We are pleased to announce Bird & Bird Senior Associate, Tom Moore, as our Next Generation Media Lawyer of the Month (June)! Congratulations Tom.

Find out more about Tom and his journey into media law below:

Recently promoted to Senior Associate, Tom sits in the Dispute Resolution group, specialising in reputation protection and crisis management, as well as commercial disputes, particularly in the media, entertainment, tech and sport sectors.

Working with a number of high profile corporate and individual clients on defamation, privacy, data protection, breach of confidence, harassment and copyright issues, Tom’s clients operate in a large variety of sectors including, amongst others, the music, film, television and gambling industries.

Tom was recognised as a 'recommended lawyer' in Reputation Management by The Legal 500 in 2021 and 2022. He also obtained Higher Rights of Audience in August 2021 becoming a qualified solicitor-advocate.

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

When my “career” as an aspiring musical icon collapsed, I needed to find another path. Music was my life at that point, and so I took what I thought was the easiest route to working in the music industry – studying to become a lawyer. During my training contract, my interests diversified to include the world of defamation and reputation management, which I found (and continue to find) exciting and challenging, and now I’m pleased to say makes up the majority of my practice.

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

When I was a paralegal many years ago, after including a typo in a draft letter, I was told by an associate that I might not be cut out to be a lawyer. That felt crushing at the time but was  accidentally a hugely motivational moment. Proving that person wrong pushed me to succeed – even if I still make the occasional typo.

3. Since starting your legal career the press landscape / how journalists operate has changed dramatically. What trends have you noticed?

When I started working in this area, we were already well into the 24-hour news cycle and social media era, so for me personally there hasn’t been a big change in terms of journalistic approach. While there does seem to have been something of an increase in ‘scoop’ culture, leading to shorter response deadlines, I’ve equally seen a focus, particularly in broadsheet publications, on producing longer, in-depth pieces involving dozens of allegations. These types of matters have a distinctly different pace to them in terms of our work. Whether it’s the ‘scoops’ or these ‘exposé’ type pieces, the priority now is on beating out the competition in terms of viewing figures.

What has changed in the last few years for me is a ramping up of tribalism in terms of the lawyers working in this area, which is unfortunate, and I hope can be reversed. In the last year, I have diversified my practice to include a fair amount of defendant defamation work, which I had limited experience of previously, so that has given me a bit of perspective on things.

4. Which public figure has inspired you and why?

David Bowie. His career was a perpetual commitment to change, ambition and creative thinking. Our day jobs might differ, but these are principles we can all aspire to. 

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

So I’m not allowed to say the Human Rights Act? The Equality Act 2010 is obviously a big one in terms of protecting individual rights. On a more petty and selfish level, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is quite useful and is the only piece of legislation I’ve ever cited in a personal email.

6.  What advice would you give to aspiring lawyers?

Ask lots of questions, however silly you think they are, and listen to the answers. It’s the only way to develop your knowledge and also understand the profession before you do it. Whether it’s during vacation schemes or work experience, or just when talking to lawyers you meet, take advantage of the insight and experience of people who have been on the journey before you. You will find lots of patient people willing to help you if you show an interest in the work they do – lawyers love to talk about their practices.

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

I would of course reignite my dormant musical career and headline the alternative universe equivalent of Glastonbury.