Who? Christopher Hutchings, 46, entertainment, media and intellectual property partner at London firm Hamlins.
Why is he in the news? Represented boxer Audley Harrison, a British Olympic gold medallist, in a dispute with the Sun newspaper over an article which Harrison claimed implied that he had ‘fixed’ a fight. Harrison, who is now a professional boxer, was felled in the third round of a bout with world heavyweight champion David Haye in November 2010. The Sun published an article that, Hutchings said, ‘may have suggested that the fight was fixed’. The Sun does not accept that the article made this suggestion.
Hutchings said: ‘Following extensive negotiations, we secured a settlement in our client’s favour, with the Sun agreeing to publish a positive story about Audley and his plans for the future. The Sun also agreed to meet his legal costs.’
The Sun described the second article as a ‘sensible compromise’ following a genuine disagreement over the meaning of what was written. It has made no admission of liability.
Thoughts on the case: ‘Audley can take criticism of his performance, but is honest and will not allow suggestions to the contrary to go unchallenged. The second story was a constructive solution. It filled a whole column of the newspaper and was far more visible than a short apology, which might have been hidden in the corner of a page. It shows that dispute resolution does not always require protracted litigation.’
Why become a lawyer? ‘To work directly with clients and have the satisfaction of getting a good result for them.’
Career high: ‘Giving the keynote speech in a debate in the Houses of Parliament on the developing law of privacy.’
Career low: ‘Losing 3-2 in the House of Lords in the groundbreaking Hello and OK! celebrity magazines privacy case involving pictures of the wedding of Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas. We represented Hello and had won 3-0 in the Court of Appeal.’
Medico Legal News Source: Law Society Gazette
