Dario Milo

Dario Milo is a Partner based in Johannesburg. His primary practice area is Media Law, and he focuses on all aspects of media, communications and information law, sports law, free speech and constitutional law, administrative law, data protection, privacy and disinformation law, corporate and tax litigation, and alternative dispute resolution.

He has acted for the media in numerous high-profile cases, including the defamation case brought by President Zuma against the cartoonist Zapiro. He has been lead attorney in many of the media freedom cases decided by the South African courts, including successful Constitutional Court cases for amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism in relation to surveillance laws and transparency of donations to candidates for political office, and for Mail & Guardian in relation to access to information and open justice.

His commercial law successes include successfully reviewing for a major banking institution the Public Protector's Lifeboat report and succeeding against the South African Revenue Service in one of the Supreme Court of Appeal's leading substance over form cases for a major blue-chip client. He also acts for the Premier Soccer League in litigation (particularly judicial review applications against its decisions) and arbitrations before the SAFA Arbitration Tribunal, and successfully represented the PSL in the recent High Court dispute with Royal AM FC over the termination of its membership.

He also acts for high-profile individuals, having acted for Mrs Graça Machel in her complaint before the HPCSA against one of former president Nelson Mandela's doctors for authoring a book, Mandela's Last Years, which Mrs Machel alleged violated doctor-patient confidentiality. He also acted for Trevor Manuel in his successful defamation dispute against the Economic Freedom Fighters.

He litigates in all superior courts in South Africa, as well as specialised tribunals and fora such as the International Bar Association Media Law Committee, the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa, the Films and Publications Board, the Press Council, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the Complaints and Compliance Committee of ICASA, the Advertising Regulatory Board and the Tax Court.

His recognition includes being named by Chambers Global 2010–2026 as a ranked lawyer and included as a Star Individual for Media & Broadcasting; named by Best Lawyers 2017–2026 as a leading individual and Lawyer of the Year for Media Law 2020 and 2025 and Lawyer of the Year for Litigation 2024 and 2026; named by Legal 500 2012–2025 as a legal expert; and named by Who's Who Legal 2010–2019 as a listed lawyer.

He was appointed to the International Bar Association Media Law Committee in 2023; appointed as an Expert to Columbia University's Global Freedom of Expression Initiative (2014–present); appointed to the Global Media Freedom Initiative's High-Level Panel of Legal Experts 2019–2020, chaired by Lord Neuberger and Amal Clooney; appointed to the editorial board of the United Kingdom's Journal of Media Law; and serves as an adjunct professor at the University of the Witwatersrand.

He is the author of Defamation and Freedom of Speech, published by Oxford University Press, and co-author of A Practical Guide to Media Law, published by LexisNexis.

He holds a PhD from University College London (2005), an LLM in Communications Law from University College London (2002), an LLM in Company Law and Constitutional Law from the University of the Witwatersrand (1997), an LLB and M.Comm in Taxation from the University of the Witwatersrand and a B.Com from the University of the Witwatersrand (1995). He is an admitted solicitor of England and Wales and an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa.