A key asset for any business is its reputation. If you have an actionable claim which cannot be resolved immediately by negotiation, we can take fast and forceful action to protect your rights, whether that means applying for an injunction to prevent publication or issuing proceedings for damages where publication has already been made.
We also appreciate that the issues involved are likely to be sensitive and we approach these appropriately with you. We can guide you through the legal process easily and with minimum fuss. We make a point of handling claims proactively at a senior level, with closely supervised assistance from more junior solicitors where appropriate in order to keep your costs down.
However, this is a specialist area of law which is usually very fact specific. Therefore, we always approach each case individually and would expect to talk through the issues carefully with you in order to fully advise you on the merits of your case (or defence) and a strategy for resolution. Our “jargon buster” provides you with a preliminary guide to the kind of issues involved.
Our work
We act for a wide range of individuals, businesses and local authorities in pursuing and defending actions (including interim injunctions where appropriate). We advise on all aspects of defamation (ie libel and slander) or what is commonly referred to as “reputation management”. For example;
- Newspaper stories/ adverse or intrusive media coverage
- Published correspondence and/or images
- Advertising and/or marketing materials
- Commentary on social networking sites or blogs
Our people
Many of our lawyers have joined from leading London and regional practices. We have a nationally regarded litigation team that will provide you with a cost-effective and high-quality service. In this specialist area we aim to offer a local alternative for clients unable or unwilling to instruct the larger London defamation practices.
In addition to advising on pure defamation issues, we recognise that the management of reputations may extend to other matters. If your case requires it we are able to draw upon the wider expertise of the firm, in the form of our dedicated teams specialising in family law, employment, corporate transactions, private client matters (tax, wills and probate) and property in order to address issues such as:
- Intellectual property rights (trade marks / copyright etc)
- Passing off
- Confidence / trade secrets
For further information please contact Andrew Crocombe, partner, or Tom Maple, associate, in our dispute resolution team.