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Over four hundred legal aid lawyers attended the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards in central London last night. This was the twelfth year of the LALYS and the awards celebrate the work of legal aid lawyers.
Once again this year the panel of twelve judges, which is chaired by Lord Justice McFarlane, had a difficult task- they read over 1000 pages of nominations to arrive at the short-list and eventual winners in each category. Lord Justice McFarlane presented the awards and the compere for the evening was the journalist Anna Jones.
The outstanding achievement award was won by Elkan Abrahamson, from Jackson & Canter in Liverpool. He was recognised for his work with the families of those who died in the Hillsborough tragedy.
Other winners included Mike Schwarz, from Bindmans, who won the criminal defence lawyer award. Schwarz has won 50 criminal appeals in cases in which the involvement of an undercover police officer had not been disclosed in the original conviction.
The full list of winners -
• Legal aid newcomer: Camilla Graham-Wood, Birnberg Peirce
• Social and welfare: Douglas Johnson, Sheffield CAB and Law Centre
• Family legal aid lawyer: Maud Davis, TV Edwards
• Family legal aid mediator: Caroline Bowden, Anthony Gold
• Housing: John Gallagher, Shelter
• Immigration/ Asylum: Mark Scott of London, Bhatt Murphy
• Legal aid barrister: S Chelvan, No 5 Chambers
• Inquests/actions against state: Charlotte Haworth Hird, Bindmans
• Legal aid firm/not-for-profit: Ben Hoare Bell
• Legal aid champion: Matt Foot, Birnberg Peirce
LAG acts as the media sponsor for the awards and the next edition of Legal Action magazine will carry a full report on the event and winners.
Pic: The LALY winners from last night.