Schillings, K2 and Akin Gump team up to protect international reputations
29 September 2009
Protecting and restoring global reputation in the internet age
– learn how to combat rumors to protect and restore reputation through effective use of investigation, negotiation and litigation.
Following a successful first event held in Washington D.C. last week Schillings, K2 Global Consulting and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP today hosted the second of this two part panel discussion event in London. The event called “Protecting and restoring global reputation in the internet age” focussed on the growing reputational issues facing corporate organisations, international entrepreneurs and foreign investors. This two-part event brought together leaders in the field of international reputations to discuss and explain how a collaborative approach between the UK and the US utilising a mix of investigation, litigation and negotiation together with public relations and communications can assist clients in protecting their brands and reputations in a global online world.
The panel consisted of Simon Smith a partner at Schillings, the UK’s pre-eminent law firm for protecting reputations of corporates and high-profile individuals; Akin Gump’s partner Mark MacDougall, who specialises in reputation recovery particularly with respect to cross-border international matters and Charles Carr, the Managing Director of the London office for K2 Global Consulting, a specialised risk consulting firm addressing crucial financial, legal and technological risks to assist clients in responding to events on the global stage.
The panel discussion was moderated by an independent expert in media and public relations Rod Clayton the executive vice president of Weber Shandwick PR agency. He explored how the Internet continues to encourage the publication of far more sensitive, private, damaging and untrue information than most of us are used to, or comfortable with. During the course of the programme the panel debated the global nature of the Internet including the effect of overseas publications, the changing media landscape including the increase and implications of the ‘Citizen Journalist’, intelligence gathering and the need for credible due diligence and global restoration and vindication of reputations.
Mark MacDougall said: “Clients increasingly face false claims and allegations, which are on the increase due to the global and complex publication platform that the Internet has provided. We regularly work on issues that cross national and international borders and these two joint seminars provide our clients with knowledge about what they can do with respect to reputation recovery.”
Simon Smith said: “There are a number of changes in the global media landscape which have increased the threats to clients’ international reputations. The speed with which information passes across the Internet and the subsequent multi-jurisdictional issues arising out of various
countries such information is deemed published has provided even greater reputational threats from campaigners, business rivals and the media generally. We are increasingly working with clients to protect reputations by delaying or stopping stories from being published in the first place. Additionally, should the worst have already happened we are able to obtain global vindication should clients find they are the victim of libellous statements or invasions of privacy.”
Charles Carr said: “The role of investigating and developing critical facts is a key component in successfully confronting the attacks to reputations. We know the tools that are available and how the results of our risk and due diligence reports can help with mitigating the damage to global reputations.”
For further enquires please contact:
Schillings
+44 (0)20 7034 9000
legal@schillings.co.uk