Who? Alex Tribick, 31-year-old partner at WH Matthews & Co in Staines.


Why is he in the news? Represents Colin Stagg, who is set to receive a compensation payout from the Home Office as the victim of a miscarriage of justice. Mr Stagg spent 13 months on remand before an Old Bailey judge ordered his acquittal in 1994 for the 1992 murder of Rachel Nickell. Another man, currently in a secure mental institution, is expected to be charged with Ms Nickell's murder soon, after DNA evidence exonerated Mr Stagg and allegedly implicated him. There has been media speculation that Mr Stagg is to receive a sum of around £250,000 in compensation - considerably higher than the £90,000 awarded by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to Ms Nickell's son Alex, who was two when he witnessed his mother's murder on Wimbledon Common. The figure to be awarded to Mr Stagg under the discretionary fund will be decided by an independent assessor. He may also be entitled to compensation from the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.



Route to the case: 'Colin just rang me out of the blue.'



Background: Law degree and legal practice course at Anglia University before training at WH Matthews & Co's City office. After qualifying in 1995, he moved to the Staines branch and was made a partner last year.



Thoughts on the case: 'I'm delighted that an award is to be made - anything that helps Colin's position can only be a good thing. The case has had a profound effect on his life; whether he will be able to truly recover from that, only time will tell. This award may go some way to compensating him for the distress the whole matter has caused. The sum of £250,000 quoted widely in the press is pure media speculation, and the discussion over the discrepancy in awards between him and Ms Nickell's son is not helpful. The mechanisms for dealing with compensation for victims of crime are entirely different from those for victims of miscarriages of justice, so it's pointless to make a comparison between the two figures. I suspect the media don't understand this - they just see pound notes.'



Dealing with the media: 'Colin came to me because he was aware I take the view that where the media has a role to play, you should work with them rather than shy away from them, in order to ensure an accurate picture is portrayed. There has been a gradual shift in attitude towards Colin as the case has developed and further facts have come to light. He's now portrayed in a considerably more positive light.'



Catherine Baksi