An Essex law firm is considering a defamation action this week against a former client who has set up a 'parody' Web site making allegations against the practice.

Moss & Coleman in Hornchurch has so far been unable to get the site removed because it is hosted outside the UK.


It is the second law firm to find itself recently targeted by a specially-created Web site with a domain name based on the firm's own name, and highlights the difficulties of acting against the site author.


Gerald Harrington, partner at Moss & Coleman, said: 'It is very difficult for firms to get these so-called parody sites taken down. IT experts have told us it is hopeless, because although you can approach the domain name hosts, who will then take it down, the author can get the site re-hosted with another host within a matter of minutes.


'We have got counsel's advice on getting a blanket injunction, but this could interfere with freedom of speech. However, we now believe that the change in the language on the site means that it is defamatory.'


The site details the author's dispute with the firm, which he had instructed on a housing matter. Following a Law Society investigation, he was awarded £500 for client-care issues. The site includes offensive language towards the firm.


However, the author, Rick Kordowski, denied the site was defamatory.



He told the Gazette: 'The strong language used is simply a layman's expression of disgust at the service I have received.



'The fact is that under article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, I have the right to freedom of expression to voice my complaint.'


Meanwhile, a law firm in the north-west of England was the target of a separate Web site campaign. A partner at the firm explained: 'In our case, a client who had been gazumped in a housing transaction held us responsible, though we were not. He made no complaint to the firm and paid his bill, but then six months later the site appeared, with untrue allegations.


'The site was UK-based, so we wrote to the Internet service provider who took it down, but [the author] then bounced it off to a non-UK site, adding in that "they are trying to shut me down". There was also a comments section on the site.


The Web author reached a settlement with the practice after the firm issued defamation proceedings in the High Court. Ownership of the domain name was transferred to the firm in return for not pursuing costs against the Web author. The firm also made a gift to charity as a gesture.


The law firm has now bought the domain name of every possible derogation of the firm's name, such as .com, .co.uk, and .org. The partner added: 'After what we went through, I would recommend to any law firm that they should buy up every version of their firm's name. If you don't, you are leaving yourself wide open. You can't please all the people all of the time, and it only takes one IT-literate client, or even another lawyer, to set something up.'


A Law Society spokesman said it had been notified of around 24 Web sites launched by disgruntled clients targeting law firms in recent years.