Anna Johnston

Anna is a Partner in the firm. She has over a decade of experience successfully acting on a wide variety of claims, from complex media and reputational disputes to commercial, product liability and medical negligence claims.

She is a skilled litigator prized by her clients for her clear and pragmatic advice, forensic attention to detail and agile approach to strategy. Clients remark that Anna is fair but firm in her approach to the opposition.

Anna has represented a range of clients from household names to private individuals. These include in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

She advises on all aspects of media law such as defamation, breach of confidence, misuse of private information, harassment, phone and email hacking and breach of intellectual property rights (copyright). Anna has achieved substantial settlements for her clients involving remedies such as injunctions, record damages as well as private letters of apology, retractions and take down of articles and publications.

Anna has acted in complex medical negligence claims, achieving highly successful settlements for her clients. She also has expertise in high-value professional negligence, medical product liability and personal injury claims.

Anna prides herself on taking an agile and client-centric approach to claims. Guided by years of experience working on highly sensitive and confidential matters, Anna works hard to build a strong sense of trust with clients, who are confident she will always fight their corner and see that justice is done.

Anna is also fluent in Polish and has successfully acted for a number of Polish speaking clients bringing claims in this jurisdiction.

Contact Anna Johnston

DD: 020 7427 5297

Media and Privacy Claims

Privacy – misuse of private information – injunction – internet publication – contested jurisdiction – blackmail – harassment

Successfully acted for a Claimant in a High Court claim for misuse of private information, harassment and blackmail. Anna successfully brought an interim injunction which was upheld at the final hearing. Notably, this was the first case to consider jurisdictional matters applying a previous EU judgment on data protection in the context of misuse of private information. A copy of the judgment can be found here.

Privacy – misuse of private information – Data Protection Act 1998 – data protection

Successfully acted for a Claimant on a claim for misuse of private information and breach of the Claimant’s rights under the Data Protection Act 1988 which included an unlawful disclosure of the Claimant’s private information by a public official to the press.

Various v. MGN - privacy – misuse of private information – phone hacking – group action

Anna has acted for a number of high-profile and also private victims of press intrusion in respect of unlawful information gathering by Mirror Group Newspapers and hacking of their personal information by the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People newspapers. For over a decade, Anna has extensive group action experience and successfully settled numerous claims, including achieving the highest ever settlement in this litigation.

Various v. NGN - privacy – misuse of private information – phone hacking – group action

For over a decade, Anna has acted both for high-profile individuals in the media and entertainment industry, as well as private individuals who have experienced egregious press intrusion by News Group Newspapers, publishers of the News of the World and The Sun. Anna has achieved record settlements for her clients which include obtaining novel and bespoke remedies as well as substantial damages.

Various v. ANL - privacy – misuse of private information – phone hacking – group action

Anna acts for a number of high-profile and well known individuals against Associated Newspapers Limited in respect of unlawful information gathering by the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.

Personal Injury & Medical Negligence Claims

Medical negligence - damages

Anna has successfully acted for claimants on a number of no-win no-fee medical negligence claims which have settled before trial. She prides herself on her empathetic approach towards clients and leading the claims towards swift and successful settlements, allowing claimants to focus on their recovery without the need for lengthy litigation.

Anna has experience in acting on a range of personal injury and medical negligence claims such as severe musculoskeletal injuries, spinal and nerve injuries, as well as vascular, renal, and orthopaedic claims. Anna’s past claims include successfully acting on behalf of claimants suffering from compartment syndrome, soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries, as well as actions against Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and claims against insurers.

Anna is fluent in Polish and has particular expertise acting on personal injury claims for those in the UK-Polish community.

Harrods Litigation (Mohamad Al Fayed abuse claims)

Personal injury – harassment – vicarious liability - compensation

Anna acts for victims of abuse by Mohamad Al Fayed and Harrods, which includes guiding clients through the compensation scheme or advising them on a no-win no-fee basis in respect of bringing claims for damages in the High Court. Anna has extensive experience with compensation schemes and is able to expertly advise on their suitability in providing redress for victims, including in regard to the level of payout.

Medical Product Liability Claims

Personal injury – medical negligence – consent – vicarious liability – medical product liability – damages - compensation

Anna acts for clients who have been injured by defective medical products. This includes investigating and bringing claims for damages in the High Court or guiding clients through damages payment schemes. Anna is dedicated and knowledgeable in this area and is able to provide expert legal advice to those injured by defective medical products, such as faulty medical devices and COVID-19 vaccines.

Commercial Disputes

Commercial dispute – breach of contract – Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 – cross jurisdiction – injunction

Anna successfully acted for Defendants to injunction proceedings resulting from a multi-jurisdictional film co-production agreement. The injunction was successfully set aside and the Claimants’ claim was struck out with permission to appeal refused. A copy of the judgment can be found here.

Commercial dispute – breach of contract arising from sale of a company

Anna successfully acted for a Claimant in a commercial dispute arising from the sale of a company. A copy of the judgment can be found here. Anna also successfully defeated the Defendant’s appeal, which was refused.

University of Aberdeen 2010 English Literature and Linguistics (MAHons)

BPP University London 2012 Law (GDL & LPC Hons)

Joined Taylor Hampton in 2012

Qualified as a solicitor in 2015

Fluent in Polish

“Anna Johnston showed a high level of professionalism and skill in packaging my case, giving me every confidence that we could achieve the best result. I really felt safe in Anna's guidance, as every outcome and different scenario was carefully explained to me, thus allowing me to adopt the best strategy as the case moved forward” – former client

“I would like to say once again thank you to the entire company and the lawyers who were closely involved in my case, especially Anna Johnston, Rosalind Fraser, and Francis Leonard. From the very beginning of my case, when I was informed that there was a chance of winning—even when I had moments of doubt—my lawyers provided me with support. My questions were always answered, and I was kept informed about the progress of the case. Thank you once again for your support, professionalism, and for bringing my case to a very successful conclusion. I would recommend Taylor Hampton as they are efficient, hard-working and professional. Thank you” – former client

“Anna Johnston, Francis Leonard and Rosalind Fraser were such a supportive team, attending sensitively to every detail of my family’s claim. Their patience in explaining our options at each stage of the lengthy process was outstanding. We had such confidence in their advice and competence and strongly recommend them to future clients. They worked so closely together as a team that there was no time wasted - just calm, focused and effective” – former client

“After finding out that I had been illegally hacked, I didn’t really know what to do. Taylor Hampton stepped in, guided me through the whole process making it a stress free situation to deal with. Whilst no one would want to be in this situation, having a company who made you feel looked after certainly gave me great comfort. I would recommend them to anyone” – former client

Multi Award Winning Media Solicitors