Michael is a Partner in Mishcon Private. He advises on the full spectrum of reputation protection and crisis management issues across a range of industry sectors. He acts for individuals and organisations in respect of defamation, misuse of private information, data protection, harassment, obtaining and defending injunctions, and contempt of court. He regularly provides pre- and post-publication advice and, where necessary, works alongside third-party strategic communications and media advisers to agree a holistic strategy to protect his client's best interests. A primary focus of Michael's practice involves technology and online publications, and he often works with our Cyber team and other forensic experts to identify those responsible for the publication of false allegations and to mitigate the damage of the same. Michael often advises on media regulatory challenges to IPSO and OFCOM, and he also provides external media law training to journalists, PRs, and professional advisors.
Michael is a member of Mishcon de Reya's Politics and Law and Inquests and Inquiries Groups, acting for politicians and public individuals in reputational matters and assisting them in respect of appearances before select committees and public inquiries. He is also a member of Mishcon de Reya's Sports Group, often acting for high-profile athletes in respect of reputational crises as well as regulatory disputes with governing bodies.
Michael is also an experienced commercial litigator with extensive advisory and trial experience in complex commercial disputes.
Key Experience
Reputation Protection
- Obtaining urgent High Court injunctions to prevent misuse of private information and/or harassment, often involving the threatened disclosure of intimate correspondence and/or images.
- Acting for Luke Turner, a well-known artist, in defending libel and harassment proceedings brought by Daniel Miller and Nina Power in relation to a series of publications on Twitter (Miller & Power v Turner [2021] EWHC 2135)
- Acting for Standard & Poor's against Fortescue Metals Group Ltd and Chichester Metals Pty Ltd in successfully opposing and overturning an injunction prohibiting the publication of metal prices by S&P Global Platts (now known as S&P Global Commodity Insights). (Fortescue Metals Group Ltd and Chichester Metals Pty Ltd v Argus Media Limited and S&P Global Inc. ([2020] EWHC 1304 (Ch))
- Acting for Vladimir Sloutsker, a former Russian senator and President of the Israel Jewish Congress, in libel proceedings resulting in successfully obtaining an award of damages in the sum of £110,000 and a permanent injunction (Vladimir Sloutsker v Olga Romanova ([2015 EWHC 2053 (QB))
- Preventing publication of serious allegations that a leading independent investment fund and its managing partner in respect of allegations that they breached EU, UK, US, and Guernsey sanctions law.
- Representing a private individual wrongly identified as a terrorist by national and international media outlets.
- Successfully defending a high-profile international athlete in relation to regulatory, legal, and reputational risks arising from alleged breaches of COVID-19 regulations.
- Acting on behalf of a world-renowned academic in relation to defamatory allegations of academic misconduct, breach of contract and breach of data rights.
- Working alongside Mishcon's leading Art Law Team in respect of reputational matters affecting artists, owners, and galleries.
- Preventing broadcast of a surreptitiously filmed and potentially extremely damaging Channel 4 documentary.
- Regularly acting for UHNWs, entrepreneurs and businesspeople in rectifying or removing incorrect and/or misleading damaging information from compliance databases.
- Advising both complainants and subjects of allegations of sexual misconduct made in the wake of the #MeToo and Everyone's Invited movements.
- Advising Aaron Banks and Leave.EU over the course of the EU referendum campaign.
- Representing several claimants in the NGN and MGN phone-hacking litigation.
Politics and Law
- Acting for a former CEO in respect of her capacity as a Core Participant in an ongoing high-profile statutory inquiry
- Advising Leave.EU in relation to an enquiry by the Electoral Commission.
- Successfully defending two high-profile Members of Parliament in the Maxwellisation process in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and ensuring their names were not included in the resulting Report.
- Successfully acting for a procurement consultant in relation to an investigation by the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL) in respect of an alleged breach of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaign and Trade Union Administration Act 2014.
Commercial Litigation
- Acting for John Caudwell, founder of Phones4U, and Signia Wealth Limited in relation to proceedings concerning the dismissal of Natalie-Dauriac as CEO of Signia Wealth (Signia Wealth Limited v (1) Vector Trustees Limited (2) Nathalie Dauriac-Stoebe [2018] EWHC 1040 (Ch))
- Acting for a Swiss charitable foundation in an international trust dispute in connection with the construction of an opera house in Lucerne litigated in the High Court of Bermuda Stiftung (Stiftung Salle Modulable and Rutli Stiftung v Butterfield Trust (Bermuda) Limited [2014] SC (Bda) CIV 42)
- Advising a gallery on international criminal and civil claims and delivery up of contemporary artworks following an international theft.
Career History
Partner, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Managing Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Solicitor, Farrer & Co
Trainee, Farrer & Co
London School of Economics, LLM (Intellectual Property)
L'Université de Poitiers, Erasmus
Trinity College, Dublin LLB