Services

Dispute Resolution & Litigation

Defamation

The team led by Razi Mireskandari comprises senior and junior solicitors and in-house counsel and includes two former journalists and publishing expert, Martin Soames. We work closely together and bring an enormous breadth of experience to every defamation case. We represent both media and non-media clients, including individuals, trade unions, TV broadcasters, newspapers and magazines, book and internet publishers.

The quality and effectiveness of our collaborative, multi-skilled, team-based approach is demonstrated by results. In April 2008 a team led by Louis Charalambous were instructed by Robert Murat, falsely accused of the abduction of Madeleine McCann, to pursue libel claims against eleven national newspapers and a broadcaster. Within just three months, the team had secured very substantial libel settlements including damages and statements in open court. In 2009, a High Court jury's award of £75,000 libel damages to our client, Mohammed George, against The Sun vindicated not only his reputation but two years' hard work and astute tactical litigation by a team led by Razi Mireskandari.

Pioneer in the field of CFAs and ATE

Perhaps the most important and controversial factor in the defamation sector in recent years has been the availability of Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs), After the Event Insurance (ATE) and other litigation funding schemes. This has affected all areas of dispute resolution, but has attracted greater publicity in the defamation sphere because of the media interest.

Although the availability of CFAs has to some extent divided the market in this area of the law, we as a firm continue to act for defendants as well as claimants. We believe this experience is a great advantage to clients and the tactical know-how which comes with it maximises the chances of achieving the best possible outcome for clients in terms of success, speed and price.

SM&B has been a pioneer in the field of CFAs and ATE. We are one of a very small handful of firms to which Temple Legal Protection Limited (one of the most respected ATE insurers in the market) has given delegated authority. We have represented both claimants and defendants using CFAs and ATE insurance and, as a result, have been able to assist clients from diverse backgrounds and communities for whom access to justice, setting the record straight and recovery of libel damages would otherwise have been impossible.

Libel is not just about litigation

Libel is not just about litigation - a great deal concerns what you can publish. Many firms have little or no experience in this field. We act for major book and magazine publishers and provide clearance and litigation advice before and after publication, to anticipate and handle litigation risks whether in traditional media or online, in libel, privacy, and contempt of court. Clients include Atlantic Books, Blake Publishing, Canongate Books, Cambridge University Press, Faber & Faber, Granta Books, Institute of Physics Publishing, The London Review of Books, Octopus Publishing Group, Orion Publishing Group, Profile Books, Random House, Simon & Schuster and Time Out, as well as literary agency Conville & Walsh. We also act for clients in the film industry, providing similar advice on content.

Round-the-clock advice and assistance

We provide a rapid, round-the-clock advice and assistance service to individuals and organisations alike via our Presslaw unit (email mail@presslaw.co.uk). The Presslaw team also provides a range of information programmes from roadshows to tailored in-house courses to communities, commercial organisations, journalists and the media. For further information about Presslaw, visit the Presslaw micro-site.