Schillings Explained

Type:Limited liability partnership
Foundation:London, 1984
Location City:London
Location Country:United Kingdom
Industry:Law
Services:Legal advice and advocacy
Area Served:United Kingdom, international

Schillings (originally Schilling & Lom) is an international reputation and privacy consultancy staffed by reputation, privacy and family lawyers, risk consulting, cyber security and intelligence specialists. The company is an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) and is regulated and authorized by the United Kingdom's Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). It employs 33 lawyers, risk managers, and IT security consultants and offers services covering risk consulting, legal services, and IT security.[1]

History

The firm was founded in 1984 by Keith Schilling and Nicholas Lom and focused largely on media law, libel, and privacy protection. It was called by Index on Censorship "the scourge of many a Fleet Street editor" for obtaining anonymized gagging orders to protect celebrity clients' privacy.[2] In the early 2010s, the firm began to move away from pure media and libel work towards reputation protection for a large corporate, non-celebrity clientele.[3]

In 2012 Schillings acquired the information security firm Vigilante Bespoke.[4] In March 2013 the firm was granted two Alternative Business Structure licenses, one for the Schillings partnership and one for Schillings Corporate Limited which owns Vigilante Bespoke.[5] [6]

The company restructured its organization in September 2013 and is now an integrated legal, risk management, IT security, and investigation business.[7]

Notable cases

In 2004, Schillings helped Lance Armstrong when confronted with doping allegations in the book L. A. Confidentiel, by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester. Schillings was told to tell "every UK paper and broadcaster" to not re-state what was in the book.[8] Gideon Benaim and Matthew Himsworth worked for Schillings on Armstrong's libel actions,[9] including a 2004 defamation suit against The Sunday Times for referencing information in the book.[10]

In May 2008, Keith Schilling won a privacy case in the Court of Appeal for the son of Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling. The case "says children of famous parents have the same right to expect privacy as children of parents who aren't well-known" granting them protection from intrusive photography.[11] [12]

In April and May 2011, Schillings acted for Ryan Giggs in CTB v News Group Newspapers and obtained a "super-injunction" aimed at preventing the publication by The Sun of the details of an alleged extra-marital relationship between Giggs and Imogen Thomas. The case gained widespread media coverage and political discussion in the UK.[13] [14]

In October 2012 Schillings' family division acted for the respondent's husband in the reported case BP v KP and NI. The case included not only companies by which one of the spouses was employed but also former colleagues and associates with whom a spouse was professionally acquainted.[15]

In January 2013 Schillings acted for Ned RocknRoll, husband to Kate Winslet. RocknRoll obtained an order preventing the Sun newspaper from publishing private images of RocknRoll taken from a Facebook page.[16]

In May 2013 Schillings Partner Davina Katz (who subsequently founded Katz Partners LLP) acted for Dale Vince who won his appeal against his ex-wife's claim for maintenance. This was viewed as a landmark judgment that set a precedent for future financial claims that may be made many years after a relationship has ended.[17] [18]

In July 2013 Schillings acted for the author J. K. Rowling who brought proceedings against a lawyer who revealed that she had been writing under a pseudonym.[19]

In 2018, Schillings worked to stop the distribution of the book, Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope of The Wall Street Journal in the United Kingdom. The tactics used to disrupt distribution to British booksellers included threatening letters and legal missives. Some book vendors were warned about putting the book into the "True Crime" section of bookstores. The campaign against the publication of the book was unsuccessful and bookstores began selling copies on 12 September 2019.[20]

In 2019, Schillings helped Philip Green in his ultimately unsuccessful attempt to have his name kept from appearing in The Daily Telegraph for his use of NDAs. Mr. Justice Warby, presiding in this case, noted https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/25/sir-philip-greens-lawyers-ordered-reduce-hourly-rate-almost/ that there had been "an unnecessary degree of partner involvement, and a degree of overmanning that cannot be justified."

In 2019 Schillings represented Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in a High Court claim against The Mail on Sunday over alleged misuse of private information, infringement of copyright, and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018.[21] A Mail on Sunday spokesman said the paper stood by the story and would defend the case "vigorously".[22]

Schillings represented Malaysian fugitive Jho Low who was accused by US prosecutors of a money-laundering scheme connected to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.[23]

Schillings represented Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, a long-time Vladimir Putin ally until he was placed under sanctions by the European Union due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[24]

