The pair were chosen for their work challenging ‘no recourse to public funds’ conditions, in R (on the application of W (A Child) v SSHD [2020] 1 WLR 4420. The court held the Home Office scheme, which prohibits hundreds of thousands of migrants and their children from recourse to public funds was in breach of their human rights. Earlier this year, they acted for the claimants in a successful challenge to the revised scheme on the grounds it failed to comply with the duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
The Laly’s, organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG), celebrate the achievements of legal aid lawyers and were held online this week.
LAPG co-chair Jenny Beck said: ‘The pandemic has highlighted exactly why we need social justice lawyers who doggedly fight for their clients.’
A new award for those working in disability rights was won by Kirsty Stuart, a public law and human rights associate, Irwin Mitchell.
Garden Court barristers took home two gongs for the chambers’ mantelpiece―Tessa Buchanan, who has won a string of housing and homelessness cases on behalf of clients, including acting in Shelter’s case against ‘No DSS’ landlords, scooped legal aid barrister, while trafficking and deportation specialist Audrey Cherryl Mogan, director of Black Protest Legal Support, an organisation set up after last year’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations, to protect the rights of marginalised groups to peacefully protest, picked up legal aid newcomer of the year.
It was a double win also for Tuckers Solicitors. The firm’s Suzanne O’Connell took the criminal defence award while Andrew Sperling, SL5 Legal/Tuckers Solicitors, triumphed in the social welfare category.
MJC Law won firm of the year, Matthew Gold & Co public law and community care team, which has fought for access to free school meals for the financially poorest families, won legal aid team, and Law Centre Northern Ireland won regional firm/not-for-profit.
The family award was won by Cris McCurley, Ben Hoare Bell; public law by Rakesh Singh, Public Law Project; and housing law by Kathleen Cosgrove, Greater Manchester Law Centre.
Chris Minnoch, LAPG CEO, said: ‘During the ceremony we heard about the lawyers who are fighting to stop children and families being left hungry and destitute because of government policy; for women who are being failed by state bodies; and who challenge the unforeseen and unfair consequences of coronavirus legislation that has been passed at great speed and with little parliamentary scrutiny.
‘Those are the lawyers we are proud to recognise, and we call on our government to give them equal recognition and act now to repair our underfunded and increasingly overwhelmed justice system.’
Law Society president I Stephanie Boyce said: ‘People living below the poverty line are regularly denied legal aid by a too stringent means test and many others face legal issues such as in housing, employment and family law with no recourse because of cuts to legal aid.
‘Legal aid deserts must be ended with civil and criminal practitioners being paid properly for their work which is crucial to providing access to justice and the rule of law.’
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