News - LAPG seeks LALY nominations

The Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) is once again on the lookout for Legal Aid lawyers who deserve a “medal”. Nominations are being sought for the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards, which celebrate the vital but unsung work of publicly-funded lawyers.

The LAPG launched the LALYs in 2003 to mark the invaluable work done by solicitors, barristers, legal executives, paralegals and other advisers working in the publicly-fund sector. LAPG director Carol Storer said: “In the current economic climate, the work of Legal Aid lawyers in protecting the rights of the poor and the disadvantaged has never been more important. We look forward to receiving a bumper crop of nominations this year.”

Nominations are being sought in nine categories: Criminal Defence Lawyer, Family Legal Aid Lawyer, Legal Aid Firm/Not-for-Profit Agency, Legal Aid Barrister, Social and Welfare Lawyer, Mental Health Lawyer, Immigration Lawyer, Young Legal Aid Solicitor, Young Legal Aid Barrister. The closing date for nominations is Wednesday 27 April and the awards ceremony takes place on Tuesday 28 June in London. The judges, chaired by Cherie Booth QC, will also be making an award for Outstanding Achievement.

The Law Society is again the overall sponsor of the event with Legal Action Group as LAPG’s media partner and Legal Aid Link as its Legal Aid support partner. Each category is also individually sponsored by firms and organisations.

The Law Society says in the awards literature: “The Law Society is delighted to be the principal sponsor again. In 2010 we forced the LSC (Legal Services Commission) to think again about its family contract tender which would have had disastrous consequences. We are strenuously opposing the Government’s proposals to remove important areas of Civil Law from the scope of Legal Aid, and our Access to Justice Review considers ways of placing Legal Aid on a sustainable footing without imposing such serious cuts. These are challenging times and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure that Legal Aid solicitors can continue their vital work of providing access to justice for the most vulnerable members of society.”