Partners

Former partners

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Our People . Schillings. 21 October 2015.
  2. Web site: Schillings: Trollhunters General . Index on Censorship . 5 September 2013 . 21 October 2015.
  3. Web site: Beioley . Kate . Schillings relaunches as privacy and cyber-security firm | News . The Lawyer . 5 September 2013 . 16 March 2015.
  4. Web site: Top media firm and regional practice seeking external cash help take ABS total to over 100 . 5 March 2013 . Legal Futures . 16 March 2015.
  5. Web site: Harris . Joanne . Schillings bucks trend with media ABSs | News . The Lawyer . 11 March 2013 . 5 September 2013.
  6. Web site: Harris . Joanne . Schillings becomes latest firm to gain ABS licence | News . The Lawyer . 5 September 2013.
  7. Web site: From celebrity lawyers to reputation defence business – ABS completes transformation . 6 September 2013 . Legal Futures . 16 March 2015.
  8. Web site: David Walsh: 'It was obvious to me Lance Armstrong was doping' . Press Gazette . 5 September 2013.
  9. Web site: Chadderton . Sam . Libel star Benaim quits Schillings | News . The Lawyer . 8 June 2012 . 5 September 2013.
  10. Web site: Armstrong v Sunday Times in November . BikeRadar . 1 August 2005 . 5 September 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20121124032941/http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/armstrong-v-sunday-times-in-november-8322/. November 24, 2012.
  11. News: Harry Potter author wins privacy case . 7 May 2008 . . Edinburgh . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090923101704/http://news.scotsman.com/jkrowlingharrypotter/Harry-Potter-author-wins-privacy.4056534.jp . 23 September 2009 . (Note: Article no longer live in August 2013)
  12. Web site: Harry Potter author wins privacy case appeal – 13 WTHR Indianapolis . Wthr.com . 5 September 2013.
  13. News: Gagging Order: MP Names Footballer In Commons. . UK . 23 May 2011 . 23 May 2011.
  14. News: Social media making mockery of privacy laws. . USA . Peter. Wilkinson. 23 May 2011 . 23 May 2011.
  15. Web site: BP v KP and NI (Financial Remedy Proceedings: Res Judicata) [2012] EWHC 2995 (Fam) |publisher=Family Law Week |access-date=5 September 2013].
  16. Web site: Burton . Lucy . Success for Schillings as Kate Winslet's husband blocks Sun images | News . The Lawyer . 5 September 2013.
  17. Web site: Croft . Jane . Divorce case could ease life for entrepreneurs . FT.com . 26 May 2013 . 5 September 2013.
  18. News: BBC News – Ecotricity tycoon Dale Vince wins case against ex-wife . BBC . 8 May 2013 . 5 September 2013.
  19. News: JK Rowling accepts damages from law firm that revealed her secret identity . Telegraph . 31 July 2013. 5 September 2013 . London . Alice . Philipson.
  20. News: . The story behind "Billion Dollar Whale" . . 19 September 2019 . 26 September 2019 .
  21. News: Prince Harry condemns 'ruthless campaign' against Meghan, saying he lost his mother to 'powerful forces' and fears history repeating . The Telegraph . October 2019 . 1 October 2019. Furness . Hannah .
  22. Web site: Meghan sues Mail on Sunday over private letter . . 1 October 2019.
  23. Web site: 2022-04-19 . US congressman urges Biden to ban six UK lawyers for ‘enabling’ oligarchs . 2022-05-04 . The Guardian . en.
  24. News: Goldstein . Matthew . Vogel . Kenneth P. . Drucker . Jesse . Farrell . Maureen . McIntire . Mike . 2022-03-09 . How Western Firms Quietly Enabled Russian Oligarchs . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-03-10 . 0362-4331.
  25. Web site: Law | The Times . Business.timesonline.co.uk . 2 April 2010 . 5 September 2013.
  26. Web site: Go Or use our Advanced search . Keith Schilling – Schillings – London – Lawyer Profile Chambers UK 2015 – Chambers and Partners . Chambersandpartners.com . 16 March 2015.
  27. Web site: Keith Schilling Lawyer in London, Solicitor . Super Lawyers . 5 September 2013.
  28. Web site: Player . Parliamentlive.tv . 9 May 2011 . 5 September 2013.
  29. Web site: Schillings Announces Stelios Win in Ryanair Libel Battle . https://web.archive.org/web/20100801092545/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/07/prweb4275464.htm . dead . 1 August 2010 . Prweb.com . 5 September 2013.
  30. Web site: Eversheds, Links honoured at British Legal Awards . Legalweek . 28 November 2008 . 5 September 2013.
  31. Web site: 35 Women Under 35 2013: Behind the scenes . Managementtoday.co.uk . 7 July 2013 . 5 September 2013.
  32. Web site: Angelique Chrisafis . Director loses claim to hit show | UK news . The Guardian . 19 May 2004 . 5 September 2013.
  33. Web site: Dowell . Katy . Tiger Woods' UK lawyer quits Schillings | News . The Lawyer . 5 September 2013.
  34. Web site: Legal Index | Spear's WMS . Spearswms.com . 20 July 2010 . 5 September 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131002160830/http://www.spearswms.com/spears-indices/legal-index/4471/legal-index.thtml . 2 October 2013 .
  35. Web site: Citywealth – wealth management, finance, finance news, luxury lifestyle and philanthropy . Citywealthmag.com . 5 September 2013.

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