Date: Tuesday, 19 September 2023
Time: From 5.30 pm – 8.00 pm (discussion 6.00 pm – 7.15 pm, followed by drinks)
Location: Fox Williams, 10 Finsbury Square, London, EC2A 1AF
Beneath the lights of scrutiny and the blaze of public attention, how do we navigate our clients’ paths? How do we maintain reputation, manage crisis, and provide legal counsel amidst the whirlwind of a media storm?
Get an insider perspective on recent scandals that have gripped the UK and the world. Take a deep dive into real cases where princes, celebrities, business leaders and other high-profile individuals found themselves under the microscope of relentless media coverage.
SPEAKERS (full bios below):
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Sam McAlister – Former BBC Newsnight producer and author of “Scoops: The BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews from Prince Andrew to Steven Seagal“, and Executive Producer on “Scoop”, the Netflix film currently in production based on Sam’s memoir, starring Gillian Anderson, Keeley Hawes, Billie Piper (playing Sam) and Rufus Sewell.
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Nick Cosgrove, Partner, Brunswick Group, and former Business Presenter on the flagship Radio 4 Today programme
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Joanna Chatterton, Partner, Fox Williams
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Nick Vamos, Partner, Peters and Peters
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Clare Murray, Managing Partner, CM Murray LLP (Chair)
Our distinguished panel will cover a number of wide-ranging themes including:
**PR Disasters**: Deconstructing the Prince Andrew Newsnight debacle and other infamous media mishaps. Learn where they went wrong and how such PR nightmares could have been avoided.
**Mastering the Art of the Interview**: The elements that make for a successful media appearance. From style and content to body language and messaging, what truly resonates with audiences and how to prepare your clients for their time in the spotlight.
**Knowing When to Hold Back**: Not every client should face the camera. Learn how to make this critical judgment and to persuasively advise your client to step back when they aren’t in a position to convince the audience.
**Navigating the Media Storm During a Workplace or Parliamentary Investigation**: When criminal allegations are involved and police are carrying out inquiries, the media attention intensifies. Gain insights on how to manage this media frenzy without compromising the integrity of the investigation or the reputation of your client.
This fascinating panel discussion is designed for:
💼 Senior executives and founders
💼 Lawyers and other professional advisers
💼 Reputation management specialists
💼 HR professionals
Share in their collective wisdom and bring back valuable insights to your own practice. Join us for an evening of compelling conversation, networking, and drinks in the fantastic setting of Fox Williams’ offices.
REGISTRATION:
Space is limited. Confirm your attendance as soon as possible to secure your spot. Register here
Attendance is free for IFSEA Members, and also for First Time Attendees at an IFSEA mid-year in- person event (apply for First time Guest Pass here).
Non-Members and non-First Time Attendees: attendance fee – £50 plus VAT.
IFSEA Membership:
Apply to become an IFSEA Member, and part of this very vibrant community of professionals interested and involved in senior executive and founder issues around the world, by clicking here.
Speaker Bios:
Sam McAlister
Former Newsnight producer and author of Scoops: The BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews from Prince Andrew to Steven Seagal
Sam McAlister is a BAFTA-nominated interviews producer who has negotiated with everyone from Buckingham Palace to The White House, Tesla to Facebook. With skills honed over a decade in the BBC’s elite news programmes, notably BBC Newsnight, she is used to persuading reluctant individuals to participate in a news programme renowned for its rigour and bite.
Exclusives include, most famously, that interview with HRH Prince Andrew — but also Sheryl Sandberg, Prime Minister Trudeau, President Clinton, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Elon Musk, James Comey, Stormy Daniels, Julian Assange, Trevor Noah, Amy Schumer and Eric Schmidt.
Her book “Scoops” has been optioned for a Netflix movie with Billie Piper playing Sam and Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis.”
Nick Vamos
Partner, Business Crime specialist, Peters and Peters
Nick is the Head of Business Crime and Investigations at Peters & Peters. He has over 20 years’ experience in international, high-profile and sensitive matters.
As a former senior Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) leader, Nick applies his unique insight and expertise on behalf of individual and corporate clients across the full range of international and financial crime, including extradition, mutual legal assistance, fraud, regulatory investigations, money laundering and export controls.
Since January 2020, Nick has represented the Post Office in the largest series of criminal appeals in UK legal history and, since August 2022, he has led the team advising Boris Johnson in respect of the Privileges Committee inquiry into whether the former Prime Minister misled Parliament over ‘Partygate’.
Before joining the firm, Nick was Head of Special Crime at the CPS, overseeing the most complex casework including corporate manslaughter, election fraud, police corruption and deaths in police custody. He also held the three most senior international prosecution posts: Head of Extradition; Head of the UK Central Authority for Mutual Legal Assistance; and liaison prosecutor in Washington DC working with the Department of Justice.
Joanna Chatterton
Partner, Employment Law specialist, Fox Williams
Described in Chambers as “An excellent lawyer who is very responsive, practical and helpful” Joanna is an experienced employment partner whose clients value her expertise in dealing with tricky employment issues. Her work for employers generally involves matters with strategic implications and sensitive reputational and regulatory concerns. She has extensive experience successfully supporting clients through complex and high value discrimination and whistleblowing claims and is an expert in the interaction between employment law and regulatory law, frequently working closely with our specialist regulatory lawyers.
Joanna’s experience in management at Fox Williams gives her an in-depth understanding of the strategic and business context in the management of employee and partner relations.
She has strong connections with a large number of senior executives and partners whom she has advised on job moves, handling grievances and contentious exits, bringing tribunal claims, managing the regulatory implications of accusations of misconduct and the potential constraints imposed by restrictive covenants.
Nick Cosgrove
Partner, PR Consultant, Brunswick Group, and former Business Presenter on the flagship Radio 4 Today programme
Nick advises clients on a wide variety of communications issues, including financial, corporate, media, advocacy and crisis. Nick joined Brunswick in December 2010 after 12 years as a journalist at the BBC. Whilst at the BBC, Nick was a Business Presenter on the flagship Radio 4 Today programme.
At Brunswick, Nick acts as a senior consultant to clients that have included, Barclays, GlaxoSmithKline and EDF Energy. He has advised on a range of high-profile situations including Trinity Mirror’s acquisition of Northern and Shell, the defence of Akzo Nobel from PPG and Provident Financial’s defence of a hostile takeover bid from Non-Standard Finance.
Clare Murray
Managing Partner, Employment and Partnership Law specialist, CM Murray LLP (Chair)
Clare Murray is the Founder and Managing Partner of CM Murray LLP, specialising in partnership and employment law.
Clare acts for US and UK professional services firms (particularly in the legal sector), and for equity partners in professional services and investment management firms. She has particular expertise in the strategic handling of partner conduct and performance issues, partner exits, team moves and restrictive covenants, as well as partner discrimination and whistleblowing complaints and litigation.
Clare has advised on many sexual harassment matters in law and accounting firms, and in multi-national organisations, and has extensive experience of representing complainants, firms and employers, and those accused of alleged harassment. In January 2018, Clare gave expert evidence to the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee in respect of its Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Inquiry. In March 2018, Clare was appointed as the specialist adviser to the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee in respect of that Inquiry.
Clare played a leading role in the creation of the Professional Practices Alliance. Clare is also regarded as a market leader in providing strategic advice to senior executives, founders, US and multi-national companies with UK operations, and US and UK law firms, on their employment law issues. Many of the employment law matters in which Clare is involved are cross-border. Clare was instrumental in setting up global employment law alliance Innangard, and Innangard Executives.
