Open to anyone undertaking advocacy.
Winner: Razi Shah - Appleby Shaw Ltd
The judges were particularly impressed with Razi Shah's entry, most notably because of the case of R - V – Munir Hussain and Tokeer Hussain, which he successfully brought to appeal. It was noted that during this case the Lord Chief Justice initially passed a sentence which was contrary to the law, and Mr Shah was the only advocate out of six in court, including three Queens Counsel, who recognised the error and duly drew the court's attention to that fact. The contribution and credit he brings to the badge of solicitor advocate makes him a worthy winner.
Ruth has demonstrated sustained achievement over 12 years of practice. She has encouraged entrants to the profession from working class backgrounds, promoted development and training particularly in the field of human rights, and constantly pushed boundaries with regard to training, IT and advocacy.