Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards 2011 - finalists announced

The criminal defence solicitor who won freedom for Munir Hussain after he was jailed for assaulting a man who had broken in his family home; and a family lawyer who challenged apparently unassailable 'hair strand testing' evidence, leading to laboratories changing their procedures, have been shortlisted by judges at this year's Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards.

The winners in the nine award categories will be announced by Cherie Booth QC at a ceremony in London on 28 June.

Among those shortlisted is Razi Shah, of Appleby Shaw in Windsor, who successfully appealed against a custodial sentence for Munir Hussain, who had been convicted of GBH on an intruder who had threatened his family with a knife. Mr Hussain was initially jailed for 30 months; his brother Tokeer's sentence was reduced from 39 months to two years.

Lorna Cservenka, of Hanne & Co in London, was praised by the judges for her exceptional work in a care proceedings case, where a mother stood to lose her children if was found to be abusing alcohol. Despite a test result apparently showing the client was drinking again, Lorna believed her client's protestations, and succeeded in establishing the test was flawed. The young woman, whose children have been returned to her, wrote in support of Lorna's nomination: 'She believed what I was saying and was relentless in getting more information on hair strand testing and helping me challenge the results.'

Also shortlisted in the Family Legal Aid Category are Kuljit Lally, of Adams Moore in Luton, and Michael George, of Ridley & Hall in Huddersfield.

Kuljit specialises in domestic violence cases, and her nomination was supported by numerous women's aid organisations. She oversees the firm's 24-hour emergency line, which offers help in four different Asian languages (of which Kuljit speaks three).

Michael is praised for his ability to develop a rapport with his young, often distressed, clients. One client writes: 'Despite my background which, to be frank, is quite colourful, he has always made me feel important.'

The full shortlist is included below.

This year's shortlist showcases the level of legal aid talent in existence all over the country, including candidates from Huddersfield, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Pontypool, Southampton, Sheffield and the Wirral.

Nominations attracted support from clients, charities, judges, social workers, psychiatrists, journalists and broadcasters, among others. In a first for the LALYs, one of the nominations this year also included a testimonial from a police inspector from Cheshire Constabulary, who warmly praises Community Law Partnership's work for gypsy and traveller clients. 'Without the CLP, an incalculable number of individuals from what is widely accepted as one of the most marginalised communities would have no access to the basic legal services that the rest of us take for granted.'

NOTES FOR EDITORS

CONTACT DETAILS - Carol Storer Director of LAPG 07432104088 Fiona Bawdon 07740644474

The Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards are organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, as a unique celebration of the often unsung work of those in the public sector. This is their ninth year. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Globe Theatre in London on 28 June 2011.

SHORTLIST IN FULL

Criminal defence lawyer

Jane Hiatt, Footner & Ewing, Southampton Razi Shah, Appleby Shaw, Windsor Sarah Williams, Watkins & Gunn, Pontypool

Family legal aid lawyer

Lorna Cservenka, Hanne & Co, London Michael George, Ridley & Hall, Huddersfield Kuljit Lally, Adams Moore, Luton

Immigration lawyer

Smita Bajaria, Birnberg Peirce, London Chris Eades, Asylum Aid, London Bryony Rest, David Gray Solicitors, Newcastle

Young legal aid solicitor

Sara Lomri, Bindmans, London Baljeet Sandhu, Refugee Children's Rights Project (Islington Law Centre), London Polly Sweeney, Irwin Mitchell, Sheffield

Young Legal Aid Barrister

Steve Broach, Doughty Street, London Chris Buttler, 4-5 Gray's Inn Square, London Adam Sandell, Matrix, London

Legal Aid Barrister

Justin Ageros, 4 Paper Buildings, London John Nicholson, Kenworthy Chambers, Manchester Marc Willers, Garden Court, London

Mental Health

Rheian Davies, DH Law, London Kate Luscombe, Duncan Lewis, London David McLaughlin, Edwards Duthie, London

Social & Welfare

Charlotte Collins, Anthony Gold, London Mathieu Culverhouse, Irwin Mitchell, Sheffield David Thomas, GT Stewart Solicitors, London

Legal Aid Firm/Not-for-profit Organisation

Community Law Partnership, Birmingham National Youth Advocacy Service, Wirral Public Interest Lawyers, Birmingham. Prisoners Advice Service, London

LALY SPONSORS

The LALYs are non-profit-making and would not be possible without the support of our sponsors:

The Law Society (principal sponsor)

Legal Action Group (media partner), Legal Aid Link (legal aid support partner)

Allen & Overy, Criminal Law Solicitors Association, Irwin Mitchell Legal Services Commission, Manches, Matrix, NatWest, Resolution, TikitTFB, Trimega Labs.