Marcus Rutherford
Reed Smith Who? Marcus Rutherford, 52-year-old partner and commercial litigator at City firm Reed Smith.


Why is he in the news? Acts for Peter Settelen, voice-coach to Diana, Princess of Wales, and owner of six video tapes discovered during a police search of butler Paul Burrell's home. The tapes, which have been the subject of a bitter dispute between Mr Settelen and Diana's estate, had been in police custody for more than a year. The police asked the High Court to decide which party they should be delivered to - with the likelihood that the tapes would be played in court - when Diana's estate relinquished its claim last week and Mr Settelen retrieved custody of the tapes.



Background: The College of Law and articles with Booth & Blackwell in London, qualifying in 1976. Worked as a lawyer in Kenya, returning to DJ Freeman in the City in 1981 and becoming partner there a year later. Moved to Reed Smith in May this year.



Route to the case: Recommendation by a junior minister.



Thoughts on the case: 'Peter is not just a voice coach, he also helps people to understand who they are and build up their confidence. In one of the tapes in question, he asks her questions about her life, feelings and relationships. She is very open and direct, and apart from the interview with Martin Bashir, this is the only video record of her talking about herself. There has been a lot of talk over whether Peter Settelen will sell the video to a broadcaster - but he has only just got the tapes back, and he does not want to speculate at this stage... This is material that will certainly be in the public domain at some point, because it is a historical record. It will probably be good if it does, as it will end speculation about what is on the tape - there are no tears, for example. This is Diana's voice, not friends or butlers. She does touch on Charles and Camilla, but it is not intended to be that sort of thing. It is about her finding her voice, remembering when she was at her strongest.'



Dealing with the media: 'I have done a lot more important cases in my career, but never one that has attracted so much media attention. I am dealing with the media on a daily basis, receiving 20-30 calls from journalists every week - and I have done ever since I started to act for Peter. By talking to the media, you can stop some of the worst aspects of press attention, such as my client being doorstepped. In fact, I do not think Peter has talked to any of the press, as I have been able to shield him from the attention.'