Ben Ullmann’s star shines through the reputation world, under the guidance of David McDonough, who recently rebranded his firm Norris McDonough to Sanctuary Counsel.

Pagefield Global and co-founder Stuart Leach have had a superb year. ‘What we’ve got now is a really good collection of former practising lawyers and other communications professionals,’ he explains. ‘We’ve just taken on two new lawyers from DLA Piper and Levy Kaufmann-Kohle. Alex Just [see page 80] and I still have our practising certificates. We attach to the legal team and it helps with privilege.’ Leach explains his approach: ‘Where we are is in analysis in identifying risks inherent in the dispute, then planning for those and handling the execution. We want our clients to move on from the best possible position.’ This then, is a remarkably rigorous firm committed to a highly strategic and atomistic approach. But Leach is also expert at the human side of the job. ‘Sometimes you work with people the media hate,’ he says. ‘In reality, with what they’re now involved with, they’re the good guy. How do you get over that? I’ve worked with people who, if they walked across the River Thames, the media would say, “They can’t swim!” You have to level the playing field and make sure the media report the facts.’ Leach is also adept at reverse due diligence. ‘You have to ask the direct questions: “Is this or is it not true?” Clients need to know it’s in their best interests. I don’t want any surprises. If a really good journalist did their best piece of work, what would they find?’

Fiercely protective of his clients, Duncan Lamont says that when a newspaper is asking questions about a client, it is often enough just to ring its legal department and threaten an injunction. He describes one case where he ‘took a bit of a stick’ to every inaccuracy in a Guardian article, getting it to ‘pick on someone else’. Lamont’s client base includes TV broadcasters and producers – not to mention HNWs, journalists, sports stars and celebrities. What clients want in a potential crisis, he argues, is ‘confidence and a clarity’ that their adviser has seen it all and knows what they’re doing. With 30 years’ experience and a mastery of his discipline, Lamont certainly delivers on that.