LAWYER IN THE NEWSWho? Ron Birkett, 55-year-old partner at Cartwright King, a four-partner firm in Nottingham.Why is he in the news? Represented actor James Hooton, better known as Sam Dingle in the ITV soap 'Emmerdale', who was cleared last week of hitting a fellow Millennium Eve reveller over the head with a champagne bottle.

Mr Hooton and another man - who has also been acquitted - were arrested after a drunken brawl in Nottingham city centre.

Mr Hooton said it was he who had been attacked, and he had picked up the champagne bottle in self defence after a chase through the streets.Background: Law degree at Liverpool University 1965-68, followed by Law Society Finals at Liverpool College of Commerce.

Qualified in 1971 as a court clerk with Liverpool High Court.

Moved to Nottingham Magistrates Court in 1971, and was deputy clerk to the justices from 1975-77.

He entered private practice in 1977 with Nottingham firm Cleggs, where he was until earlier this year when he moved to specialised criminal practice Cartwright King.

He qualified as a solicitor-advocate in 1998, and presented this case in court himself.Route to the case: 'Mr Hooton's father is a long-standing client'.Thoughts on the case: 'My client was attacked after an altercation outside a pub.

He was cut on the forehead in the scuffle, but because his attackers approached the police first, he and his friend were the only two to be arrested.

Mr Hooton's celebrity status started the incident off, but as a result of the court case he has had to be written out of the programme's storyline for the last month or two.

We're hopeful that he'll be back on "Emmerdale" very soon'.Dealing with the media: 'I find it quite a thrill, quite a challenge.

The press were present throughout the trial, but they were generally good to us and respected my client's privacy.

He's now considering various offers for his story from Sunday tabloids'.Victoria MacCallum