Who? Richard Gifford, 60-year-old consultant at City firm Sheridans, who specialises in litigation.

Why is he in the news? Represented families from the Chagos Islands, who were exiled by the British government 30 years ago to make way for a US military base. They won the right to return home at the High Court in London earlier this month. The inhabitants of the 65 islands, known officially as the British Indian Ocean Territory, were expelled from their homes between 1967 and 1973 to make way for the American airbase on one of the islands, Diego Garcia. The islanders launched legal action in 1975, which prompted the UK to donate £4 million to a resettlement fund in full and final settlement. In 2000, a court ruled the expulsions were illegal, but in 2004 the islanders' return was prevented after the British government made orders in council under the Royal Prerogative, which reversed that decision and banned anyone from living on the islands. The High Court overturned the orders to prevent their return and ruled the actions had been unlawful. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has been granted leave to appeal, but has yet to decide whether it will do so.


Background: Law degree at Trinity Hall, Cambridge followed by Law Society finals at the College of Law and articles at City firm Theodore Goddard. He qualified in 1971, moving to his current firm, which was then called Bernard Sheridan & Co, in 1972. He was made a partner in 1975 and retired from the equity earlier this year.


Route to the case: 'I first got involved in this case because I was the chairman of the Anglo-Mauritian Association, due to the firm's connections with Mauritius.' The Chagos Islands were detached from the then British colony of Mauritius in 1965.


Thoughts on the case: 'This case has shown how vital is the role of English judges when a fragile and dispossessed community gets in the way of the interests of the superpowers, and it shows the power of the judges to uphold a self-evidently just and moral conclusion. However, it has also shown the limitation of the power of the judges, because after four benches have lamented the treatment of the islanders, no effective remedy has been devised or even suggested - all they can do is make declarations and quash offensive measures.'


Dealing with the media: 'The media has been essential in this case - it has been vital in raising the consciousness of the world community. We have consistently had strong and powerful support from the press and media since 1975, with some excellent documentaries being made. I have tried to keep the pot boiling to give the press something to report on, otherwise coverage can be short-term and the issue gets forgotten about once it has been in the news.'