Hot 100: Victoria Jolliffe, 5RB

Jolliffe has found herself instructed more and more on cases involving reporting restrictions, Norwich Pharmacal orders and data protection, all likely to be increasingly important areas in the future.

Much of her work is advisory, although 2012 saw Jolliffe act for a consortium of newspapers seeking to have a trial involving Irish businessman Patrick McKillen heard in public, after the pre-trial stages were covered by a confidentiality clause.

Jolliffe also acted for a British Airways pilot seeking a Norwich Pharmacal order to discover the identities of posters on an internet forum who he claimed had libelled him. Jolliffe says that with the continued rise of the internet, Norwich Pharmacal cases will become more common in the future.

“Publicity has made people much more aware of potential remedies available to them and much more willing to pursue those remedies,” she says.

Jolliffe also thinks data protection work is likely to form a greater part of her practice in the future. She points out that the powers granted to the authorities by the UK’s Data Protection Act remain largely untested, giving the potential for future cases.

As all these areas grow in importance, expect Jolliffe to be at the cutting edge of any litigation.