Everyone was so proud – rightly – to be a legal aid lawyer and to work in this sector, which is offering such vital, life-changing support to clients across the country. Yes, there were individual winners, but the night also felt like a win for legal aid generally, in a time of incredible adversity.

After his commendable work representing Awaab Ishak’s family in the inquest into their two-year-old son’s death, it was no surprise that barrister Christian Weaver won the night’s first award. He ‘gave the family a voice and directly challenged the parent-blaming and racism that defined Awaab’s death’. Christian also set up the YouTube video series, ‘The Law in 60 Seconds’, which aims to make the law more accessible to young people. Christian said: ‘I was living here in London, my friends were getting stopped and searched, and I thought that it would be useful for there to be a resource to educate people on their rights.’

Introducing this award, Symeon said that it ‘recognises people working behind the scenes who are vital for keeping their organisations going and able to deliver justice’. Katayoon Zare, the winner, is an office manager at TRP Solicitors, a specialist immigration firm. As a refugee herself, she uses her own experience to inform the quality care and support she offers the firm’s clients. After accepting the award, Katayoon said: ‘The people who come to us, they need to be taken care of … I do my best to help them in any way that I can. I’m really happy that they are happy with what I do.’

Kathryn Cronin’s career, which spans over 40 years, more than warrants her winning this coveted award. Symeon described her as being committed ‘to access to justice and equality before the law for all vulnerable children and adults in our society’. Kathryn praised Garden Court Chambers for supporting her throughout her career and drew attention to the ‘comradery’ that is created by the legal aid community. She urged young lawyers to ‘seek the assistance [that is available] around you’ in this tightly bonded sector.

‘She is a shining light in the darkest part of society.’ These were the words of one of Catherine Bond’s clients, who continued: ‘She is a wonderful human being and I feel privileged to have had her in my corner.’ With such glowing praise, it was no surprise Catherine won the criminal defence award. ‘It’s rewarding work and I feel privileged to do it,’ she told the crowd. ‘I will continue to fight for every client that I represent, to give them hope for the future.’

Described as being ‘at the forefront for promoting legal protections for all,’ Alison Stanley has specialised in immigration law since 1984. ‘This award celebrates lawyers whose work has never been more needed,’ Symeon gravely remarked, and it seemed only fair that Alison was recognised for her tireless, long-standing commitment to the field. Alison was unable to attend the ceremony and her colleague Roberta Haslam collected the award on her behalf. ‘She’s really sorry not to be here,’ Roberta told the crowd. ‘She didn’t know she was being nominated!’

Alia Lewis is known for her ‘astonishing methods to raise awareness of autism and other forms of neurodiversity in the family courts’. Her passionate and dedicated work earned her the children’s rights award. ‘There is such little understanding in relation to neurodiversity,’ Alia said. ‘That’s why I’m pushing for mandatory training … which will hopefully ensure that the best results will be achieved for these very, very vulnerable children.’ She highlighted how important it is that everyone working with these children has a proper, fair understanding of neurodiversity.

As Head of the Family Department at RLE Law, Victoria was described as a ‘highly respected advocate who goes above and beyond to help clients navigate the complexities of the family justice system’ by a barrister colleague. Accepting the award, Victoria highlighted the impact of the cost of living crisis on her clients. ‘It’s created a whole new level of pressure on clients in what is already a tremendously pressurising situation … This award is really for my clients … some of the most vulnerable people living down in the South Wales valleys.’

The next award was one of the most heartwarming of the evening. Chris Johnson received the fourth nomination of his career, during which he has been at the ‘forefront of defending the rights of Gypsies and Travellers’. He is a founding partner of the highly respected Community Law Partnership in Birmingham. Despite a challenging career, he has remained ‘entirely committed and entirely undeterred from his mission’. Chris’s win attracted one of the biggest cheers of the night. Receiving his award, he joked with Helena that it was for ‘oldest lawyer of the year’, before going on to praise his clients’ unwavering resilience.

The ninth prize of the night was awarded to Deighton Pierce Glynn (DPG), a specialist civil rights and judicial review firm. It was nominated for its work helping ‘Afghan nationals who were refused relocation to the UK through official government schemes’. The whole team was on stage to accept the award, and Daniel Carey, one of DPG’s partners, told the crowd of the intense highs and lows of these cases. ‘There were a couple of sleepless nights,’ he said, when clients who had been refused entry to the UK were imprisoned and tortured by the Taliban. However, the team agreed it was all worth it to ensure that people were brought to safety in the UK.

Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) was awarded for its tireless and dedicated work to provide advice and support for asylum-seekers and immigrants. Helping almost 5,000 people per year, it has been described as ‘an oasis of legal aid provision in the desert of the North West’. Denise McDowell, GMIAU’s director, paid tribute to the team and their clients. ‘They’re the reason we’re here and … why we’ll still be here in the future.’

The final nominated award of the evening was given to Nusrat Uddin of Wilson Solicitors for her work in public law and human rights. She specialises in acting for survivors of modern slavery and trafficking and a recent case in the Supreme Court (Basfar v Wong) was a landmark ruling for establishing that ‘diplomatic immunity does not offer protection from liability for treating domestic workers as modern slaves’. Nusrat said she was proud that this case would inspire ‘hope’ for many vulnerable people employed in such professions.

While Ian spoke, the room was silent. He finished: ‘The Russell family will be eternally grateful to you all and because of your exceptional work, hopefully the world will become a safer place, and its young and vulnerable people will grow up to owe you all a debt of gratitude.’ The room rose to applaud Ian, his family and the powerful team of legal aid lawyers who helped to ensure that Molly’s death will have a profound effect on society.