Family Law

Family lawyers in England and Wales celebrated their many successes and outstanding achievements at the fifth annual Family Law Awards last night.

Over 450 family lawyers attended the Family Law Awards at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work and commitment throughout the year amongst the nominees and the profession as a whole.

The shortlist and winners were chosen by a judging panel made up of the heads of the Family Law Bar Association, Resolution, CILEx and the Association of Lawyers for Children, along with Family Law editors and publishing executives.

In keeping with tradition, three of this year's awards were voted for by the family law community (Chartered Legal Executive or Paralegal, Commentator and the brand new Clerking Team award) with votes across all three categories flooding in at an all-time high.

Full of panache and personality, Sir Mark Hedley hosted the ceremony expertly. There were raucous revelries, standing ovations and the unique sense of camaraderie that makes family law so special.

The prestigious Cornwell Award for Outstanding Contribution to Family Law, sponsored by Coram Chambers, was won by Naomi Angell, Osbornes LLP. Naomi has been at the vanguard of reforms from the beginning of her career to date. Her contribution to family law, spanning more than 40 years, was praised for not only being outstanding but truly remarkable.

Will Ricketts, CEO, Jordan Publishing, said, 'Over the last five years, the Family Law Awards have become enormously popular. This is a wonderful opportunity for individuals and firms to be recognised by their peers. At the same time, the Awards also highlight excellent family law work, to a wider audience.'

Jordan Publishing would like to congratulate all the winners and shortlisted nominees and thank everyone who submitted a nomination and voted.

Send us your photos of the night, email: marketing@jordanpublishing.co.uk. See also www.familylawawards.com. 

The full list of winners is set out below

Family Law Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year – Bianca Jackson, Coram Chambers

Local Authority Family Team of the Year – Warwickshire County Council Young People Legal Services

Clerking Team of the Year – 1 Hare Court

International Family Lawyer of the Year – Tim Amos QC, Queen Elizabeth Building

Family Law Chartered Legal Executive or Paralegal of the Year – Ruth Langford, Wikivorce

Family Law Young Solicitor of the Year – Tammy Knox, Bindmans LLP

Family Law Associate Solicitor of the Year – Hilka Hollmann, Goodman Ray

Family Law Partner of the Year – Nicola Jones-King, McMillan Williams Solicitors

Family Law Firm of the Year – Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Family Law Dispute Resolution Practitioner of the Year – Dominic Raeside, Family Law in Partnership Ltd

Family Law Commentator of the Year – Rhys Taylor, Thirty Park Place Chambers and 36 Bedford Row

Family Law Young Barrister of the Year – Edward Bennett, Field Court Chambers

Family Law Junior Barrister of the Year – Samantha King, 4 PB

Family Law QC of the Year – James Turner QC, 1 King’s Bench Walk

Family Law Chambers of the Year – 29 Bedford Row

Cornwell Award for Outstanding Contribution to Family Law –  
Naomi Angell, Osbornes LLP