media and privacy
advocacy isn't just for court.....
These days (as the saying goes) the lie is half way around the world before the truth is even out of the starting block. This is why many panic at the thought of media having an interest in their private life. And when going through criminal or civil litigation, that can happen.
This is also why people caught up in the legal system, and likely to attract media interest because of it, come to us. We are qualified lawyers who marry knowledge of defamation, media and privacy law, with criminal and civil procedure and many years experience of media handling.
We offer:
- media training for the client
- briefing journalists one-on-one
- managing press conferences
- ensuring what is published or reported is fairer, more accurate and more balanced
- speaking on behalf of the client in the media
- getting unhelpful content amended or removed
- if needs be, supporting legal actions in defamation or privacy law
- complaints to Ofcom, IPSO and IMPRESS
why engage Temple Legal Services?
Often, there is a tension between legal and PR teams, as the objectives of each team is different: lawyers are focussed on winning-over the judge or jury, but the PR team want to win-over the public. Often, these are not the same thing, and there can be a 'turf war' between the two teams who ideally should be working together.
The advantage of having qualified lawyers with a background in media handling is they understand both the legal and the PR issues. Temple Legal Services are not only media trained, they are media trainers with over 20 years experience of media and public relations under their belt.
after-event reputation management
Temple Legal Services can also assist with on-going reputation management issues, including seeking to have unhelpful content amended or removed, or in due course, delisted from internet searches. We can also assist in proactive media work to help rebalance public perception of the client. Finally, whilst we all hope to avoid further litigation, Temple Legal Services can also assist with any civil actions in defamation or privacy law which may arise, as well as complaints to media and broadcaster regulators.
case study one
Temple Legal Services assisted a high-profile public figure who was arrested for a suspected serious criminal offence. Brought in at a very early stage, Temple Legal Services structured a communications plan which lessened the risk of damage caused by the "no smoke without fire" assumption which almost always (and often unfairly) arises when news of an arrest is made public by the Police.
Our legal knowledge was much appreciated by the legal team because we understood the procedures and constraints which the criminal justice system sometimes imposes, and which can sometimes prevent clients who would wish to say more publicly from doing so for 'legal reasons'.
We carefully crafted an initial public statement which set the tone for how we would approach the matter publicly. We rebutted the accusations, asserted the client's innocence and confidence that innocence would be established in due course. We worked behind the scenes to prevent potentially prejudicial coverage of the story and to repeatedly remind journalists of their duty to be fair, accurate and balanced.
The case generated world-wide coverage on TV, in radio and in the print / on-line media over three periods of time:
(a) the initial arrest (which the Police notified the media about, creating a 'feeding frenzy')
(b) when the client was subsequently charged, many months later
(c) when the matter came to trial, over a year after the arrest
The client was (rightly) acquitted, and Temple Legal Services ensured that throughout, the media were managed in a way which asserted the client's innocence, ensured the media were aware of their obligations and the limits of what they could lawfully report, and that reportage was as good as it could have been in the circumstances. We then assisted the client to proactively use the media to 'set the record straight' through a series of broadcast interviews and published articles which rehabilitated the client's reputation, and once the trial was concluded, enabled the client to speak freely to correct the public record.
case study two
An individual had been charged with an offence which was bound to generate significant media interest when it came to trial at the 'Old Bailey', London's most famous criminal court. The client, a private individual, was keen to ensure people did not jump to conclusions about the case as it would have a negative impact on his career due to the nature of the charges. We were instructed as the matter came to trial, and asked to assist in managing the media and (as far as possible) ensure privacy for the client and his family. We liaised with court reporters to ensure initial coverage was fair, balanced and carried key defence messages, Importantly, we briefed reporters one-on-one and urged restraint in initial reportage given the strength of the defence which would be revealed in due course. We also managed photography of the client, and then handled coverage of the (inevitable) acquittal, having ensured what had been printed up to that point was subsequently edited to report the not guilty verdict.
case study three
A professional client had been charged with a serious criminal offence to which he pleaded guilty. The client requested assistance in dealing with media coverage of the court hearing where the guilty plea was made, as well as advice and support on how to approach ameliorating the client's public profile after conviction. Temple Legal Services produced a plan to enable the client to secure positive media coverage across broadcast, print, digital and trade press in an effort to 'tell the other side of the story'. We also assisted the client in having several irrelevant articles removed from search engine searches against his name.