LawWorks honours outstanding firms and lawyers’ pro bono work at awards ceremony

The LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards has once again recognised the outstanding contributions made by the firms and individuals who give their time and expertise for free to help others who cannot afford to pay for legal services.

The awards ceremony was held on 25 November at the offices of magic circle firm Linklaters, and was hosted by top legal journalist Joshua Rozenberg, with a keynote speech by director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti. Awards were given out in nine different categories; the winners were:

• Most effective pro bono partnership – Children’s Pro Bono Legal Service, Allen & Overy, Coram Children’s Legal Centre and DLA Piper
• Best contribution by a small firm – Emma Williams Family Law
• Best contribution by a firm with an English regional head office – Muckle
• Best contribution by a firm with a London head office – Duncan Lewis
• Best contribution by an international firm – DLA Piper
• Best contribution by an in-house team – Hilton Worldwide
• Best contribution by an Individual – Jennifer Deakin, DLA Piper
• Junior Lawyers Division pro bono award – Maeve Hanna, Allen & Overy
• The LawWorks Cymru award – LawWorks Cardiff Pro Bono Employment Clinic at the Speakeasy Advice Centre

The chair of LawWorks, Paul Newdick CBE QC, was also honoured with an award recognising his outstanding commitment to pro bono and LawWorks.

Martin Barnes, chief executive of LawWorks, said: “This has been a truly inspiring evening and a reminder of the dedication and commitment of the legal profession to improving lives through impactful pro bono advice. Congratulations to the winners and all the shortlisted nominees for the exceptional work they are doing. I would also like to thank Shami Chakrabarti and Joshua Rozenberg for helping to make the evening such a success”.