Clifford Chance is now the legal adviser to News Group Newspapers (NGN), replacing
Linklaters on work related to the phone-hacking scandal at the defunct News of the World tabloid.
The news of the fourth time the Rupert Murdoch-owned publisher has changed counsel comes from
Private Eye via
Legal Business.
The publications say that Clifford Chance officially took over from Linklaters on Friday, 23 September with all claimants notified of the change.
After the hacking scandal peaked in 2011, News of the World ceased publication, ending the tabloid’s 168-year run.
Initially, NGN instructed Farrer & Co as it solicitors. Olswang snagged the work in October 2011 after being instructed in July 2011 to craft a company code of practice from scratch.
The following year, Linklaters was chosen by NGN to advise on all pending civil litigation related to the phone-hacking scandal.
Linklaters was also advising parent company News Corporation, specifically its management and standards committee.
According to
Legal Business, NGN, which publishes
The Sun, has settled more than 1,000 claims. Phone hacking victims scored a major win in April after being given the green light to fil claims against
The Sun.
Various reports noted that other firms including Atkins Thomson, Bindmans, Burton Copeland, Collyer Bristow, Mishcon de Reya and Simon Muirhead Burton have also been tapped by NGN for legal work.
