The matching of Fiona Shackleton, lawyer for Sir Paul McCartney and Anthony Julius, who is acting for Heather Mills, is replay of another high-profile contest that took place more than a decade ago.

Ms Shackleton, now with the law firm Payne Hicks Beach, famously acted for the Prince of Wales when he divorced Diana, Princess of Wales. The man opposing her was Mr Julius, of Mishcon de Reya.

Both lawyers will have charged an estimated £500 an hour for the McCartney case, putting them top of a league table of “most mentioned lawyers” in the past 12 months. That alone is likely to generate jealousy in family legal circles, where it is regularly pointed out that “Julius is a litigator who doesn’t usually do divorce – it’s only because of Diana”.

True or not, Mr Julius, 51, whose nickname is Anthony Genius, has a reputation as a tough negotiator possesed of a brilliant brain, which can make him seem aloof, if not at times a little arrogant.

He took a first at Cambridge and then gained a PhD on T. S. Eliot and antisemitism. He combines his legal practice with academic work, including lecturing as well as writing.

He is also known for defending the Deborah Lipstadt, the Jewish American author, in the libel case brought against her by the historian David Irving. His first marriage ended after 21 years and in 1999 he married the journalist Dina Rabinovitch.

Fiona Shackleton, 51, known as the “steel magnolia”, could not be more different. Despite obtaining a third at Exeter University, she has had a highly successful legal career.

Married to a financial PR consultant, her somewhat Sloaney but warm personality appears to be the antithesis of quieter, erudite Mr Julius.

She is a doughty if realistic fighter for her clients and believes strongly in mediation.

“A courtroom is a barbaric venue in which to pick over the carcass of a failed marriage,” she has said.

Although she reportedly fell out favour with the Palace over the Paul Burrell affair, she still advises Princes William and Harry.

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