The Awards recognise and celebrate achievement in legal pro bono work, undertaken by organisations and individuals, and the commitment of the legal sector in enabling access to justice. The finalists represent the breadth and range of pro bono activity undertaken by LawWorks members and others in England and Wales. The awards are sponsored by Lexis Nexis.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony and reception at the Law Society on Tuesday 3rd December. The annual awards lecture will be given by Lady Hale, President of the Supreme Court and the evening will be hosted by LBC radio presenter and journalist Matthew Stadlen.
Alasdair Douglas, Chair of the LawWorks Board of Trustees, said:
“Congratulations to all those shortlisted. These Awards acknowledge and celebrate the commitment of law firms, in-house teams and the many individuals who volunteer their time and expertise to improve the lives of others. This year we have seen a high number of quality nominations, so it has been no easy endeavour for the judges to settle on a shortlist. We thank the judges for their work and look forward to meeting the finalists and our supporters at our awards event.”
Simon Davis, President of the Law Society of England and Wales:
“Congratulations to all those who have been shortlisted for LawWorks’ Pro Bono Awards. I am immensely proud to belong to a profession that makes such a valuable contribution to society, and plays an important role ensuring everyone has access to justice, by providing free legal advice to those who most need it.”
James Harper, Executive Sponsor of Rule of Law initiatives at LexisNexis commented:
“Continuing our long-running sponsorship of these Awards, LexisNexis are delighted to see such high quality contributions and congratulate to all those nominated and shortlisted for their tireless efforts. Advancing the rule of law is the foundation on which LexisNexis is based; we are therefore pleased to support the recognition of so many fantastic pro bono projects being delivered across the country.”
This year includes a new ‘Best International Pro Bono Award’ in partnership with Advocates for International Development (A4ID).
Yasmin Batliwala, Chief Executive, Advocates for International Development (A4ID) said:
“We are delighted to partner with LawWorks to present the ‘Best International Pro Bono Award’, which recognises the valuable contributions of the UK legal sector to international pro bono and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As we look ahead to 2030, we know that achieving the SDGs will need strong leadership, robust partnerships and a commitment to the values of justice and fairness. The firms shortlisted for this Pro Bono Award are pioneering the way in this effort.”
The judging panel for the 2019 Pro Bono awards comprised:
- Yasmin Batliwala, Chief Executive, A4ID
- Amy Clowrey, Chair of the Junior Lawyers Division;
- Andrea Coomber, Director, JUSTICE
- Ruth Daniel, Chief Executive, Access to Justice Foundation
- Simon Davis, President, the Law Society of England and Wales
- Jeremy Miles AM, Counsel General for Wales and Brexit Minister
- Chris Minnoch, Chief Executive, Legal Aid Practitioners Group
- Paul Rogerson, Editor-in-chief, Law Society Gazette
- Adam Tear, Chair of the Solicitors' Association of Higher Court Advocates
- Linden Thomas, President, Birmingham Law Society
The shortlisted nominees are:
Best Contribution by a Small Firm
- A City Law Firm
- Emma Williams Family Law
- Fry Law
- MTC & Co Solicitors
Best Contribution by a Medium Firm
- Curtis Law Solicitors
- Milbank
- Morrison & Foerster
Best Contribution by a Large Firm
- Herbert Smith Freehills
- Howard Kennedy
- Kirkland & Ellis International
- Latham & Watkins
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
- Shoosmiths
Best Contribution by an In-House Team
- NatWest Legal
- Visa
Junior Lawyers Division Pro Bono Award
- Imene Hamdi-Cherif (Ashurst)
- Emily Henderson (Milbank)
- Maryam Oghanna (Herbert Smith Freehills)
- Aoife O’Reilly (Allen & Overy)
- Laura Pattison (Baker McKenzie)
- Jacob James Turner (Baker McKenzie)
Best Contribution by an Individual
- Nazir Ahmed (Lincoln’s Chambers Solicitors)
- Jasmine Ashley-Tagoe (Toynbee Hall Free Legal Advice Centre)
- Samantha Burns (Aston University)
- Dianne Cowie (Duncan Lewis Solicitors)
- Andrew Lidbetter (Herbert Smith Freehills)
- Ravi Kaur Mahey (Duncan Lewis Solicitors)
- Cherry Swift (DLA Piper)
The LawWorks Cymru Award
- Aberystwyth University Family Legal Clinic
