News - News - Winners of the Legal Aid Lawyers Award

The chair of the panel of judges was Cherie Booth QC and she also presented the awards to the winners. In her speech Ms Booth described the Human Rights Act as “the crowning jewel” of her husband’s government and praised the dedication and passion of Legal Aid lawyers describing Legal Aid work as inspiring and never boring.

The award winners were:

Legal Aid Personality of the Year for Outstanding Achievement, sponsored by D G Legal, went to Gareth Peirce, of Birnberg Peirce & Partners, in recognition of her civil rights work over many years. She is the lawyer representing the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian shot dead by the Police last summer. Her clients have included the Guildford Four, the Birmingham Six, detainees at Guantanamo Bay and the family caught up in the police raid at Forest Gate. This award is for Gareth’s major contribution to the well-being of vulnerable clients and the Legal Aid system, not just for the last 12 months but throughout her career. Gareth gave a very sombre and extremely moving speech that these "are dark times in the legal history of this country” and that the country "is in disgrace on the attack of basic rights”. She gave account of how journalists from well-known tabloids attend court in all her cases, leaving if it is not a Legally Aided matter but giving sensational account in the newspaper if it is, totally ignoring the issues and facts involved in the case.

Barrister of the Year, sponsored by the General Council of the Bar, went to James Collins, of Central Chambers in Manchester, whose most recent cases include the High Court ruling from April 2006 which found the Home Office requirement for some immigrants to seek permission to marry to be in breach of human rights provisions. Those nominating him also praised his tireless work in much less high profile cases.

Immigration Lawyer of the Year, sponsored by the Law Society, went to Amit Sachdev, of Sheikh & Co, on whose behalf over 70 nominations were received (the highest number) from colleagues, peers, clients, barristers and experts and he is praised for his “exceptionally high quality of work” and “incredible legal acumen”. Amit has worked on numerous ground-breaking immigration cases.

Mental Health Lawyer of the Year, sponsored by Matrix Chambers, went to Saimo Chahal, of Bindman and Partners. She has repeatedly pushed the boundaries of the law on behalf of those with mental illness, learning difficulties and other particularly vulnerable individuals. The only other nominee in this category was another black minority ethnic lawyer, Christopher Binns, of Switalskis solicitors in Bradford, who was described by his nominees as someone with a “rare, detailed understanding of the field of psychology”.

Family Lawyer of the Year, sponsored by Resolution, went to Jennifer Becks, of TV Edwards, whose dedication was typified by her approach to a young Kosovan woman, who had abandoned her baby in tragic circumstances before fleeing back to Kosovo. She was not allowed back into the country to be involved in care proceedings concerning her daughter until Jennifer paid her fares and agreed to have the woman living with her for the duration of the case. One black ethnic minority lawyer nominated in this category was Yvonne Brown, of Yvonne Brown & Partners, who is a family law expert, especially in childcare proceedings. Yvonne is also the Chair of Resolution Children Committee and the Chair of the Black Solicitors' Network (BSN).

Criminal Lawyer of the Year, sponsored by the Criminal Law Solicitors Association, went to Andrew Keogh, of Tuckers in Manchester. Andrew is well-known and respected in criminal defence circles for developing Crimeline, a free electronic news service which helps all defence lawyers keep up to date with changes in the law and procedures.

Social and Welfare Lawyer of the Year, sponsored by S A Partners, went to Nathaniel Mathews, of Hackney Law Centre in London, whose nominees described him as having “legal insight and overwhelming compassion for desperate clients”.

Young Solicitor of the Year, sponsored by the Legal Services Commission, went to Laura Janes, from the Howard League for Penal Reform. Laura, who does not qualify as a solicitor until July 2006, is already an incredible talent to watch with comments like “inspirational” by her nominee, Edward Fitzgerald QC, with whom she worked on a number of death penalty cases. Laura is the founder and current Chair of Young Legal Aid Lawyers. In this category, another black minority ethnic lawyer, Noel Arnold, of Fisher Meredith, was nominated. He has had a number of articles published in mainstream press and was described as “a truly exceptional young lawyer who is inspirational in his dedication to social welfare law, and in the quality of every aspect of his work.”

Young Barrister of the Year, sponsored by NatWest, went to Ruth Brander, of Doughty Street Chambers. A QC who led her on a recent case involving 100 arch lever files of evidence, praised her "exceptional maturity and outstanding intellectual judgement".

Team of the Year, sponsored by Magic Circle firm Allen & Overy, went to the Paragon Legal Aid Team, which was started by the black minority ethnic lawyer Thalej Vasishta three years ago. In just three years they have developed an enviable record, including the House of Lords on the issue of rape as a weapon of war, providing advice surgeries to local community groups and training to welfare rights organisations. They have worked to highlight the impact on AIDS sufferers of forced return and have set up an annual Human Rights Lecture.