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24 May 2012
Issue: 7515 / Categories: Legal News
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Oscar night for legal aid

LALY award shortlist announced

The shortlist for this year’s Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards (LALYs)—the equivalent of the Oscars for legal aid lawyers—has been announced.

The 28 finalists for the 10th annual LALYs include: human rights firm Public Interest Lawyers; solicitor Julian Hayes, who acted in the “Ricin Plot Trial”; and Razia Jogi, partner at Switalskis in Bradford, who champions domestic-violence and forced-marriage victims.

Also shortlisted are Hodge Jones & Allen solicitor Raj Chada, who has acted for protesters including “Jonnie Marbles”, who threw a foam pie at Rupert Murdoch; and Tunde Okewale, of Doughty Street Chambers, who founded urbanlawyers.co.uk, a rights education project.

Michael Mansfield QC will present the awards at a ceremony on 12 June.

Carol Storer, director of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, which organises the awards, says: “The nominations in all categories were terrific.”

Issue: 7515 / Categories: Legal News
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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