Junior Lawyers Division 11th Anniversary Pro Bono Awards 2009
The outstanding achievements of young lawyers throughout England and Wales were celebrated at the Junior Lawyers Division Pro Bono Awards on 12 November 2009.
Lord Phillips of Sudbury presented the awards at a ceremony at the Law Society in London. The annual awards celebrate the outstanding pro bono work undertaken by LPC students, trainee and newly admitted solicitors and qualified solicitors with up to five years experience, and recognise individual pro bono activities.
This year the event took the form of a panel debate with the JLD asking the question: 'Should pro bono be compulsory for all lawyers?' Lord Phillips of Sudbury and David Howarth, Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, took part in the topical debate. Heidi Sandy, Chair of the JLD. Jason Hadden, of Kaplan Law School, chaired the debate.
The debate highlighted the excellent work done by pro bono lawyers across the country and the real difference pro bono legal advice makes to the lives of ordinary people. Heidi Sandi argued that lawyers who do pro bono work do not view it as a fast-track route to good PR, but hold a genuine belief that using professional skills to support individuals and communities is the best way to put something back into the community.
The debate was followed by the presentation of the JLD Pro Bono Awards 2009.
Winners
JLD pro bono lawyer of the year - Bobby Kensah
Bobby is a trainee solicitor at Norton Rose and has been the driving force and initiator behind many volunteer community and pro bono projects over a number of years.
He has contributed countless hours to a variety of pro bono initiatives this year including advising and supporting vulnerable individuals in police custody as an Appropriate Adult Legal Adviser, as well as volunteer adviser, coordinator and organiser of the Norton Rose Tooting Legal Advice Centre. He is currently setting up a website to provide information on pro bono initiatives that trainee solicitors can get involved in, as well as pro bono networking events.
Highly Commended - Birchlyn Conte
During her time as a student on the Legal Practice Course, Birchlyn participated in a number of voluntary legal advice and assistance schemes. These included the College of Law's Legal Advice Centre and employment advice team, the National Centre for Domestic Violence and the Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau.
Not only has Birchlyn undertaken an impressive number of pro bono cases over the year, many of which are normally managed only by qualified lawyers, but she has delivered work of outstanding quality and shown enthusiasm and dedication to clients.
International Human Rights Award in memory of Nick Webber - Ben Spencer
While studying the Legal Practice Course, Ben was a volunteer with the College of Law Legal Advice Centre Triage Team. The director of pro bono services said: 'Ben is a quiet hero, just the sort of dedicated lawyer the profession needs'. He also assisted at the Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau (RCJAB).
On one occasion Ben agreed to a special assignment for the Miscarriages Of Justice Support Service, which required additional commitment and some long hours. According to RCJAB’s chief executive: 'Ben was a great help in very difficult circumstances'. As an intern at the Law Society, Ben was instrumental in implementing a new project involving more than three hundred law students, practitioners and activists - the International Action Team. Ben supervised research into human rights violations around the world and the drafting of intervention letters requesting compliance with international law. He worked on fifty-one international intervention cases during the course of the year.
Wig & Pen Prize - Michael Spencer
Michael Spencer is an associate in the dispute resolution practice at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. He qualified in August 2008. As a trainee, Michael spent three months on secondment at Liberty, where he assisted on several human rights cases (including the McKinnon extradition case and the Sarika Singh discrimination case) and gave free legal advice to the public on human rights issues.
As part of a team at Freshfields, Michael also assisted in drafting a US Supreme court amicus brief, which was mentioned favourably by the Justices in an historic ruling on the unconstitutionality of the death penalty for non-murder offences (Kennedy v Louisiana). Michael also took part in two Freshfields schemes for giving free legal advice, at the Tower Hamlets Law Centre (on housing issues) and the RCJ Citizens Advice Bureau (on civil procedure).
Kevin Poulter, Chair of the JLD Pro Bono Awards Committee, said:
'Junior lawyers are consistently involved in undertaking pro bono work at home and abroad. The commitment and enthusiasm of junior lawyers in securing access to equality and justice, and setting an example for future lawyers and the profession is to be commended'.