The Association of Women Solicitors has presented ten ‘outstanding’ women solicitors with awards to recognise their excellence in business and people management.

The winner of the large firm award was Susan Bright, head of competition at City firm Lovells, who manages a team stretched across 12 jurisdictions and several time zones. The small firm award was won by Sarah Young, the managing partner of two-partner Huddersfield firm Ridley & Hall. In the same small firm category, Pam Loch of start-up niche employment firm Loch Associates, Tunbridge Wells, was highly commended.

June Venters (pictured) QC of Venters in London and the first woman solicitor to be made a QC, won the legal aid award. Clare Jones of Nomura International in London won the in-house category, while Rita Dev of magic circle firm Allen & Overy and Julie Morris of national firm Russell Jones & Walker were the winner and highly commended runner-up respectively of the retaining and development award.

AWS chairwoman Clare McConnell, a partner at City firm Stephenson Harwood, said the inaugural awards were intended to become an annual event to celebrate women solicitors in business.

She added: ‘The awards recognise individual lawyers, in firms large or small, who have done amazing things. It was the first year of the awards and yet they attracted many strong entries from women of all ages and seniority. All of them have played an influential role in their firms, whether managing the business, managing people – or managing both.’