Grabiner charges a grand per hour

Two years ago Grabiner, head of chambers at One Essex Court, set his rates at £800 an hour. A spokes-person for One Essex Court has confirmed the £1,000 hourly rate.

The spokesperson said that while Grabiner usually charges a fixed price for handling a case, he would expect the fees to break down to £1,000 an hour.

Grabiner, who is also chairman of Green's Arcadia Group, is best known within the Labour Party for advising the Chancellor Gordon Brown on an inquiry into benefits fraud.

The highly respected silk has acted for Guinness, Lord Archer and News International, and last year successfully represented Carlton and Granada in the Football League's £178m claim against them following the collapse of ITV Digital.

Solicitors who instruct Grabiner told The Lawyer they would expect to pay him £1,000 an hour.

"He's the best, and that's what you pay for," said one.