Senior NSW politician
Falsely accused of corruption and perjury in YouTube videos.
- $715,000damages, plus costs
Defamation · Media · Reputation · Sydney
Your reputation, defended without compromise.
Sydney's top rated defamation and reputation management law firm. For more than 40 years we have acted for public figures, executives, corporations and the media in the matters that define careers.
Recognised by
- Chambers & Partners
- The Legal 500
- Doyle's Guide
- Best Lawyers
The firm
When one publication can undo a lifetime of work.
An article, a broadcast or a single post can travel further in an afternoon than a reputation took decades to build. In those moments you need counsel who has been in the room with Australia's largest publishers and knows how they respond.
Mark O'Brien Legal is a specialist Sydney practice. We advise discreetly, move quickly and litigate when it is the right call. Many of our most important results are the stories that never ran.
Fearless. Strategic. Discreet.
Pre-publicationAdvice to publishers and subjects before a story goes to print or air.
Defamation in New South Wales
How we protect a reputation.
Defamation law in NSW rewards speed and precision. A claim must generally be brought within one year of publication, and strict steps apply before proceedings can start. This is how a matter typically runs with us.
- First
Preserve and assess
We secure the publication and its reach, then test each imputation against the serious harm threshold and the defences a publisher is likely to raise.
Defamation Act 2005, s 10A - Second
Concerns notice
A precisely drafted concerns notice puts the publisher on formal notice and opens the 28 day window for an offer to make amends.
Defamation Act 2005, s 12A - Third
Contain the story
Takedowns, corrections and negotiated settlements, coordinated with your communications advisers so the response never amplifies the harm.
Crisis and media strategy - Fourth
Litigate to judgment
Where a publisher will not do the right thing, we run the case in the Federal Court or the Supreme Court and pursue damages, costs and vindication.
Federal and Supreme Courts
A story about you is about to run, or already has?
Call our 24/7 lineOur expertise
Where the stakes are personal and public.
Defamation sits at the centre of our practice. Around it, we handle the disputes, investigations and governance questions that tend to arrive alongside a reputational crisis.
Media, Defamation & Reputation ManagementPrincipal practice
Claims against mass media and social media publishers, defence of publishers, pre-publication review and crisis management.
Commercial Disputes & Litigation
High value contract, property, insolvency and professional negligence disputes, resolved by negotiation where possible and in court where required.
Corporate Governance & Directors' Duties
Directors' duties, shareholder disputes, regulatory investigations and crisis response for companies, charities and schools.
Corporate Crime & Investigations
Representation before ICAC and ASIC, and defence of white collar allegations including insider trading and money laundering.
Employment & Discrimination
Executive exits, restraints of trade, whistleblowing and discrimination claims, for employers and employees.
Recent outcomes
Results against Australia's largest publishers.
In 2025, Australia's leading media law publisher ranked Mark O'Brien Legal first for the highest average defamation awards achieved for clients between 2020 and 2024.
Billionaire businessman
Falsely accused by The Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC, including of bribing a President of the UN General Assembly. Two proceedings.
- $280,000damages, first proceedings
- $590,000damages, second proceedings
- Costsin both proceedings
Papua New Guinea politician
Falsely accused of corruption by The Australian Financial Review, then defamed again in a second publication.
- $465,000damages plus costs, first matter
- $265,000costs plus confidential compensation, second matter
International cricketer
Accused by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times of indecent exposure in a team dressing room. The jury found he was defamed.
- $300,000damages, plus costs
Prominent solicitor
Falsely accused by The Daily Telegraph of being unable to represent clients because of his age.
- $111,000damages, plus costs
Mass media publisher
Claim by an individual described as a sexual predator.
- Judgmentfor our client
- Indemnity costsordered in our client's favour
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. See all outcomes
One of the nation's most feared defamation lawyers.The Sydney Morning Herald, on Mark O'Brien
A highly knowledgeable media lawyer with deep industry understanding.Chambers Asia Pacific, Band 1 Media
One of the country's top defamation lawyers.B&T Magazine
Our principals
You deal with a principal. Every time.
Your matter is run personally by one of our principals from first call to resolution, never passed down the line.
MOMark Geoffrey O'Brien
FounderBand 1 media lawyer with over 40 years acting for media companies, public figures and corporations in defamation, intellectual property and commercial disputes.
PSPaul Svilans
PrincipalOne of Australia's foremost media lawyers, with over three decades defending and advising Australia's leading publishers and broadcasters.
SLSteven Lewis
PrincipalLitigator of more than 30 years who has run landmark cases in the High Court, Federal Court and NSW Court of Appeal, including class actions.
Confidential consultation
Speak with a principal today.
Everything you tell us is confidential. If a publication is imminent, call us directly so we can act before it runs.
- Urgent
- 02 9216 9827 · 24/7
- Overseas
- +61 2 9216 9827
- Office
- Level 10, 16-18 O'Connell Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Join a leading media and commercial practice.
We are always interested in hearing from driven, proactive lawyers who want to work on matters of national significance.