At the London Book Fair this week, common discussions with publishers reveal a shared challenge: how to create bold, distinctive books that stand out in a crowded market while managing the legal risks associated with telling powerful stories. In this environment, nuanced legal advice that protects both the publisher and the editorial voice is essential.

For true crime producers, in most cases naming the perpetrator will be a given. They will have been arrested, charged and convicted by a court of law, usually to a lengthy custodial sentence. But what happens when the person is still a suspect and, for whatever reason, there is no conviction on which to hang the allegations against them?