We are pleased to announce that Hannah Porter, associate at Carson McDowell, our Next Generation Media Lawyer of the Month (August)! Congratulations Hannah.

Hannah graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast in 2014 and qualified as a solicitor in 2017. She is also admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in England and Wales.

After working in-house for a global corporation, Hannah returned to private practice and specialises in all aspects of media law, including defamation, privacy, reputation management, data protection and pre-broadcast/pre-publication advice. Hannah is ranked as an “Associate to Watch” in Defamation & Reputation Management in the Chambers UK Legal Guide.

Hannah provides ongoing advice and representation for the majority of news publishers operating in Northern Ireland, including in relation to challenging reporting restrictions, anonymity orders and matters of contempt of court. Hannah provides pre-broadcast clearance advice for various television production companies, and regularly advises a number of US headquartered social media platforms.

Find out more about Hannah and her journey into media law below.

What made you decide to become a lawyer? And why did you decide to specialise in media law? 

Truthfully, I had no idea what career I wanted to pursue and, when I was considering university courses, law seemed like a good degree to keep my options open. I worked as a researcher/runner for a television production company over the summer holidays in my later school years and through university. It was hard work but a lot of fun, and seeing my name in the end credits of a TV programme always gave me such a kick. It was only when I had a career chat with the company’s Head of Legal and Business Affairs that I had a sort of lightbulb moment where I realised just how important lawyers were in the media industry. I took a short course in media law in my final year of university to learn the basics and, after I qualified as a solicitor, I worked in the in-house legal team for the media and marketing department of a global corporation. I moved back to private practice but was able to take all the skills and experience from TV production and the corporate world with me, and I still love seeing my name in the end credits of a TV show - just under a different title now.

Tell us about a time where you had to stay motivated and inspired when faced with challenges or setbacks.

In Northern Ireland, to qualify as a solicitor you must complete two years at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, where your time is split between lectures, tutorials and working in a firm under the guidance of a “master”. After months of preparation for the entrance exam I passed, but my place was conditional on securing a training contract.

This is notoriously the most difficult part of getting in to the IPLS, and I sent personalised letters, submitted detailed applications and made phone calls to every firm I could think of. I sat through some painful interviews for various firms (“If you could invite three people to a dinner party, dead or alive, who would you choose?”…), received rejection letters from others and, most disappointingly, radio silence from the rest. Facing constant rejection at the very beginning of life outside of the university bubble was so disheartening and made me start to reconsider if a legal career was for me.

Eventually, I was offered a job as paralegal in a great firm with the potential for a training contract the following year. I was delighted to finally be given a chance, even if it meant having to re-apply to the IPLS and resit the entrance exam. When I started classes at the IPLS the next year, I was immediately grateful for my paralegal experience, as I had already worked on cases that involved a lot of the areas of law we were learning about. Everything does happen for a reason!

Which public figure has inspired you and why? 

There are plenty of public figures I find inspiring, but I am mostly inspired by my family and my husband who have all shown and taught me love, kindness, ambition and respect.

Which new law enacted in your lifetime (and not related to media law) has had the most impact on you personally?

A tricky one! The enactment of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, and its variations across the UK & Ireland, was literally life changing for a lot of people who are very important to me, and is a massive step forward in terms of equality generally. I also imagine my childhood could have been very different if it weren’t for the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and the huge change it represented.

What advice would you give to aspiring lawyers?

In this career, you really do learn something new every day. Be willing to learn, ask questions, and embrace the changes (even if you have only just got your head around the previous legislation/case law). The role of a lawyer is continuing to evolve, and this can be used to your advantage to figure out what works best for you.

In an alternative universe where lawyers didn’t exist and every job was paid exactly the same – what would be your job and why?

A fair-weather dog walker. I love dogs and I’m always trying to beat my own weekly step count. As long as it didn’t rain, I would be in my element!