Doreen Lawrence & her solicitor receive honours at LALY awards
Lawyers recognised the contribution to justice of Doreen Lawrence and solicitor Imran Khan at the annual Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards this week. Michael Mansfield QC presented Lawrence, mother of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, with a special award, and praised her for having shown “amazing courage and tenacity in the face of appalling personal tragedy”. Her solicitor, Imran Khan, received an award for outstanding achievement.
The 400 lawyers and guests attending the central London ceremony gave the duo a standing ovation.
Family lawyer Jenny Beck, co-chair of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, said: “Legal aid is all about helping real people, and real families with real lives.
“We wanted to honour Doreen this year because she has been—and continues to be—such an inspiration to everyone who cares about justice, but particularly to those of us at the legal aid coalface.”
Garden Court Chambers scooped two of this year’s awards—social welfare and children’s rights barrister Shu Shin Luh was named as young legal aid barrister of the year, while Leslie Thomas, whose work focuses on bringing claims against the police and prison authorities, and acting at inquests, won the award for legal aid barrister.
Jed Pennington, of London firm Bhatt Murphy, whose case led to the first finding by a UK court that detention at an immigration removal centre was a breach of Art 3 of the Human Rights Convention, received the award for young legal aid solicitor.
Raj Chada, of Hodge Jones & Allen won the criminal defence lawyer category. Oxford’s Turpin & Miller was named as legal aid firm of the year.
Rachel Horman of Watson Ramsbottom won the family legal aid award; Rosaleen Kilbane, who founded the Community Law Partnership in Birmingham, won social and welfare lawyer; Mike Bishop, of David Gray, won mental health lawyer; and Liz Barratt of Bindmans won immigration lawyer.
