The good, the bad, and the ugly.

It used to be said that there was no such thing as bad publicity.

I’m not so sure that that is as true as it used to be, but I bet a guy called Waymouth is certain that it’s definitely not true, or at least not for him.

In case you haven’t read about him, Waymouth was unhappy with his solicitor, and wrote a negative review about them.  That review has just cost him £25,000 no doubt plus interest and costs, and probably his own costs too.

The law firm was able to show that there were aspects of Waymouth’s review were not genuine (such as the fact that he had agreed to take it down if the law firm paid him to do so) and that it was causing a drop in business for the firm (so they were suffering from bad publicity).  Probably the nail in his coffin was the fact that he had accused the firm of being a scam, when there was no evidence to suggest that they were and he had no reason to believe that statement to be true.

My assumption is that the law firm will have the last laugh, because their success in court will almost certainly give them some great publicity.  Not only has the judge confirmed that they are not a scam and had the review removed, but their status as successful litigation firm is no doubt enhanced.

So if you’re going to write a review of anyone (law firm or otherwise) make sure you can show that you have an honest and genuine reason for believing what you are saying is true, and you’re not just saying it out of spite or with an ulterior motive.

On the other hand, if you are the victim of inaccurate reviews, the Courts are willing to help you, so long as you can show that the person making the complaint has no real reason to believe that what they are saying is true, and it is damaging your business.

Kleyman & Co Solicitors.  The full service law firm.  4.2 out of 5 on Google Reviews!