London law firm ‘acted appropriately’ for Putin’s warlord Prigozhin Legal The legal regulator is reported to “have decided to take no further action” against law firm Discreet Law which acted for the former leader of leader of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. As revealed by Democracy for Sale, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) decided that London-based Discreet Law “acted appropriately” when representing the sanctioned Wagner leader. [...]
Nadhim Zahawi’s Osborne Clarke lawyer found guilty of misconduct by Tribunal Legal An Osborne Clarke partner has been found guilty of misconduct by a Tribunal for his attempt to silence Dan Neidle on a story over Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs
Osborne Clarke: Nadhim Zahawi’s lawyer faces disciplinary hearing over SLAPP allegations Legal Nadhim Zahawi's lawyer faces a disciplinary hearing this week over allegations he sent SLAPP letters to tax expert Dan Neidle
Nadhim Zahawi’s lawyer from Osborne Clarke referred to disciplinary tribunal May 13, 2024 Nadhim Zahawi's lawyer from Osborne Clarke who made headlines after threatening Dan Neidle with libel now faces a Disciplinary Tribunal
Government backs SLAPPs bill to stop gagging of press amid warning it needs more work February 23, 2024 The UK Government has backed a bill that will crack down on SLAPPs that will prevent wealthy or corrupt people from gagging journalists by using the legal system. Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) is a term given to defamation cases and legal threat that are generally brought against journalists and campaigners as a form [...]
Exclusive: London law firm used by Wagner boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin has folded December 15, 2023 London-based law firm Discreet Law - used by the Wagner boss - has ceased its practice after it was under investigation for allegedly breaching rules to protect free speech
Editors call for law change to stop oligarchs silencing press November 29, 2022 A group of UK journalists have banded together to call on the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, to back a proposed law to tackle “abusive legal tactics to shut down investigations” The letter, signed by the editors of the Guardian and the Daily Mail, has urged the government to address the “endemic” use of strategic lawsuits against [...]
Solicitors watchdog to crack down on SLAPP lawsuits, SRA chief says September 8, 2022 The head of the UK’s Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has vowed to crack down on the use of spurious lawsuits to silence legitimate criticism. In an article in The Times, SRA chief executive Paul Philip said the watchdog is “committed to cracking down” on law firms using so-called ‘strategic lawsuits against public participation’ (Slapps). The [...]
Solicitors’ watchdog advances crackdown on ‘lawfare’ with more than 20 SLAPP investigations June 26, 2022 The solicitors’ watchdog has launched more than 20 investigations into UK law firms over their involvement in SLAPP lawsuits, as part of its efforts to crack down on the use of Britain’s libel laws to silence the press and other legitimate criticism. The Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (SRA) now has more than 20 open cases over [...]
Russian oligarch’s libel lawsuit against Bellingcat founder thrown out of court May 19, 2022 A libel lawsuit brought forward by a sanctioned Russian oligarch against the founder of investigative news site Bellingcat has been thrown out of court. A High Court judge dismissed Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s lawsuit against Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins, due to the oligarch’s “repeated failure to comply with simple court orders,” following his lawyers exit from the [...]