Hughes believes that those lawyers who persuade their clients to go to the press are simply trying to further their own career, rather than the needs of their clients. It can even be damaging not just for the case, but also for the firm involved. But at the end of the day, she concedes that if a client wants publicity, there is very little she can do to stop them. There's nothing to stop a client talking to the press or instructing Max Clifford - you can't really stop anybody telling their story. Press attention is a huge tool in manoeuvring them into a generous settlement.
Stars rely on their image.
If there's something going to appear in the media which is potentially damaging to their image, their appeal or their ego, then they're very anxious to stop it. They won't want a messy divorce played out in front of the public, they would want it quietly settled. They wouldn't want the wife or the husband talking about all of the nasty, terrible things they're guilty of. It's damaging to them. Manches partner Richard Sax disagrees with Clifford's point of view.