Solicitors working in London, (such as IBB Solicitors), ought to ready for a chaotic beginning of 2011. The cause of the expected swathe of recent cases is essentially due to the case against News International which owns the News of the World (a British paper). The particular allegations and convictions relating to phone hacking might end up being an extremely expensive error of judgement by the British newspaper.
Andy Coulson, who had previously been the editor of the News of the World and is now the British Prime Minister’s communications director, a top earning civil servant position, has been under substantial pressure since the list of legal claims continues to escalate.
Many may claim that the trouble really began back in September 2010 when The Times (another UK newspaper) revealed that according to News of the World journalists, Andy Coulson encouraged reporters to unlawfully access voicemail messages and that he had been present throughout numerous discussions on the matter.
Despite this, the Crown Prosecution service ruled in December 2010 that there had been insufficient evidence to charge Andy Coulson regarding claims that he was aware of the phone-hacking at the newspaper. Apparently, people who made the suggestions weren’t ready to present admissible evidence.
In 2006, private investigator Glenn Mulcaire’s home got raided by the police as part of the newspaper phone hacking investigation. Until recently the evidence collected from the raid was not revealed, but now London solicitors have been able to pressure the Metropolitan Police to at last disclose the findings.
This may lead to millions of pounds being compensated by The News of the World, provided the evidence demonstrates that the newspaper’s telephone hacking was on a widespread size rather than just one individual.
A further and much more considerable impact of these cases may be the impact it may have on the Prime Minister’s director of communications, who would be the man accountable for such procedures. It is possible that under such strain his position may be untenable.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see how solicitors in London, such as IBB Solicitors, react to the reports, potential effects and any consequences proceeding into 2011.