Caroline Kean

Caroline is a fearsome tactician with immense experience in resolving complex media disputes, ensuring her clients’ reputations and commercial interests are protected.

“I’m first and foremost a problem solver. Clients come to me because they have a legal issue or a question that they need answering – my job is to help them find a solution.

Sometimes that means issuing proceedings and sometimes it means being determined to go all the way to trial if that’s in that client’s commercial best interests. But that’s rare. Mostly it’s about taking the time to really understand the issues from that individual client’s point of view and working out a strategy that will resolve their problem. Success very rarely involves winning a trial or setting a legal precedent. For most clients, success means achieving their commercial requirements at a cost that’s right for them.

I generally work with clients who are involved in the media business, like publishers and Film & TV companies, but at any given time I can be dealing with issues for any of our clients. I never lose sight of the fact that while the client might be a company, the person instructing me is an individual who needs to demonstrate to their colleagues, their board, their shareholders, that they are in control of what can be bet-the-company issues.

As one of the firm’s founders, I was determined that Wiggin would be a place where people could be their best authentic self and I’m very proud of the firm we’ve created. I feel lucky to work with a team that are genuinely lovely to deal with but are driven, committed and deliver fantastic results for our clients.

I love being a litigator because for the time that I’m working on a problem I get to dive into my very different clients’ worlds and get up to speed on incredibly diverse matters. Every case is different and plunges you into a new world with a new set of issues – even after more than 30 years in the job it’s still genuinely fascinating. And of course, most of all, I like winning.”

Caroline is a legal advisor to Women in Journalism.