The Mail on Sunday disclosed in December that Sir Nicholas, who was one of Britain’s best-known divorce lawyers before being appointed a judge last year, had left his wife of almost 30 years for a relationship with the widow.
The two were seen outside Ms Saunders’s £2.2 million home in Markham Square, West London, where her husband Mark, who struggled with alcohol and drugs, was shot during a siege in May 2008.
Earning up to £500 an hour, Sir Nicholas earned the nickname ‘Mr Payout’ because of the large sums he won for wives. His past clients have included Sir Paul McCartney, in his divorce from Heather Mills.
Mrs Saunders, 40, who uses her maiden name of Clarke in her career as a barrister, is said to have worked closely with Sir Nicholas on cases in the past.
There is no suggestion that their affair began before the death of her husband Mark, but it is thought they were seeing each other when she attended the high-profile inquest into the shooting in October.
