Trusted Legal Support for High-Stakes Situations
At Payne Hicks Beach, we provide expert legal advice in managing and responding to crises, offering comprehensive support in matters involving reputational risk, regulatory scrutiny, and high-profile legal disputes. Our crisis communications legal services are trusted by leading businesses, family offices, private individuals, and General Counsel navigating sensitive, fast-moving events with legal and public consequences.
Whether you are facing a corporate investigation, media exposure, litigation, a cyber breach, or a high-profile employment issue, our lawyers offer calm, strategic and commercially focused advice to protect your legal position and your public reputation.
Our Crisis Communications Legal Expertise Includes:
Reputational Risk Management
We advise on pre-emptive and reactive strategies to protect and restore reputations. Working in tandem with PR consultants and internal teams, we ensure all external communications are consistent with your legal obligations and strategic goals.
Media and Privacy Law
Our team is experienced in managing unwanted media attention, defamation, data breaches, and misuse of private information. We work swiftly to stop the publication of damaging or inaccurate material, obtain injunctions where necessary, and handle reputational recovery.
Litigation and Dispute Management
In contentious matters, such as whistleblower allegations, regulatory action or commercial disputes, we guide clients through legal strategy while mitigating reputational fallout. We assist with media-sensitive litigation, internal investigations, and managing external narratives.
Regulatory Investigations
Our lawyers advise on responding to investigations by UK regulators including the FCA, SFO, ICO and HMRC. We support internal communication strategies, ensure compliance with disclosure obligations, and coordinate messaging with legal defence and public affairs.
Employment and Internal Misconduct
We provide legal support during crises involving executive misconduct, discrimination, whistleblowing or internal investigations. We help organisations manage communications internally and externally while safeguarding legal rights and minimising reputational harm.
Cybersecurity Incidents
We work with cybersecurity experts and crisis PR advisers to manage breaches involving personal data or commercially sensitive information. Our team advises on ICO notifications, regulatory compliance, media response and stakeholder reassurance.
Strategic, Discreet and Board-Level Ready
What distinguishes Payne Hicks Beach is our ability to combine technical legal excellence with strategic, real-world insight. Our advice is board-ready, media-aware and designed for environments where every word—and every decision—counts.
Clients choose us for our discretion, speed of response, and ability to work alongside corporate leadership, PR professionals and risk consultants. We are frequently brought in at short notice to coordinate cross-functional responses to sensitive developments.
Whether advising General Counsel, executive leadership, or high-net-worth individuals, we act with the highest levels of confidentiality and authority, offering legal clarity and calm during moments of pressure and complexity.
"An excellent team that works collaboratively with clients and Counsel – adapted well to remote and hybrid working, and always ready to go the extra mile."
Contact Our Crisis Communications Legal Team
If you are facing a live crisis or preparing for potential reputational risk, speak to our expert lawyers today. Our crisis communications legal team offers swift, strategic advice that safeguards your position while helping you communicate with confidence.
KEY INSIGHTS
April 17, 2025
Privacy law expert Hanna Basha, Partner at Payne Hicks Beach wrote an insightful column for The Time...
Read more
Privacy and Media Law expert Hanna Basha comments for Law360 on the Government’s proposed curbs on ‘strategic lawsuits against public participation’ (SLAPPs)
March 23, 2022
With the UK government taking evidence on how it can change the law to make it less costly and easie...
Read more
Privacy and Media expert Hanna Basha advocates for UK ban on social media for under-16s.
November 12, 2024
Leading privacy and media expert Hanna Basha, recently spoke out on the UK’s proposed ban on socia...
Read more
