The outstanding achievements of family lawyers in England and Wales were celebrated at Jordan Publishing’s Family Law Awards last night.
Nearly 500 family lawyers flowed into the famous Brewery in London for dinner and the presentation ceremony.
The Awards, now in their fourth year and sponsored by Anglia DNA (principal sponsor) and 4 Paper Buildings (gold sponsor), are means for Family Law and its readers to acknowledge 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 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 (Support Service, Legal Executive or Paralegal, and Commentator awards). A shortlist of four nominees was selected by Jordan Publishing from the nominations received with votes being submitted via the Family Law Awards website.
Sir Paul Coleridge, hosting the awards, imbued his usual sense of humour on the occasion. There were standing ovations, wild jubilation 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 Peggy Ray of Goodman Ray. She has been a pioneer in many areas of practice, as well as advising successive Governments on policy and legislation. Despite the challenges facing legal aid lawyers, Peggy has been able to maintain a strong commitment to publicly funded work and she has consistently championed the rights of children and parents. Peggy received a raucous reception as she made her way to the stage and dedicated her award to all the legal aid lawyers.
'Over the last four 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.' – Will Ricketts, CEO, Jordan Publishing
Jordan Publishing would like to congratulate all the winners and shortlisted nominees and thank everyone who submitted a nomination and voted.
Photos from the night are available here.
Send us your photos
marketing@jordanpublishing.co.uk.
The full list of winners is set out belowFamily Law Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year (Sponsored byJordan Publishing) –
Ariel Ricci,Coram Chambers
Family Law Firm of the Year (Sponsored by 1 King'sBench Walk) –
Stephensons Solicitors LLP
Family Law Chambers of the Year (Sponsored by CarterBrown) –
1 King’s Bench Walk
Family Law Partner of the Year (Sponsored by GoldsmithChambers) –
Rachel Horman, WatsonRamsbottom
Family Law Associate Solicitor of the Year (Sponsoredby 1 Garden Court)–
Rachel Carter, Wollen MichelmoreLLP
Family Law Young Solicitor of the Year (Sponsored byFourteen) –
Nadia Salam, GT Stewart
Family LawQC of the Year –
Deborah Eaton QC, 1 King’s Bench Walk
Family Law Junior Barrister of the Year (Sponsored byNovitas) –
Zimran Samuel, 42 Bedford Row
Family Law Young Barrister of the Year –
Marlene Cayoun, 1 Garden Court Family Law Chambers
International Family Lawyer of the Year (Sponsored by4 Paper Buildings) –
Janet Broadley,Bindmans LLP
Family Law ADR Practitioner of the Year (Sponsored by Anglia DNA) –
CarolineBowden, Anthony Gold Solicitors
Local Authority Family Team of the Year (Sponsored by42 Bedford Row) –
Brighton & Hove City Council Legal Services
Family Law Commentator of the Year (Sponsored byFamily Law) –
Andrew Pack, Brighton & Hove City Council
Family Law Legal Executive or Paralegal of the Year (Sponsoredby Anglia DNA) –
Gloria Dyer, Gill Akaster LLP
Family Law Support Service of the Year (Sponsored byFamily Law Panel) –
a kidspace
Cornwell Award forOutstanding Contribution to the Field of Family Law (Sponsored by CoramChambers) –
Peggy Ray, Goodman Ray
