The High Court trials hold the potential to reveal more details of wrongdoing by NOTW and deliver further damaging publicity about the invasiveness of hacking and the distress of victims.
Rupert Murdoch's News International is thought to have prepared a legal fund of £100m to settle civil litigation actions brought by victims of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal ahead of a High Court showdown in the new year.
In total 800 people had voicemails intercepted by the NOTW, according to the Metropolitan Police, indicating that Mr Murdoch's UK newspaper group potentially faces hundreds more claims for damages. Lawyers acting for the existing round of claimants, mostly famous entertainers, sports people and terrorism victims, are thought to be in the final stages of negotiation in several cases, with settlements expected to be imminent.