Nigel Tait

Described by Commercial Lawyer as efficient, proficient and one "of the most experienced in the business", Nigel has delivered many lectures to the profession on defamation law and privacy and contributed to the last two editions of Carter-Ruck on Libel and Slander as well as an edition of McNae's Essential Law for Journalists. Nigel is described as "strong, clever and shrewd" in the Chambers Guide to the UK legal profession and is ranked in the top band of defamation solicitors in that Guide.

Cases of interest include:

• Beta Construction -v- Channel 4 (award of £568,000; highest ever libel award paid to a company);
• Vladimir Telnikoff -v- Vladimir Matusevitch (first libel case to go to the House of Lords for over a decade - award of £240,000);
• Jack Slipper -v- BBC, CA - leading case on liability for republication;
• Jonathan Hunt (aged 6) -v- The Sun (settlement of £35,000 plus all costs to mother and son - youngest ever libel Plaintiff);
• Victor Kiam -v- Sunday Times (£45,000 - the first libel award to be upheld by the Court of Appeal since the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990);
• Farargay -v- Al Hayat (award of £170,000 plus costs);
• Irving Scholar -v- The Mail (award of £100,000 plus costs);
• Mitchell -v- Faber and Faber, CA, (a leading case on meaning);
• Skuse -v- Granada, CA (another leading case on meaning);
• Kirby Harris -v- Baxter, CA (a leading case on trial by Jury);
• Shah -v- Standard Chartered Bank (a leading case on meaning and reasonable grounds to suspect);
• Gorman -v- Mudd (award of £150,000 - reduced on appeal); 4x -v- Y (settlement of £200,000 plus costs);
• Morelli -v- Sunday Times (the first conditional fee case to go to trial - award of £45,000 plus costs).

Other cases of interest include Victor Kiam -v- Mirror (award of £105,000 upheld by the Court of Appeal), Lynn Walker -v- Newcastle Chronicle (settlement of £100,000 apology and costs). In 2001 Nigel acted for Dr Joe Rahamim -v- ITN and Channel 4 and achieved the highest ever settlement in a libel conditional fee case of £175,000, a televised apology and costs. In 2005 Nigel acted for Colonel Campbell-James in his action against the Guardian in which the Colonel secured what was then the highest ever award of compensation under the offer of amends regime. Nigel also obtained substantial damages against the Guardian in 2005 for clients Peter Griffin and Colonel Chris Terrington.

Following the introduction of The Human Rights Act, Nigel has obtained injunctions preventing breaches of privacy in the press (within 2 hours of being instructed) and on the Internet.  Nigel also acted for the successful Defendants in Wallis -v- Valentine [2003] E.M.L.R.8 where the High Court and subsequently the Court of Appeal struck out the Claimant's claim as an abuse of process.

More recently, in 2006 Nigel won 2 cases for Sir Elton John including a settlement of £100,000 in damages plus costs against the Daily Mail. Nigel also won damages for Former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Frank Bruno against the Sunday People newspaper.

Nigel started 2007 with a victory at trial for rock band tour manager Mark Stickland who sued EMAP-Metro for publishing false allegations concerning events that happened on a tour.  A unanimous jury awarded Mr Stickland £40,000 in damages for libel published in Kerrang! magazine.  Nigel also acted for Labour MP Martyn Jones MP who won his jury trial in June 2007 against the Mail on Sunday.  In 2007 Nigel has secured further apologies for Sir Elton John against the Mirror and the Times, apologies and damages for boxing promoter Frank Warren, and damages for Frank Bruno for breach of privacy against the News of the World.

Nigel has been a member of four Law Society committees and has debated the subjects of privacy and libel law reform at the Oxford Union with various speakers including Charles Gray QC (now Mr Justice Gray), Andrew Caldecott QC, James Price QC, Alan Rusbridger of the Guardian, Piers Morgan of The Mirror, Max Clifford and Stephen Norris. Of particular pride to him is the fact that he successfully acted for Peter Carter-Ruck in libel proceedings as well as advising a number of other leading libel lawyers from outside the firm on libel and related matters, including Rhory Robertson in his action against the Law Society Gazette.

Contact Details

Email: Nigel Tait