Helen George
Partner
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Helen is a highly experienced media litigator who has specialised in this field since 2002. She has acted for claimants and defendants in high profile defamation, privacy and harassment cases including obtaining and resisting injunctions.
Helen has provided pre and post publication advice to a broad range of clients including celebrities, politicians, companies, pressure groups, regulators, newspapers and publishers. She also provides advice on intellectual property, data protection and contempt. She joined Hanidel Jones LLP in June 2016 from David Price Solicitors & Advocates.
Areas of expertise
- Defamation
- Privacy
- Intellectual Property (copyright, trademarks and passing off)
- Harassment
- Data Protection
Recent and Current Cases:
- Acting for a former Prime Minister in a data protection and libel claim.
- Advising a celebrity client on trademark infringement.
- Advising a picture agency threatened with a copyright infringement claim.
- Advising an educational institution on its intellectual property rights in relation to a former employee’s use of social media.
- Acting for a financial services company threatened with inclusion in a prime time television broadcast regarding allegations of wrongdoing, which resulted in it being omitted from the broadcast.
- Acting for a well-known actress in relation to inaccurate stories published in the national press which resulted in their removal.
- Advising clients in relation to privacy and harassment claims following family and relationship breakdown.
- Acting for a wide range of clients in providing pre-publication advice and successfully deterring newspapers from publishing material that is damaging to reputation.
- Acting for a telecommunications company in relation to claims made by a broadcaster that they had engaged in illegal activity, which resulted in it being omitted from the broadcast.
- Acting for a wide range of clients in having defamatory, private and inaccurate material removed from websites.
- Providing reputation management advice to clients who are under criminal or regulatory investigation.
- Advising a charity in relation to a privacy, fairness and due impartiality complaint to Ofcom in relation to a high profile TV programme.
- Acting for clients in complaints to the press regulator IPSO on the grounds of inaccuracy and press harassment.
Other notable cases
- Freddie Starr v Karin Ward [2015] EWHC 1987 (QB) - Acting for the Defendant in her successful defence of a libel claim.
- Joseph v Spiller [2012] EWHC 2958 (QB) – Acting for the Defendant in defence of a libel claim in which it was established that the claimants had fabricated a special damages claim.
- CTB v Thomas and NGN Ltd [2011] EWHC 1232 (QB) – acted for the First Defendant in the highly publicised privacy injunction brought by Ryan Giggs.
- CDE & Anor v MGN Ltd & Anor [2010] EWHC 3308 – representing a well-known actor in obtaining a privacy injunction.
- Frank Cook MP v Telegraph Media Group Ltd – successfully defending a newspaper publisher in a libel claim brought in relation to MP’s expenses.
- Alin Turcu v News Group Newspapers Ltd [2005] EWHC 799 (QB) – acting for the Claimant in obtaining fresh evidence, on which the Court of Appeal granted permission to appeal.
- Brian Maccaba v Dayan Lichtenstein [2005] EMLR 109 – successfully defending the Defendant in the longest slander trial in legal history.