Gill Phillips
Gill Phillips is a solicitor who works as an editorial legal consultant for a number of NGOs and not-for-profits, advising on a range of content-related matters including defamation, privacy, contempt of court and reporting restrictions. For over 10 years she was the Director of Editorial Legal Services at The Guardian News and Media (GNM). In that capacity she was involved in the Trafigura super injunction case, and has advised GNM publications on Wikileaks, Edward Snowden, and various big data leak stories such as the Panama and Paradise Papers. She also co-authors McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists.
Summer Conference Event
— Talk
25 June 2026
Lessons Learned from Defending Investigative Journalism Against Legal Claims
In April 2021, in a series of articles, the Guardian broke the story of multiple accusations of bullying and sexual misconduct against Noel Clarke, a British actor, director and producer. Clarke later sued the Guardian for libel, seeking up to £70 million in damages.
Past courses
Summer Conference Event
— Talk
26 June 2025
Are the UK’s Contempt of Court Laws Fit for Purpose in the Digital Age?
In this session, we will look at the UK law on “contempt by publication” as set out in the 1981 Contempt of Court Act and discuss whether that law - post the Lucy Letby trial (where an article in The New Yorker was geo-blocked) - and the Southport killings (where the police appeared to believe the law restricted what they could say about the perpetrator of the stabbings, so allowing misinformation to spread), is no longer fit for purpose in the digital age.
Summer Conference Event
— Class
26 June 2025
How to Avoid Getting Sued: Right to Reply/Invitations to Comment
Pre-publication Right to Reply (R2R) and Invitation to Comment (ITC) are a key part of the investigative journalist's armoury. It is important that journalists are aware of these and how best to deploy them.
Summer Conference Event
— Class
3 July 2024
How to Avoid Getting Sued: Right to Reply/Invitations to Comment
Pre-publication Right to Reply (R2R) and Invitation to Comment (ITC) are a key part of the investigative journalist's armoury. It is important that journalists are aware of this and how best to deploy them.
Summer Conference Event
— Talk
28 June 2023
Josie Stewart: Whistleblowing and the British State
In the wake of the chaos surrounding the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Josie Stewart, then a senior official at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, became concerned that the truth was not being told by the government and talked to a journalist.
