Clifford Chance has picked up the high-profile instruction from Linklaters, making it the fourth firm tasked with defending the media giant against civil litigation claims relating to the phone-hacking scandal at the now-defunct NoW. Farrer & Co was the first firm to be tasked with advising Rupert Murdoch’s NGN, before the mandate was switched to Olswang in 2011 and then to Linklaters in 2012.  

Another wave

NGN had already settled around 1,000 claims relating to its much-publicised use of phone-hacking, including a number of cases brought against NoW. Linklaters was appointed following a string of settlements to handle any outstanding litigation work on top of its existing role as legal adviser to parent company News Corporation’s management and standards committee. In April, the London High Court ruled that claims relating to NoW sister tabloid The Sun should also be allowed to proceed in litigation against NGN, opening the door for another wave of lawsuits. Sources: Legal Business; Legal Week