In a somewhat ironic failure of reputation management, Farrer & Co's Head of Reputation Management is to be prosecuted by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Julian Pike is accused of advising News International, the publisher of the News of the World, that it should spy on solicitor Mark Lewis and barrister Charlotte Harris, who were acting for victims of phone hacking carried out by the newspaper's journalists. He is also accused of subsequently hiring a private detective to obtain details of their personal lives.

In 2011 Pike was subject to a scathing report on Newsnight which aired the allegations. He was subject to more unwelcome publicity after admitting that he knew that his client had misled Parliament. At the time a spokesman for the SRA said that covert filming of opposing lawyers may have breached its principle requiring solicitors to act with integrity. A mere five years later, it has decided to prosecute, with the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal certifying that there is "a case to answer".

  Pike and his defence team yesterday 

The SRA has alleged that in the course of advising the Murdoch machine on its defence of civil proceedings for phone hacking, Pike gave advice "to the effect that his client should undertake or commission surveillance" of the lawyersHe is also accused of hiring the private investigator to investigate his opposition "without proper justification for doing so". 

Pike's hearing and chance to prove his reputation-managing skills is expected next month. Meanwhile, News International has dumped Farrers and is now being advised on its phone hacking issues by Clifford Chance. Farrers did not respond to a request for comment, but went through RollOnFriday's bins and has drilled a hole through the ceiling. Hi Julian!
 
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