Jason McCue of H20 Law became the third human rights lawyer in three years to be named practising Solicitor of the Year in the annual Law Society Excellence Awards.

McCue followed in the footsteps of Phil Shiner, who won the accolade in the inaugural year of 2007, when he picked up the award last week at a ceremony attended by 550 at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London. Saimo Chahal, head of the civil liberties and social welfare team at London firm Bindmans, took the award in 2008.

McCue, pictured above (right) with Law Society president Robert Heslett, was cited for his work on securing victims’ rights, and in particular his victory in suing the perpetrators of the Omagh bombing.

Commercial real estate lawyer Roger Clayson, of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, was named In-house Solicitor of the Year.