Luigi Sterlini and Linda Rand, the Senior partners of the practice, were delighted to be presented with the 2005 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award in the “Team” category at a prestigious event held at Haberdashers Hall in Central London on 23 rd June.
Presenting the awards, Cherie Booth QC, chair of the LALY Judges said on the night far from Legal Aid lawyers being out to make “a quick buck” most of them do the job “overwhelmingly well and in the public interest”. She went on to say that “One thing has struck me, as chair of the judges, was how many legal aid lawyers do more than the technical legal job that they are there to do. So many of them add much more to legal aid practice - but the bureaucracy doesn’t seem to be able to recognise that.”
The awards ceremony was compered by BBC presenter John Howard who commented that ”These are the awards that celebrate the lawyers who keep families in their homes; the lawyers who ensure that those with disabilities get their rightful benefits; the lawyers who prevent refugees being sent home to face torture, or worse. These are the lawyers who stick up for the rights of the poor and the powerless and the unpopular. These are the lawyers you deserve our recognition - and, dare I say it, who deserve our respect.”
The Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards are now into their third year, and have become a key fixture on the legal aid calendar. They are co-organised by Independent Lawyer magazine and the Legal Aid Practitioners Group as a rare and much-needed opportunity to celebrate excellence among legal aid professionals.
In her acceptance speech Linda said ”Everyone at the firm has committed themselves to this work over the years. We all do it because we care about it. We want to continue doing it.”
The LALYs are non-profit-making and would not be possible without the generous support of principal sponsor Jordans and the sponsors of the individual awards. These are companies and organisations which are proud to be associated with the legal aid profession and understand the importance of their work.
This year the judges were:
Cherie Booth QC (chair)
Fiona Bawdon (Independent Lawyer)
Yvonne Brown (Black Solicitors Network)
HHJ Henry Hodge
Steve Hynes (Law Centres Federation)
Doreen Lawrence (Stephen Lawrence Trust)
Roy Morgan (Legal Aid Practitioners Group)
Helen Shaw (Inquest)
Sajid Sheihk (Sheikh & Co)
Rodney Warren (Criminal Law Solicitors Association)
For more information about the all the shortlisted nominees and about the awards visit www.independent-lawyer.com an for more information about the Legal Aid Practitioners Group visit www.lapg.co.uk/legalaidlawyer.cfm
