Griffin Law makes law again

In 2009 Griffin Law obtained the world’s first ever injunction that was allowed to be served via Twitter (known as a Blaney order). This has been used since by politicians, celebrities, sportsmen and businesses who are harassed online. It has also been used by workers who are subject to workplace bullying and by parents whose children are the victims of cyber bulling.

This month Griffin Law has again broken new ground in the field of internet harassment.

In the case of AMP v Persons Unknown, Griffin Law obtained a super-injunction that criminalises the further harassment of a young girl who had private pictures from her stolen mobile phone uploaded to the internet. Those who take part in such illegal file sharing through torrent sites or otherwise can be identified and are subject to immediate arrest: a decision that has potentially wide implications for illegal file sharers worldwide.

The judgment has been reported in The Daily Mail, The Independent and The Daily Telegraph, as well as being discussed online.

If you are a victim of cyber bullying, impersonation or online harassment, Griffin Law is uniquely placed to help you. You need not suffer in silence. Contact Donal Blaney by email at justice@griffinlaw.co.uk or by phone on 020 7152 6558. 

You are now free to choose your own lawyers

The High Court has recently held that before-the-event (BTE) legal expenses insurers cannot reject a policyholder’s choice of a non-panel solicitor on the sole basis of cost.

The decision in (1) Christine Brown-Quinn (2) Webster Dixon LLP v (1) Equity Syndicate Management Ltd (2) Motorplus Ltd; Webster Dixon LLP v (1) Equity Syndicate Management Ltd (2) ACM ULR Ltd; (1) Janine Baxter (2) Webster Dixon Ltd v (1) Equity Syndicate Management (2) Motorplus Ltd [2011] EWHC 2661 (Comm) concerns three clients who wished to bring or continue proceedings under a commonly available BTE insurance policy. Read More…

Be careful if you go to court!

A recent decision of the Court of Appeal confirms that it is only in very exceptional circumstances that a Claimant who discontinues her claim will be able to claim costs from a Defendant.

The decision in Brookes v HSBC Bank PLC [2011] EWCA Civ 354 concerns an appeal from the decision that when the Applicant discontinued her claim she was liable to pay the Defendant’s costs in the proceedings. The Applicant brought an action against her credit card issuer in respect of an alleged failure to produce a true copy of the signed credit agreement in accordance with Section 78 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Before the end of the litigation the credit card issuer was able to provide the requested copy documents to the Applicant, such that it fulfilled its duty under Section 78. Read More…

Tax advice from accountants is NOT legally privileged

A Court of Appeal ruling this month has confirmed what many lawyers have long known – communications between clients and their accountants are not protected by legal professional privilege.

The recent case of R (on the application of (1) Prudential Plc (2) Prudential (Gibraltar) Limited) v Special Commissioner of Income Tax & Ors has reiterated that when HM Revenue & Customs seeks disclosure of documents from an individual or business taxpayer pursuant to section 20 of the Taxes Management Act 1970, all documents must be disclosed other than those protected by legal professional privilege.

This means that advice provided by or correspondence with accountants, tax advisers or IFAs is not protected by legal professional privilege. Read More…

Cyber-bullying: Teachers need not suffer in silence

The Daily Mail reports a disturbing trend in pupils making hate-filled allegations and threats against their teachers online. In addition to the sending of threatening text messages or anonymous posts on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, pupils are using the controversial ratemyteachers.com website to spread malicious lies and to fantasize about killing their teachers.

Since a landmark case in October 2009, Griffin Law has been recognised as being at the forefront of helping teachers and other victims of cyber-bullying unmask their tormentors. The pupils or their parents are then brought to justice, forced to account for their unlawful actions and can then be forced to compensate those whose lives they underhandedly sought to ruin.

The message is simple: bullies cannot cower behind anonymity on the internet, and those whose lives are ruined by cyber-bullies can now have access to justice.

For help in unmasking cyber-bullies, contact Griffin Law by email at justice@griffinlaw.co.uk.

Discrimination: Are You Ready?

A recent story in the Mail on Sunday, highlighting an instance where two lesbians were ejected from a baseball game for kissing, highlights how the law in the United Kingdom differs from that of the United States when it comes to enforcement of equal rights for homosexuals.

The Equality Act 2010 came into force on 1 October 2010.  It prohibits discrimination in respect of the provision of services by, for example, owners of sports venues on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, civil partnerships, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. The burdens on employers, as well as service providers, are heavy.

While on the face of it, of course, no employer or service provider would ordinarily wish to discriminate, the Equality Act 2010 provides for unlimited damages to be awarded, together with compensation for injured feelings – and the burden of proof is reversed. Read More…

Client Testimonials

You’ve seen what we say about ourselves: what do our clients have to say about us?

