Nicola Thatcher

Nicola advises clients at the pre-publication stage on any libel risks and helps to edit text to minimise such risk.

• Advised on books by investigative journalists, assessing the evidence and advising on truth and public interest defences.
• Advised on memoirs which make damaging allegations, helping to back up evidence or amending text to disguise identities.
• Advised on fiction books which reference real people.
• Advised on fictional film scripts which reference real people.

Nicola advises clients at the pre-publication stage on any risks of infringement of privacy or data protection rights and helps to edit text to minimise such risk.

• Advised on memoirs which describe family life and personal relationships.
• Advised on wellbeing books by therapists, helping to ensure the privacy rights of patients featured in case studies are protected.
• Advised on the publication of personal correspondence.

Nicola advises clients at the pre-publication stage on any risks of infringement of copyright and helps to edit text to minimise such risk.

• Advised on books which quote from other literary copyright works, including song lyrics, ensuring use came within the one of the fair dealing defences.
• Advised on the use of photographic and artistic copyright works in books within fair dealing.
• Assisted with trimming and paraphrasing of quoted literary copyright works to come within fair dealing.

Nicola advises clients at the pre-publication stage on any risks of breach of confidence and helps to edit text to minimise such risk.

• Advised on books based on the confidential internal correspondence within a company and the application of a public interest defence.
• Advised on books containing commercial information.
• Advised on books by doctors and healthcare therapists using case studies of patients.

Nicola advises clients at the pre-publication stage on any risks of infringement of registered/unregistered trade marks and passing off, and helps to edit text to minimise such risk.

• Advised on unofficial and unauthorised books about celebrities and rock bands.
• Advised on the incidental inclusion of a trade mark on the front cover of a book.
• Advised on the use of trade marks within the text of books.

Nicola provides pre-publication legal reports and collaborates in the editing process.

• Maintained relationships of over 20 years with major book publishing clients. Advised on the full range of non-fiction and fiction material including memoirs of celebrities, politicians, musicians, and sports people, unauthorised biographies, misery memoirs, humorous books, and wellbeing books.
• Advised smaller, independent publishers.
• Advised magazine publishers.
• Advised authors who choose to self-publish.
• Advised political think-tanks.

Recommended by The Society of Authors

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Reputation management 2021–2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Media and entertainment 2021–2023