Legal aid lawyers honoured at awards ceremony

News

Outstanding contributions to legal aid were acknowledged at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards on 4 July.

Phoenix Law received the Legal Aid Firm/Not-For-Profit Agency award, which is sponsored by the Law Society of England and Wales.

The annual ceremony took place for its 23rd year to celebrate the legal aid community and the winners of the nine categories. Organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, the event took place in Central London.

“Congratulations to all the winners and finalists of this year’s LALY awards,” said Law Society president, Richard Atkinson.

“It is a pleasure to be celebrating people who are pioneers in their profession through their commitment to social justice by dedicating their time and effort to a vital cause.

"It is important that we value legal aid lawyers and work on creating the right conditions that will encourage people to enter and remain in legal aid practice.

“The work of legal aid lawyers is key to ensuring everyone has the right to justice and for their voices to be heard, irrespective of their circumstances.

“However, access to justice remains a huge concern, as legal aid continues to face underfunding. Legal aid is a crucial public service that must be made a priority so that the justice system operates most effectively for the common good.”

Phoenix Law, which won the Legal Aid Firm award, is a Belfast-based law firm that has been involved in several noteworthy court proceedings.

Last year, the firm played a key role in the judicial review in the case of Dillon, which overturned the UK government's attempts to end all troubles-related litigation and investigations.

Also shortlisted for this category were Asylum Aid who hold legal aid contracts in immigration and asylum and public law and GT Stewart Solicitors and Advocates, a multi-service legal aid firm, specialising in criminal defence and appeals, family law, housing, extradition, prison law, civil liberties and human rights.

Greg Stewart – the firm owner of GT Stewart – has made significant contributions to the Law Society, as a former member of our Criminal Law Committee.

Notes to editors

Read more about the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards 2025.