Schillings media litigation partner Gideon Benaim is leaving the firm after a 13-year spell which has seen him represent a string of high-profile clients including footballer Ryan Giggs and author JK Rowling.

Benaim is currently on gardening leave, and his next destination is as yet unknown.

He famously represented Ryan Giggs (pictured) when the Manchester United star obtained an injunction to prevent the media reporting on his affair with model Imogen Thomas. The injunction was subsequently broken on Twitter, after which Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming used parliamentary privilege to publicly reveal Giggs' name.

Benaim also acted for Harry Potter author JK Rowling after she was accused of plagiarism.

Schillings chief executive Rod Christie-Miller commented: "After 13 years with the firm Gideon wanted a new challenge. We remain committed to helping our corporate and private clients to protect their reputation and privacy. We continue to grow by helping corporate and individual clients proactively identify and mitigate reputation and privacy risks, which has allowed us to create two new partners from within the firm earlier this year in Jenny and Chris."

Benaim's departure, first reported on RollOnFriday today (8 June), comes as senior associate Matthew Himsworth has also handed in his notice. Including Benaim, the firm currently lists seven partners and 10 solicitors on its website.

The news comes as the firm – whose celebrity clients have also included Naomi Campbell, Madonna and Nicolas Cage – confirmed it has cancelled its graduate recruitment programme and rescinded contracts for trainees due to start in September.

In a statement, Christie-Miller said: "We have reviewed our staffing requirements and have determined that we do not need to add to our current and planned group of trainee solicitors."

The firm would not confirm how many trainees have been affected.