Month: September 2015

30.09.15

Government abandons plans for corporate liability for failure to prevent economic crime

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that the government no longer intends to introduce legislation which would make corporations criminally liable for “failing to prevent economic crime”. The proposed offence was announced by Attorney-General Jeremy Wright in September 2014 and featured in the Conservatives’ election manifesto.  The legislation would have put a great onus on…

27.09.15

Vacancy: Solicitor 0-3 years PQE/Case Manager

Solicitor 0-3 years PQE/Case Manager Defamation/privacy and general civil litigation Full-time; start October 2015 Exciting opportunity for a junior lawyer at boutique litigation firm.  The successful candidate will work on defamation, privacy, harassment cases as well as more general civil litigation and regulatory matters. Applicants should be familiar with running their own caseloads and adept…

25.09.15

Corporate defamation claims and claims against anonymous parties

Brett Wilson LLP partner Iain Wilson is interviewed by Susan Ghaiwal.  This article was first published on Lexis® PSL IP&IT on 24 September 2015. Does Brett Wilson LLP v Persons Unknown highlight how courts should approach anonymity in online cases? Iain Wilson, partner at Brett Wilson LLP, explains that the judgment shows courts recognise the harm that anonymous…

22.09.15

Trading standards prosecution for restaurateur serving horsemeat as zebra

Restaurateur Kunal Soni has been convicted of misinforming customers following a prosecution by Hertfordshire County Council Trading Standards. Mr Soni ran a restaurant in Watford (which he has now sold) which claimed to specialise in exotic meat products, including crocodile, kangaroo, ostrich and springbok.  However, when two trading standards officers carried out tests on the zebra and wildebeest dishes it transpired that the meat was…

20.09.15

Iain Wilson listed as Thomson Reuters Defamation Super Lawyer

Brett Wilson LLP Partner Iain Wilson has been listed in the 2015 Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers directory as a leading defamation practitioner. Iain has appeared in all three editions of the London directory. Click here to access Super Lawyer directories.

16.09.15

Brett Wilson LLP listed in four categories in Legal 500

The prestigious Legal 500 directory has listed Brett Wilson LLP as a leading firm in the fields of defamation/privacy, white collar crime, civil fraud and general crime. The 2015 edition of the directory was published on 16 September 2015.  This is the fourth consecutive year that Brett Wilson LLP has featured in the directory and the third consecutive year in which…

Brett Wilson LLP awarded damages and injunction for defamatory posting

Brett Wilson LLP has been granted an injunction prohibiting the publication of a false and defamatory posting at a successor website to the controversial Solicitors from Hell website. The law firm acted for the Law Society in the landmark class action which saw the original website closed down by the High Court in 2011 (The Law Society & Ors v Kordowski…

15.09.15

Thames Water fined £250,000 after Court of Appeal approves Sentencing Guidelines for environmental offences

In R v Thames Water Utilities Ltd [2015] EWCA Crim 960 the Sentencing Guidelines for Environmental Offences were applied and approved and the fine of £250,000 ordered by the Crown Court upheld. Thames Water had pleaded guilty to an offence of causing or knowingly permitting a water discharge contrary to Regulations 38(1) and 39(1) Environmental…

12.09.15

First woman convicted of revenge porn offence narrowly avoids jail

Paige Mitchell, aged 24, has become the first woman to be convicted under the new revenge porn laws that were brought into effect in April this year.  She had posted four explicit images of her ex-partner, which had been sent to her in the course of their relationship, on Facebook after an argument in May…

11.09.15

Law firm judicially reviews Court over finding of fraud against them in judgment

In MRH Solicitors Ltd v Manchester County Court and others [2015] EWHC 1795 (Admin) (http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2015/1795.html), a solicitors firm brought a judicial review against the County Court on the basis of comments made about them by a Recorder in his Judgment. Following a four day trial in October 2014, Mr Recorder Osborne dismissed a personal injury…