Daniel Taylor

Corporate INTL’s English Privacy Law Firm of the Year Taylor Hampton has achieved a remarkable rise to prominence since its inception in 2007. The firm’s lawyers are recognised as leading privacy and media lawyers who are at the very forefront of the phone hacking litigation. In a reported case, senior media judge Sir Michael Tugendhat stated the following about the firm:

‘Taylor Hampton Solicitors…are among the small number well known to the courts as practitioners in the field of media law.’

As a result of their experience of over 30 years of handling high-profile cases, solicitors at Taylor Hampton are experts in acting on behalf of corporate and individual clients to prevent the unlawful acquisition and publication of their private and confidential information, as well as managing and defending any threats to their reputation.

The firm achieved worldwide media exposure when it represented the family of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler in their claim for “phone hacking” against News Group Newspapers Limited. The family received what were reported to be the largest amount of agreed damages ever obtained in a privacy claim, together with a personal apology from Rupert Murdoch. The ensuing public outcry culminated in the closure of the 168-year-old News Corporation’s bid to take over BskyB, and the establishment of the Leveson Inquiry.

Solicitors at the firm continue to be amongst the major players in phone hacking proceedings against both News Group and Mirror Group Newspaper Limited. The firm acted for three of the eight representative’s claimants in the landmark case of Gulati & Others v MGN Ltd {2015}, which signalled a milestone in the development of privacy law in the UK with historic awards of damages of between £72,500 and £260,250 far exceeding the prior highest award of £60,000 ordered by the Court.

In a further recent and successful high-profile privacy action, the firm also successfully represented the butler to Princess Diana, Paul Burrell, in his claim for misuse of private information against disgraced former PR guru Max Clifford Burrell v Clifford (2015). The case concerned a private letter written by Mr Burrell and contained confidential information relating to the Royal family which was faxed by Mr Clifford to the News of the World. The judge found that Mr Clifford had breached Mr Burrell’s privacy in faxing the letter and ordered him to pay Mr Burrell damages and his costs. The judge rejected Mr Clifford’s argument that he had been authorised by Mr Burrell to send the letter and accepted Mr Burrell’s evidence that he did not intend for it to be marketed to the media.

In addition to their status within privacy and media law, solicitors at Taylor Hampton have over 30 years’ experience in dealing with a range of heavyweight commercial and civil disputes. These include contract and tort claims, partnership disputes, and advising on director’s duties.