Who? Alex Tribick, 28-year-old assistant specialising in criminal, employment, neighbourhood disputes, personal injury and general litigation in the Staines office of London-based WH Matthews.

Why is he in the news? Acting for Colin Stagg, who this week wrote to the chief constable of the Metropolitan Police offering to provide a DNA sample in a bid to prove he did not murder Rachel Nickell.

The move followed recent reports that a sample of Ms Nickell's DNA had been found.

Mr Stagg was cleared of the 1992 murder after police evidence was thrown out in 1994 when the 'honeytrap' operation used to elicit a confession was ruled inadmissible.

But despite continually protesting innocence, Mr Stagg says people still believe he killed the 23-year-old former model on Wimbledon Common in London.

Background: Law degree and legal practice course at Anglia University, Chelmsford, 1991-95.

Trained and qualified at the City office of WH Matthews from 1995 before transferring to the Staines branch.

Route to the case: 'Colin Stagg contacted me out of the blue on my mobile phone one Saturday in June and said: "You don't know me but I'm quite well known".

He'd done a bit of homework and found out about me.

My background is a mixture of white-collar crime and civil litigation, which I suppose fitted his requirements because he's after a broad spectrum.

I have done high-profile cases - I was instructed on the leading trade mark case of R v Johnson, where an appeal was brought by the Queen and was lost so it was taken to House of Lords and the Queen lost there as well.

He was getting fed up with the adverse publicity he was receiving from some of the newspapers.'

Thoughts on the case: 'That public opprobrium and perception inevitably leads to one having a certain view and forming a certain opinion.

However, now that I have looked at the matter, those preconceived views have had to change very, very rapidly.

It seems to me that a man who has been acquitted has had a very difficult time over the last ten years and what he wants to do is clear his name - even though he was acquitted.'

Dealing with the media: 'It can be quite intrusive and, for the uninitiated, demanding because when you are hanging on the phone it tends to dominate your day.

There needs to be careful time management to ensure that all your other clients get the service they deserve.

But it is also important in cases like this to think that, rather than shy away, the media can be positive and can be used to ensure that an accurate picture is portrayed.

That is so much better than to providing the standard lawyerly "no comment".'