Mishcon de Reya consultant Anthony Julius made his first court appearance as a solicitor-advocate on Tuesday (11 January) when he defended American writer Deborah Lipstadt against defamation claims by British historian David Irving.
Mishcon's only solicitor-advocate since qualifying last July, Julius will assist lead counsel Richard Rampton QC and junior counsel Heather Rogers from 1 Brick Court.
Irving alleges that Lipstadt, a professor of modern Jewish and Holocaust studies at Emory University in Atlanta, defamed Irving in her book Denying The Holocaust. Irving's claims include the allegation that Lipstadt tarnished his reputation by alleging his writing "applauds the internment of Jews in Nazi concentration camps". The historian is also suing the publishers, Penguin Books.
The High Court trial will tie Julius to Mishcons full-time, and is expected to last four to six months. The former head of litigation and de facto managing partner, had been working part-time to devote more time to his writing career.
Julius, best known for advising Diana, Princess of Wales, said: "Becoming a solicitor-advocate was a way of developing the litigation practice and helping the firm maintain its premier position."