This award was presented to the solicitor considered by the judges to have made the greatest positive impact on the public perception or reputation of the profession during the year June 2006 to June 2007.
Phil Shiner's tenacious and courageous commitment to the rights of those for whom access to justice would otherwise be denied impressed the judges immensly. Phil has tirelessly dedicated himself to controversial cases such as Al Skeini. This case resulted in a landmark ruling in the House of Lords on behalf of bereaved Iraqi families whose relatives had been killed in incidents in which British soldiers had been implicated. He has also acted for British soldiers.
Shortlisted: Jeremy Ferguson (Messrs Chanter Ferguson - Devon)
As a result of representing the Devon & Exeter Law Society Mr Ferguson attended a summer school of the Zimbabwe Law Society to discuss their mediation problems and to assess whether the Devon & Exeter Law Society could help in this area. It was evident that lawyers could benefit from learning more and he therefore travelled to Zimbabwe twice in 2007 to train lawyers and judges in civil mediation. Mr Ferguson also trained lawyers from Southern Poland and hoped to provide similar training in St Petersburg and Gdansk in the future.
Shortlisted: June Venters QC (Venters Solicitors - London)
In July 2007 Ms Venters was appointed Queens Counsel, the first female solicitor to receive this appointment. Ms Venters is a committed legal aid specialist and has a reputation for excellence, integrity and hard work in all she undertakes. At her official QC award ceremony Ms Venters used this as a platform to highlight issues surrounding access to justice in light of the Carter reforms on legal aid.