BBC NewsBorrowing was £17.4bn last month, the second highest October figure since monthly records began in 1993.
Christopher Jackson
Nigel Tait, Managing Partner at Carter-Ruck, enters not with fanfare, but with a calm authority, courteous, composed, and that particular brand of lawyerly calm that comes from decades spent keeping other people’s reputations and privacy protected from media attacks. As with many media lawyers, there’s a distinct sense that he could tell some extraordinary stories but of course, they’re all confidential and Tait is far too discreet to tell them, which is exactly why clients and referrers alike trust him.
That discretion is part of the job and it’s precisely because of his steady hand that Tait is known in legal circles as “the doyen” of media law. Many lawyers’ websites make grand claims, but in Tait’s case, it’s no exaggeration. Over the years, he’s been at the forefront of some of the UK’s most high-profile privacy and defamation cases. But as we sit down in his smart Fetter Lane office; appropriately low-key, yet at the very heart of legal London what emerges is not just a career of highlights, but a story of personal and professional evolution against the backdrop of a rapidly shifting media and legal landscape.
From Francis Pym to Front Page Stories
Rewinding to the beginning, Tait’s entry into the profession didn’t come with a grand masterplan. In fact, he laughs as he recalls his trainee interview at Carter-Ruck saved, he says, by his last-minute glance at the back cover of Francis Pym’s Politics of Consent. I hadn’t read much of the book by the time of the interview but was asked what I was currently reading and what I thought of it. On the back cover a reviewer had stated that it was hard to disagree with what the author said, so I used that as my answer which obviously worked, he quips, because I received an offer.
Over a career of almost 40 years, Tait has become a central figure in the defence of individual privacy and corporate reputation in the UK and beyond. His professional life has spanned the rise of the internet and the explosion of social media, making the early days of his career almost unrecognisable compared to today. It’s a story of rapid and at times alarming change.
The Changing Face of Law
“When I started,” he says, “it was telex machines, then faxes. Now, a defamatory tweet/post can reach millions in minutes and the legal consequences need to move just as fast.”
Tait has had a front-row seat for that transformation. Carter-Ruck, its reputation originally forged for its defamation and privacy work, has a now long and notable presence in Parliamentary, sanctions and International Arbitration law, advising MPs, global business leaders, companies and heads of state.
Adaptability has always been at the cornerstone of a good legal adviser but for a media law firm evolution isn’t just important its essential. ‘To operate consistently at this level the firm has had to be ahead of the issues our clients face from the intricacies of digital platforms and global reputational risk to evolving concepts of privacy and the balance of freedom of expression’ Tait says. Tait knows this means not only keeping pace with (and in his case developing) the law but shaping his advice so it reflects the realities of the 27/7 media environment his clients and all of us face. Tait says “clients want clarity, speed and strategy and a real awareness of the issues they’re dealing with”. “But above all they want results”.
That evolution was recently recognised with the 2024 Citywealth Award for Reputation Management Law Firm of the Year, and it continues to sit comfortably in Band 1 of the legal directories. Tait, Spear’s magazine reputation lawyer of the year, as usual, underplays his own role in that success.
A Legal Career in Three Acts
Asked to break down the role for aspiring lawyers, Tait offers a neat framework. “There are really three stages in claimant media law,” he says. “Pre-publication that’s the firefighting stage, trying to prevent the breach of privacy/confidence or defamation before its published which occasionally may have to involve going to court to seek an injunction. Then there is post-publication where you deal with the aftermath and seek redress. But much of our work involves keeping clients out of trouble and away from the media spotlight in the first place.
Standout moments? Tait has had plenty including PJS v News Group Newspapers, a landmark privacy case that went to the High Court, the Court of Appeal twice and finally to the Supreme Court where the UK’s highest court granted an injunction to prevent misuse of private information. It was certainly one of the high points of my career say’s Tait.
Women Who Inspire: Championing Equity in Law
One of the less talked-about but deeply significant strands of Tait’s career has been his long-standing commitment to inclusion particularly the advancement of women in the legal profession. At Carter-Ruck, he supported and encouraged the Women Who Inspire (WWI) initiative, a network designed to spotlight, celebrate and empower female professionals in law and beyond.
The initiative hosts high-profile guest speakers from across business, law, media and politics from BAFTA-nominated producer Sam McAlister, best known for securing the Prince Andrew interview for Newsnight, to Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, a tireless voice for civil liberties. “These are women with extraordinary stories and impact,” says Tait. “We wanted to create a space where young female lawyers and students could hear and see what’s possible.”
It’s more than just a speaker series. WWI now also provides mentoring, career development support and a community of shared experience. “The challenges for women in law are often structural and cultural,” Tait reflects. “We’ve got to be intentional about changing that. Not just in policy but in practice.”
Legacy and Leadership
For someone with such a storied CV, Tait remains focused on the future. “I love working with young lawyers and watchdog them grow into their careers and I am still learning myself from others.”
What’s the one thing he hopes young people take from his story?
“Don’t be afraid of complexity,” he says. “And never forget that what we do affects real lives. At its best, media law is about dignity giving people the tools to tell their story, or protect it, when it matters most.”
As I leave his office, I realise that while the media landscape may be ever-changing, figures like Nigel Tait provide the kind of consistency the world still badly needs calm in the storm, and clarity in the noise.
