LAWYER IN THE NEWS

Who? Razi Mireskandari, 47-year-old partner and head of civil litigation at Simons Muirhead & Burton in London.

Why is he in the news? Acting for author Shirley Conran and artist Gillian Ayres in a potential negligence claim after hundreds of artworks were destroyed in a warehouse fire last week.

A million pounds' worth of Ms Ayres' paintings, some of which belonged to Ms Conran, went up in the blaze, which also engulfed works by Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin and the Chapman Brothers.

The art was being stored on an East London industrial estate in a structure that also housed explosive gas canisters.

Background: Degree in international relations at Sussex University, graduating in 1978, then Masters in Law of the Sea at Keele University in 1979.

CPE at Birmingham Polytechnic in 1984, and Law Society finals at the College of Law in Guildford in 1984.

Articles at Calvert Smith & Sutcliffe in Richmond, transferring to present firm in 1985.

Qualified there in 1986 and made partner in 1989.

Route to the case: Has acted for Ms Conran for years and the firm is known for its media and art work.

Thoughts on the case: 'We want to establish whether [storage company] Momart took all reasonable steps in storing these items.

There are definitely questions to be answered.

Given the priceless and irreplaceable nature of the works of art, one would expect the same standard of security as any major museum, including metal screens in case of fire.

What is particularly upsetting for Gillian is that the paintings were her entire 1984 exhibition, and so a whole chunk of her life has disappeared.'

Dealing with the media: 'I was interviewed by Jon Snow on Channel Four news about this case.

I have dealt with a lot of high-profile clients in the past (the band Oasis, Paula Yates, Jarvis Cocker) and I always find that as long as you are straightforward with the media, it is fine.

The only problem is that they all 'phone at the same time with the same questions, which can be frustrating.

The media are a wonderful source of information for lawyers - they have gone to look at the site where the fire took place and interviewed people, and published the information.

Lawyers often forget that.'

Rachel Rothwell