Islington lawyers scoop award

A group of lawyers from City firms Ashurst Morris Crisp, CMS Cameron McKenna, Rooks Rider and Slaughter and May has won the team award at this year's Young Solicitor Group (YSG) pro bono awards.

The consortium, which works through the Solicitors Pro Bono Group's LawWorks project, was rewarded for its achievements in setting up evening advice sessions at the Islington law centre in north London.

Other award winners were: James Oury of London firm Oury Clark, who won the small firm award for his on-going work with Jamaican death row prisoners; Georgina Peacock of Wards in Weston-Super-Mare, who won the medium-sized firm award for helping to establish the Star Project for victims of domestic abuse; and Louise Johnson of the Government Legal Service, who won the in-house award for her work at a Citizen's Advice Bureau and for her contribution to the service's pro bono network.

The large firm award went to Henry Quinlan, an assistant at City firm Lovells, for his work with the Community Links project in east London.

'A number of solicitors here undertake welfare benefit appeals advocacy and casework for the Community Links charity,' he said.

'I act as a middle man between the firm and the organisation, and co-ordinate which lawyers are doing what work.'

He said that trying to persuade lawyers who work long hours in the City to work pro bono in their spare time was 'often difficult, but a moral necessity'.

Each award, which was presented by the Solicitor-General Harriet Harman QC at a ceremony last week, includes a cheque for 1,000 which goes to the pro bono project.

Meanwhile, the YSG has elected employment and human rights specialist Jane Swann of south London firm Fisher Meredith its chairwoman.

Ms Swann, who is the first solicitor-advocate to chair the YSG, aims to highlight diversity issues and look at their possible effect on young solicitors, including getting funding to examine why more female

than male solicitors are leaving the profession.

She will also promote the YSG's CROSS campaign, which aims to outlaw law firms suing their assistant solicitors for negligence.

Victoria MacCallum