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31 March 2023
Issue: 8019 / Categories: Legal News , Public , Defamation , Privacy
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NLJ this week: Media storms & police disclosure

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‘What personal information can, and should, the police disclose during high-profile investigations,’ such as Nicola Bulley’s disappearance in January? Jeremy Clarke-Williams, partner, and Sophie Taraniuk, paralegal, in the reputation management and privacy team at Penningtons Manches Cooper, address this question, in this week’s NLJ.

The media storm surrounding Ms Bulley’s disappearance prompted ‘baseless speculation’ and attracted amateur sleuths, while Lancashire Constabulary drew widespread criticism for their decision to disclose personal information about the missing person.

What protection is provided by the law? Clarke-Williams and Taraniuk examine the potential for a claim for misuse of private information (MPI), as well as considering privacy and defamation. Ofcom has also raised questions about the conduct of broadcasters. When is private information in the public interest? 

Read this fascinating piece in full here.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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