Freedom of information regulation can provide a valuable resource to support lobbying and advocacy activity. We can support campaigners, charities, civil society organisations and businesses in the use of targeted freedom of information requests and subject access requests to obtain useful information and data. We can also advise public sector organisations in seeking to deal with the requests they receive appropriately and proportionately.
We recognise the vital importance of freedom of information and freedom of expression in a free society; we also recognise that reputation and privacy may need defending, in particular against unduly intrusive reporting and against fake news.
We’ve handled landmark Freedom of Information Act cases and we specialise in new media and internet litigation. In 2000, we took the first ever case against a libellous, ‘anonymous’ emailer to court – and we have broken ground ever since.
We act for campaigning organisations, membership bodies, authors, journalists, academics, book and newspaper publishers, broadcasters and citizen bloggers – keeping them out of trouble, or resolving disputes when they are in trouble. We also assist businesses, people in the public eye and charities protect hard won reputations. Click here for more information about our specialist team.
We are also at the forefront of advising on new freedom of speech duties imposed on higher education institutions and students’ unions under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. Click here to learn more about this new regime and here to get in touch with our specialist team.