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05 July 2007
Issue: 7280 / Categories: Features , Legal aid focus , Profession
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Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year 2007

Legal aid heroes take centre stage on Oscar night

On her first day after leaving Downing Street, Cherie Booth QC paid tribute to the heroes of legal aid. Booth, who chaired the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards judging panel, said that legal aid was as important as having properly funded health services or adequately provided housing.

“It should be up there among the priorities of government and we have to make sure that we keep pushing that case,” Booth said. She urged all those involved with legal aid to play their part. “We are doughty fighters. We keep taking the impossible cases, for our clients. If we can’t do that for ourselves as well, we are not the people I think we are.”

The LALY awards, organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG), celebrate the work of lawyers who have dedicated their careers to protecting the rights of the poor and the powerless against the rich and powerful, and to working towards the goal that nobody should

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Weightmans—Elborne Mitchell & Myton Law

Weightmans—Elborne Mitchell & Myton Law

Firm expands in London and Leeds with dual merger

Boodle Hatfield—Clare Pooley & Michael Duffy

Boodle Hatfield—Clare Pooley & Michael Duffy

Private wealth and real estate firmpromotes two to partner and five to senior associate

Constantine Law—James Baker & Julie Goodway

Constantine Law—James Baker & Julie Goodway

Agile firm expands employment team with two partner hires

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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