What is reputation?

According to the Shorter Oxford Dictionary, reputation is ‘the general opinion or estimate of a person’s character or behaviour etc; the relative esteem in which a person is held’. A well known judge put it more succinctly (for once) when he said, many moons ago, that a man’s reputation is ‘what other people think he is’.

It is what others think – the dictionary’s ‘relative esteem’ – which the law of defamation protects. If words make others think less of you, you have the basis of a defamation claim.

It is often thought that the law will only protect the reputation of the individual. Of course, reputation is not limited to individuals. If words make others think less of almost any institution then a defamation claim may be available. We have helped restore and maintain the ‘relative esteem’ of countless individuals, businesses and public bodies, both in highly confidential and very public matters. If you would like any information on the work we do in this area, please contact:

Max Cole
Tel +44 (0)20 7440 7416
max.cole@mishcon.com