested as a child - a possible explanation for some of his later behaviors. He further makes the case that George was a man with non-traditional sexual orientation who was tormented by the denial of his true nature.

The book Heads Up tells the inside story of the men and women running 32 of England's leading independent schools, and the problems they face, from Eton, Westminster, and Saint Paul's to Wycombe Abbey, Withington, and Winchester.

This work uncovers the secret world of this group as they battle to create the right conditions for academic success, happy children, and happy employees. They tell a story of demanding governors, awkward employees, nightmare parents, financial difficulties, and the relentless pressure to achieve. At the center of every school are children and their problems: bullying, cyberbullying, drugs, eating disorders, and family breakdown.

Dominic Carman explored the biography of British National Party leader Nick Griffin, but it did not publish as a result. He used his research to support his campaign as the Liberal Democrat candidate when he contested at May's General Election in 2010. Dominic stood against Griffin.

He contested the Barnsley Central by-election for the Liberal Democrats in 2011, where he came in sixth place. He lost his deposit, which was uncharacteristic for a candidate of a major political party in the United Kingdom.

Dominic Carman also speaks at conferences such as the World Services Group in Berlin, where he was the keynote speaker and chair events like the Legal Week Offshore Investment Forum.

He currently writes a book, Great Lawyers, which will be available in 2021.

Achievements

• Dominic Carman is widely known as a freelance journalist and writer, who execute bespoke projects for international law firms, professional service organizations and investment banks: from report preparation and thought leadership to ghostwriting and speechwriting.
  
  Dominic contributes to Legal Week, Legal Business, Guardian, Telegraph, Daily Mail, and The Times as an editor.
  
  Besides, he wrote two books, Heads Up and No Ordinary Man, which were serialized in the Times and Daily Mail.
  
  Dominic Carman contested at May's General Election in 2010 and Barnsley Central by-election in 2011 as the Liberal Democrat candidate.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Heads Up

    (From Eton, Westminster, and Saint Paul's to Wycombe Abbey...)

    2013
  • No Ordinary Man: A Life of George Carman

    (In a full and frank account of his life, Dominic Carman e...)

    2002

Politics

Dominic Carman, a vociferous opponent of the British National Party, has admitted he was a member of the National Front as a teenager. The man who stood for the Liberal Democrats against the British National Party leader, Nick Griffin, in May's General Election, said he joined the extremist right-wing organization for four weeks in 1977.

Dominic's decision to join the National Front came in part after a series of political disagreements with his father.

However, he said he soon realized he had done something "terribly wrong." "When I eventually sat down and opened National Front News, my sense of euphoric defiance ended - very abruptly." It was filled with "hate-filled articles" about Jewish people, Holocaust denial, and black and Asian immigration into the United Kingdom. "Disgusted and shocked, my stomach churned, my thoughts ran wild. So this is what they believed. Oh, God, what had I done? I immediately resigned from the National Frontless than a month after joining."

He added: "Ultimately, my stupidity at 16 led me, as a man in his forties, to fight a prolonged battle to expose Griffin and the British National Party, whenever possible, using every available opportunity."

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• Iain Hollingshead, Daily Telegraph: "Dominic Carman is a formidable, personable campaigner, a whirlwind of energy and passion."
  
  Georgina Stanley, Legal Week: "Dominic Carman is one of the best legal journalists around. He has an extensive understanding of the international commercial legal market - both law firms and the Bar - and a strong contact base across some of the largest law firms in the world. His interviewing skills mean he can extract insightful quotes that make his writing both informative and engaging. His writing is always clear and concise but he is also able to look beyond the facts to add the color and human interest aspects."

Connections

Dominic Carman is married to Rachel Carman. They have three children: Charlie, Tristan, and Isobel.

Father:

George Alfred Carman

George Carman was a leading English lawyer in the 1980s and 1990s.

Mother:

Cecilia Carman

Cecilia Carman's maiden name is Sparrow.

Wife:

Rachel Carman

Son:

Charlie Carman

Son:

Tristan Carman

Daughter:

Isobel Carman

References

• Dominic Carman - Official website
• dominic carman (@CarmanDominic) - Twitter
• Dominic Carman - LinkedIn