Supplementary memorandum submitted by Marcus Partington,

Chair, Media Lawyers Association

 

 

Following my letter to you of 25 January, and the letter from Mark Thomson at Carter-Ruck of 26 February, I have received a letter from another partner at Carter-Ruck, Nigel Tait.

 

The reason we wrote the letter of 25 January was because we were concerned that Mark Thomson's answer - "our fee at the moment is £400 an hour, which is about the standard rate in the industry" - could be understood by the Committee as being their standard rate in all cases when, as Mark Thomson's letter to you of 26 February clarifies, the rate of £400 an hour is Carter-Ruck's base rate in CFA cases.

 

Mr Tait is concerned that my letter to you alleges that Mark Thomson was guilty of deliberately misleading the Select Committee by giving a knowingly false answer. He asks us to withdraw that allegation.

 

There was no intention on the part of the MLA to suggest that Mark Thomson had deliberately misled the Select Committee by giving a knowingly false answer and if our letter has been read in that way then we withdraw that allegation.

 

2 March 2009