Who: Amber Melville-Brown, 41, is a consultant solicitor at David Price Solicitors & Advocates in London and the Gazette's media columnist. She specialises in media law, reputation management, privacy and defamation.

Why is she in the news? Ms Melville-Brown is acting for Robert Brown, the 52-year-old accountant from Jersey who believes he may be the illegitimate son of the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret.

Although previously denied permission to open the sealed wills of both Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by the president of the Family Division, the Court of Appeal has granted permission to appeal, saying there may be a 'general public interest' in ending the tradition of royal wills remaining sealed while other wills are available for public scrutiny. The judges made it clear they considered Mr Brown's claim to be 12th in line to the throne to be unfounded.

Background: Graduated from University College London in 1989 with a degree in French and Italian. She took her conversion course and Law Society finals at the College of Law in London. She did her articles at Simons Muirhead & Burton in London, was later appointed head of defamation at Finers Stephens Innocent and then made partner at Schillings in 2002. She set up her own consultancy at David Price Solicitors & Advocates in October 2003 and is a regular College of Law author/trainer and newspaper columnist/contributor.

Route to the case: 'I advised Robert Brown on an entirely unrelated matter at Finers Stephens Innocent. He was initially acting as a litigant in person in this matter, I went on the record to assist him in finding counsel to represent him.'

Thoughts on the case: 'There is a statutory presumption in favour of a right of inspection by any member of the public and of openness of wills in general... Wills may, on application, be closed if it is deemed "undesirable or otherwise inappropriate" for them to be open to public inspection, but there are no provisions for the wills of members of the royal family to be differentiated from the general public. In our modern society there is a need for transparency for those in positions of power and privilege. Continuing to keep these wills closed, and the reasons for their closure secret, is at odds with this need.'

Dealing with the media: 'The media serves a vital role as the eyes and ears of the public. By reporting on this case, it is highlighting to the public the existing anachronistic inequity, the legitimate aim of the application that Robert Brown has made, and the significant impact that the ultimate ruling might have.'

Anita Rice