Winners of the Law Society Excellence Awards

26 October 2007 

The outstanding achievements of solicitors throughout England and Wales were celebrated by the Law Society at a prestigious ceremony in London last night.

BBC broadcaster Jeremy Vine hosted the gala at the Honourable Artillery Company. The Awards rewarded outstanding achievement in the legal profession in the key areas of practice standards, innovation in business, quality of life, equality and diversity and social responsibility. Awards were also presented to the individuals judged to have made the greatest positive impact on the perception of the profession, in the categories of Solicitor of the Year Award and New Solicitor of the Year Award.

The winners were:

• Lexcel Excellence in Practice Standards Award – Sponsor: Fraser and Fraser

Winner –Foot Anstey

The judges were impressed that Plymouth-based Foot Anstey have developed their commitment to excellence by establishing a Quality Directorate. The judges took particular note that a ‘Client Experience Project’ was implemented to understand and improve the service received by clients.

• Innovation in Business Award – Sponsor: Jordan’s

Winner – Awdry Bailey & Douglas

This South-West based firm demonstrated cutting-edge business practice and client service by introducing an innovative one-stop-shop business model for home information packs, which has proved simple and straightforward and very successful.

• Quality of Life Award – Sponsor: Towry Law

Winner – Shoosmiths

Shoosmiths’ enthusiasm for training, coaching and 1-2-1s, together with the sheer number of opportunities for staff to get involved impressed all the judges.  The list of benefits for staff was very impressive including weekly fruit deliveries, stress management sessions, mentoring schemes for new lawyers and a counselling service.

• Equality and Diversity Award

Winner - Allen & Overy

The judges were hugely impressed by Allen & Overy’s commitment to diversity, led from the top by the Senior Partner. The wide range of activity to address diversity issues has brought clear results and sets a benchmark for the profession.

• Excellence in Social Responsibility Award

Winner - Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s range of projects including supporting charity Crisis on its Urban Village project to provide free legal advice on housing issues made their entry stand out.  Most notable was a programme designed to break the cycle of homelessness and social exclusion through providing work experience, job coaching, informal support schemes and pro bono legal advice.  The firm offer 20 placements a year and to date have employed 14 people on a permanent basis.

• The Law Society New Solicitor of the Year Award 

Joint Winner - Meinir Evans

Meninir Evans practices in Pontypridd, one of the poorest and most deprived areas in South Wales. 

She is committed to ensuring that legal advice is provided to the most vulnerable in society, especially the large elderly population.

Ms Evans set up and currently runs the free legal clinic at the Rhondda Taff Ely Community Cancer Centre and as a result has developed strong links with Age Concern, as well as with groups concerned with Parkinson’s, heart disease and diabetes.  Her empathy and her warm and friendly manner has helped to put at ease those sometimes wary of dealing with proessionals.

Joint Winner –  Daniel Carey

For over six months, Daniel Carey has been an international observer with the human rights charity Peace Brigades International.  He provides support for Guatemalan human rights lawyers and others, helping to transform a country scarred by a brutal thirty-year armed conflict that has cost 200,000 lives. 

Daniel demonstrated great solidarity with fellow professionals struggling where the rule of law is not observed. His determination to bringing to Guatemala some of the basic principles of justice and human rights that people all too often take for granted here was what impressed the judges.  

• The Law Society Solicitor of the Year Award – Sponsor: Law Society Gazette

Winner – Phil Shiner

Phil Shiner’s tenacious and courageous commitment to the rights of those for whom access to justice would otherwise be denied impressed the judges immensly.  Phil has tirelessly dedicated himself to controversial cases such as Al Skeini.  This case resulted in a landmark ruling in the House of Lords on behalf of bereaved Iraqi families whose relatives had been killed in incidents in which British soldiers had been implicated. He has also acted for British soldiers.

Andrew Holroyd, Law Society President, said: “Judging these awards was a real privilege and all the short listed entries should be very proud of their achievement.  These winners have made the promotion of best practice an integral part of their work.  These awards are part of the Law Society's commitment to promoting excellence in legal services.  Over recent years, the solicitors' profession has taken significant steps in the area of innovation. We hope that these awards, which celebrate the very best in our great profession, will bring benefits for both staff and clients."