Double delight for football solicitor as he finds the target in regional legal contest

YORKSHIRE AWARDS: Leeds United's solicitor and his firm rewarded for sporting achievement

Leading football solicitor Peter McCormick was last week named the inaugural Yorkshire lawyer of the year.

Mr McCormick, senior partner of Leeds-based McCormicks and a director of Leeds United, also won the general practice award for his firm's sport, entertainment and charity law work.

Top planning law specialist Peter Wilbraham of Wilbraham & Co in Leeds won the commercial category, while Maura Moynihan of University of Leeds Innovations - which exploits technology developed at the university - won the industry category for 'helping transform good research into good business'.

Asma Javed of McManus Seddon in Bradford and James Love of Irwin Mitchell in Leeds were jointly named most promising newcomer.

Ms Javed is a family lawyer who specialises in representing women and families subjected to violence.

Mr Love has built up Irwin Mitchell's intellectual property team from scratch since he joined four years ago.

Mr Love was also the runner-up in the commercial category.

Mr McCormick, who set up his firm in 1983 and was awarded an OBE in this year's New Year's Honours for his charity work, received a lap-top computer worth 2,000 for winning the main award.

He told the Gazette that 'being well-regarded by my peers means just as much if not more' than commercial success.

Mr McCormick has become well-known in recent years through his work first with Leeds United and its players, and now also on the Premier League legal working party.

He said he expected parts of his practice, especially the sports side, to take on more of a national dimension.

This could mean establishing a presence in London, he said.

Roger Dixon of Hague & Dixon in Leeds was runner-up in the general practice category while Eleanor Doohan of Asda Group was runner-up in the industry category.

The awards were organised by Barker Brooks Media.

Neil Rose