- Cardiff Law School Pro Bono Clinic
- Duncan Lewis Solicitors
- University of South Wales Legal Advice Clinic
Best Contribution by a Pro Bono Clinic
- Anglia Law School Law Clinic
- Cardiff Law School Pro Bono Clinic
- Exeter Family Court Clinic
- Staffordshire University Legal Advice Clinic
- University of South Wales Legal Advice Clinic
Best International Pro Bono Award – in partnership with A4ID
- Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Morrison & Foerster and Norton Rose Fulbright
- Debevoise & Plimpton
- Dechert
- DLA Piper
- Equal Rights Trust, Praxis, Sandzak Committee and Ashurst
Best New Pro Bono Activity
- BID Exceptional Case Funding Project: BID, Ashurst, Debevoise & Plimpton, Dechert and Orrick
- Dracaena Webcam Advice Project: Dracaena Community Centre, Legal Advice Centre (University House), Charles Russell Speechlys, Ropes & Gray and White & Case
- Remote Advice Service: Toynbee Hall’s Free Legal Advice Centre and Howard Kennedy
- Right to Care Pro Bono Programme: Mencap, Fieldfisher, Orrick and Shearman & Sterling
- Rights of Women: Sexual Harassment at Work Advice Line
- Staffordshire University Legal Advice Clinic
Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership
- Asylum Support Appeals Project: Herbert Smith Freehills and Freshfields
- Mencap Legal Network Pro Bono Programme: Fieldfisher, Shearman & Sterling, Orrick, IBM the University of Liverpool and a Barristers panel
- National Centre for Domestic Violence, Dentons and NatWest Legal
- Open Justice Prison Partnership: The Open Justice Centre (The Open University) and St Giles Trust
- Partnerships in Clinical Legal Education: Central England Law Centre, Coventry University and Allen & Overy
- Safe Passage, Ashurst and Reed Smith
- Women Only Advice Clinic and PIE Project: Toynbee Hall’s Free Legal Advice Centre and Cleary Gottlieb
- Working Families Legal Advice Team: Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters, Kingsley Napley, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Lewis Silkin, Dentons, Reed Smith and Shearman & Sterling.
Notes to editors:
- LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group) is a charity that promotes, supports and facilitates pro bono legal services that extend access to the law for individuals and communities in need and the organisations that support them.. LawWorks supports a network of over 260 independent pro bono clinics across England and Wales, and facilitates free legal advice for smaller charities and social enterprises through its Not-For-Profits Programme. LawWorks is supported by the Law Society of England and Wales, the independent professional body for solicitors.
- The LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards event is on 3rd December. For more information about the event, please contact Peter at: peter.jackson@lawworks.org.uk
- Nominees for the LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards must be, or include, a member of LawWorks or a clinic in the LawWorks Clinics Network. Detail about LawWorks membership is available at: www.lawworks.org.uk/why-pro-bono/lawworks-membership-join-us
- A4ID is a global charity that works in partnership with the world’s leading law firms, providing access to the best legal advice for those engaged in the fight against global poverty, and contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the new “Best International Pro Bono Award” special attention will be given to pro bono projects that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. www.a4id.org
- Awards sponsor LexisNexis Legal & Professional is a leading global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics that help professional customers make more informed decisions, increase productivity and serve their clients better. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis and Nexis services. Today, LexisNexis Legal & Professional harnesses leading-edge technology and world-class content to help professionals work in faster, easier and more effective ways. Through close collaboration with its customers, the company ensures organizations can leverage its solutions to reduce risk, improve productivity, increase profitability and grow their business. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 175 countries with 10,000 employees worldwide, is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries.
- For more information on Pro Bono week see www.probonoweek.org.uk
Contact: Peter Jackson at: peter.jackson@lawworks.org.uk