Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2012 - 10th Anniversary

The Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards - which are into their tenth year - are being launched this month. Once
again, the Legal Aid Practitioners Group is calling for nominations in nine individual categories (see below).
The judges will also be making an award for Outstanding Achievement.

The categories are:

Criminal defence lawyer

Family legal aid lawyer

Immigration lawyer

Mental health lawyer

Social welfare lawyer

Young legal aid barrister

Young legal aid solicitor

Legal aid barrister

Legal aid firm/not-for-profit agency

A nomination form for the 2012 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards will be an insert in March and April 2012
Legal Action. Full details about the awards will also appear in both issues.

The nomination period runs until 27 April 2012.

The award winners will be announced at a presentation ceremony in London on 12th June 2012.

Put these dates in your diary and start thinking about who to nominate!

Legal Action is media sponsor of the 2012 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards

Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2011

PRESS RELEASE 29th JUNE 2011

PIONEERING FAMILY JUDGE TAKES TOP AWARD AT LEGAL AID ‘OSCARS’

Nicholas Crichton, the district judge behind the ground-breaking Family Drug and Alcohol Court, won the top award for Outstanding Achievement at last night’s Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards.

He was presented with his award by Doreen Lawrence, the respected campaigner for justice and mother of the murdered black teenager, Stephen, at a ceremony in London attended by over 300 people.

Mr Crichton was instrumental in establishing the FDAC pilot, which takes a far more interventionist approach to family cases and has proved highly successful in helping parents overcome their addictions and keep their families together.

The LALYs are in their ninth year and are organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group as a grassroots celebration of the work of the publicly funded sector.

There are 10 awards in total. Other winners this year include family solicitor Lorna Cservenka who broke new ground with a successful challenge to hair strand evidence which wrongly concluded her client in a child-custody case had been drinking heavily; and criminal defence solicitor Jane Hiatt, who found herself on the other side of the court room when her own son fell victim to a savage street attack.

Accepting his award, Mr Crichton, a former family solicitor, said that up to 90% of parents coming before his court in family cases have problems with addiction. ‘It is a massive problem. Somehow we have to find a better way of dealing with these cases – and I think we have found a way that works.’

In the FDAC pilot, which is being run at Wells Street Magistrates Court in Central London, the judge is part of a multi-disciplinary team, working with other professionals to help parents overcome their addictions. Parents see the same judge each time and have to account to him for their successes or failure since the last review.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL CAROL STORER 07801 593963

List of winners in full

 Outstanding Achievement – District Judge Nicholas Crichton

Criminal Defence – Jane Hiatt, Footner & Ewing

Family – Lorna Cservenka, Hanne & Co

Young Legal Aid Solicitor – Baljeet Sandhu, Islington Law Centre’s Refugee Children’s Rights Project

Young Legal Aid Barrister – Steve Broach, Doughty Street

Social & Welfare – David Thomas, GT Stewart Solicitors

Mental Health – Rheian Davies, DH Law

Immigration – Smita Bajaria, Birnberg Peirce

Barrister – Marc Willers, Garden Court

Legal Aid Firm/Not-for-profit-Agency – Prisoners’ Advice Service

CATCH THE LALY AWARDS ON YouTube.com

List of 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