Napier takes Yorkshire prize for disaster work

Michael Napier, the former Law Society president and senior partner of Sheffield firm Irwin Mitchell, was last week named the Yorkshire lawyer of the year.The award, sponsored by investment bank Kleinwort Benson, was presented at a ceremony in Harrogate for Mr Napier's work on multi-party and product liability claims such as the Marchioness riverboat and the Piper Alpha oil rig disasters.Tax expert John Eaton, head of the financial services department at Leeds firm Lupton Fawcett, won the Steward Title Private Client award.

Mr Eaton, who has practised for 32 years, has a high profile in the field, and is a member of BBC's 'Money Box' panel of specialists.Chris Schofield of Filtronic plc and Bradford law firm Schofield Sweeney won the Sacco Mann award for corporate and in-house lawyers.

Having led every corporate transaction undertaken by Filtronic, Mr Schofield is company secretary and on the main board for the company, along with being a founder member of the commercial law firm.

The Bentley Jenson award for young achievers was given to sports lawyer Clive Lawrence of Leeds solicitors McCormicks, who this year worked on the Barclaycard sponsorship of the FA Premier League and the Radio 5 Live broadcasting contract for the league.

His senior partner, Peter McCormick, was 2000's Yorkshire lawyer of the year.Mr Napier said: 'I am thrilled to receive such an honour 30 years after moving from Lancashire to Yorkshire to join a small high street firm, Irwin Mitchell, which is now one of the top 20 in the country.'Runner-up in the private client award was Paul Howell of Addleshaw Booth & Co's Leeds office, while Alan Owen of Irwin Mitchell was runner-up in the young achiever category.

For the second year running, Eleanor Doohan of Asda in Leeds came second in the corporate category.Victoria MacCallum