“Excellent service – Excellent results: big law from a small firm”

SGB Holdings Limited

“The Griffin Law legal team put me at ease instantly. They are cool, calm and fiercely professional. I was kept up to date at every step of my year long case, and their legal worked succeeded where the police had failed. Griffin Law is both a safety net, and an attack dog.”

CJM, London SW7

“It is such a short time that I have had opportunity to meet with you and I have no hesitation in saying that I am your client for life time now. Thank you so much for your hard work and professionalism. I am truly proud that you are my solicitor.”

Kamran Afzal, London N1

“Have dealt with many many firms over the years, Griffin Law are now my first point of contact for any legal issues I may have”.

JCS, Oxford

“Griffin Law are cost-effective, proactive and commercially aware – just the ticket”.

Julian Ribet, Levison Meltzer Pigott, London EC4

“I had never needed a lawyer before. Working with Griffin Law was painless. They won my case, and won handsomely!”

Sophie F, London

Payment Protection Insurance: Banks run off to Court

Have our banks learned nothing? Taxpayers have bailed out banks to the tune of £850bn.

Not content with curtailing lending to small business owners, restricting mortgage lending and continuing to pay out excessive bonuses, banks are now daring to challenge Financial Services Authority rules on PPI complaints through the courts.

In December, new rules come into force. The British Bankers Association believes that these rules are unfair and should be overturned by the High Court. This is despite the fact that there have been over a million complaints made to lenders about PPI, almost 50,000 complaints to the Financial Services Ombudsman and over 80% of those complaints have been upheld.

The banks are using taxpayers’ money to contest regulations that are designed to protect the very taxpayers who bailed them out. Griffin Law is proud to stand up for consumers whose rights have been infringed by the greed of bankers and their staff.

If you would like to discuss whether you have a cause for complaint against, and a right to compensation from, a bank, please contact justice@griffinlaw.co.uk.

What Griffin Law stands for

G is for Groundbreaking – Griffin Law is an innovative law firm that breaks new ground in the law.

R is for Reasonable – Griffin Law offers its clients reasonably priced legal services.

I is for Intuitive – Griffin Law anticipates the goals of its clients and the developments in cases.

F is for Friendly – Griffin Law staff are welcoming and sympathetic to clients’ desires.

F is for Fast – Griffin Law is proactive, not reactive.

I is for Informative – Griffin Law shares its lawyers’ knowledge with its clients, helping them avoid future pitfalls.

N is for No-Nonsense – Griffin Law lawyers tell their clients what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

L is for Local – Griffin Law is proud to act for local residents of Hawkhurst, Sandhurst and surrounding villages in the High Weald.

A is for Accurate – Griffin Law lawyers show a superior level of attention to detail.

W is for Winners – Griffin Law is the kind of law firm that you want on your side, not acting against you.

Griffin Law makes law by serving via Twitter

Today the High Court showed that while it may be steeped in tradition, it is certainly not behind the times by granting an order which allowed service of an injunction via Twitter.

The Order which is called a Blaney’s Blarney Order after the subject matter – a blog called Blaney’s Blarney (donalblaney.com) – requires an unknown Twitter user anonymously posting under the same name, and thus breaching the copyright and intellectual property of the blog’s owner, to stop posting and immediately identify themselves.

The Blaney’s Blarney Order is the first order ever to be served via Twitter and signals an end to anonymous breaches of the law on Twitter or any other internet site.

Griffin Law, the solicitors who dealt with the matter, are experts in the law of the internet and have successfully prevented internet impersonation before on Facebook and Blogger.

Matthew Richardson, the barrister who devised and won the Blaney’s Blarney Order, said: “The Blaney’s Blarney Order is a huge step forward in preventing anonymous abuse of the internet. People have to learn that they can no longer hide behind the cloak of anonymity the internet provides and break the law with impunity.”

Donal Blaney, the victim of the anonymous impersonation and the principal of Griffin Law, said: “This is an important step in dealing with online bullying. The scales of justice have been tilted in favour of innocent victims today.”

This story has featured in the following:

Blogs and specialist publications covering this legal first include:

Griffin Law in The Courier

CourierThe front page of this week’s Kent & Sussex Courier carries a story about one of Griffin Law’s clients, Colin Brown, along with a quote from the firm’s principal, Donal Blaney. Colin’s shop in Hawkhurst was burgled earlier this month and thanks to the failures of the Crown Prosecution Service, he is over £7,000 out of pocket and facing bankruptcy.

Click here to open our PDF document and read more or visit The Courier online here.