Nicholas Crichton, the district judge who pioneered London’s Family Drug and Alcohol Court, has scooped the top award for outstanding achievement at this year’s LALYS
The court takes an interventionist approach to help parents overcome their addictions and keep their families together. Parents see the same judge each time and are asked to account for their successes and failures since the last review.
Doreen Lawrence, justice campaigner and mother of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, presented the awards. The LALYS-Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards are now in their ninth year.
Barrister Marc Willers of Garden Court Chambers, who has worked on cases affecting gypsies and travellers, won the barrister award, and family law solicitor, Lorna Cservenka of Hanne & Co, who successfully challenged hair strand evidence in a child custody case, won the family award.
Baljeet Sandhu, of Islington Law Centre Refugee Children’s Rights Project, is this year’s young legal aid solicitor, while Doughty Street’s Steve Broach is the young legal aid barrister.
Broach said: “At a time when legal aid is under threat, the Lalys say everything about why we should be proud to be legal aid lawyers.”
Other winners included Jane Hiatt, Footner & Ewing (criminal defence); David Thomas, GT Stewart Solicitors (social and welfare); Rheian Davies, DH Law (mental health); Smita Bajaria, Birnberg Peirce (immigration); and the Prisoners’ Advice Service (legal aid firm/not-for-profit agency).
