5RB

Some members of 5RB can now be instructed directly by members of the public without a solicitor, under the Bar Council’s ‘Public Access’ scheme.  Further details are available here.

5RB's Desmond Browne QC presented a paper on libel reform entitled 'Common law development or statutory codification?' at the recent MBL/Inforrm conference on Lord Lester's Defamation Bill. You can read the paper here.

5RB's Gordon Bishop acted for Barry George, who was acquitted of the murder of Jill Dando, in his claim in respect of false allegations made in articles in the Sunday Mirror and The People and on the Mirror.co.uk website.  The claim was settled with the defendants accepting that the allegations were false, apologising to Mr George and agreeing to pay him substantial damages and his legal costs.

5RB's Godwin Busuttil and Patrick McCafferty have written an article entitled 'Interim Injunctions and the Overlap between Privacy and Libel' for the Journal of Media Law (Hart Publishing), which considers the suitability and compatibility of the rule in Bonnard v Perryman to cases involving private information which also has the potential to damage an individual's reputation.

Dr Mohamed Asha accepted £115,000 libel damages over false allegations on the front page of The Sun that he was linked to terrorism. 5RB's Adam Speker (instructed by Carter-Ruck) acted for Dr Asha, while Adam Wolanski, instructed by Farrer & Co, acted for News Group Newspapers.

5RB's Anna Coppola's practice encompasses a broad range of media litigation including defamation and privacy work for both claimants and defendants. Her recent work includes acting for Elena Baturina (the wife of the Mayor of Moscow and wealthiest woman in Russia) in her libel claim against Times Newspapers. View Anna's profile.