Fiona Shackleton is regarded as one of the best family lawyers of her generation, but one peer is prepared to go further, calling her ‘one of the leading family lawyers of all time’. About anyone else this might sound like hyperbole, but not Shackleton. She alone among those in this list is not only known for representing celebrities but is a celebrity in her own right. But for all the glitz that accompanies the ‘Steel Magnolia’, as she has become known, her reputation hinges on technical skill and imagination. She ‘has outstanding judgement and flair and cuts to the chase’, says another observer.