There are 12 awards in total, including children’s rights, public law, family legal aid, mental health, and criminal defence (see http://lapg.co.uk/lalys for the full list and to download a nomination form).

For the first time, the organiser of the awards, the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG), has opened them to lawyers from Northern Ireland. ‘Being a legal aid lawyer is never easy, but those working in Northern Ireland have the additional difficulty of carrying out their work against a unique and complex political backdrop. We are very pleased, therefore, to be able to invite nominations from Northern Ireland this year for the first time,’ said LAPG director Carol Storer.

The organisers are also calling for supporters to sponsor the legal aid newcomer award via a crowdfunding site: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/friends-of-LALY16.