We are pleased to announce that Duncan Lewis have been shortlisted for 6 awards, in anticipation of the 12th annual Law Society Excellence Awards 2018. The event will be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane on 17th October 2018, where it will celebrate the best in the legal sector in 22 highly competitive categories.
The firm is a finalist in three categories, including:
- Excellence in Business Development
As the largest Legal Aid provider of legal services, our Legal Outreach Initiative focuses on connecting vulnerable clients with a specialist lawyer from the outset, enabling the most vulnerable in society to access high quality and immediate legal advice, where ever they are across England and Wales.
- Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
Duncan Lewis Solicitors are dedicated to recruiting the most talented employees, regardless of gender, ethnicity or background. With 63% of our workforce female and nearly 60% coming from an ethnic minority background, we are proud of our dedication to equal opportunities and having a workforce that best serves its communities.
- Law Firm of the Year – Large
Our 800 personnel are led by over
60 (Partner-Level) Directors, each a specialist in their field. Facing significant changes in the industry, including on-going legal aid cuts, we deliver legal services to the most vulnerable in society, retaining our position as the largest legal aid provider in England and Wales.
In the individual categories, we are proud to announce those that have been shortlisted:
- Gazette Legal Personality of the Year – Aina Khan OBE
Aina is a specialist consultant solicitor in our
Islamic Family Law department. She has celebrated an outstanding year, campaigning on behalf of women and children to make registering your marriage compulsory for all faiths in the UK. In January, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) recognising her unfaltering dedication to her practice.
- Human Rights Lawyer of the Year
Ahmed is a Director of Public Law and Immigration based in our Birmingham branch. He has been at the forefront in the battle against the criminalisation and detention of victims of trafficking (VOTs), and the unlawful detention of vulnerable migrants. He has led key public law challenges, the resulting decisions of which have benefited thousands of highly vulnerable asylum-seekers and VOTs.
Naim Hasani is a Consultant Solicitor within our Immigration department. His recent success in the Supreme Court case of
Hysaj & Ors, R has significantly changed the case law on ‘deprivation’ and ‘nullity’ of British Citizenship under the British Nationality Act 1981.
We would like to congratulate all those shortlisted and we look forward to celebrating with them at The Law Society Excellence Awards 2018. The night is set to be another fantastic event, bringing together all legal practitioners from consultants, in-house teams, charitable organisations, to legal aid firms, to recognise their outstanding achievements in law.
Duncan Lewis Solicitors
Duncan Lewis Solicitors, established in 1998, is a national law firm serving both corporate entities and private individuals from 52 offices across London and throughout the UK. In 2009 Duncan Lewis was the first law firm in the UK to achieve the Investors in People Gold Quality Standard Mark and is recognised by Legal 500 as a Top Tier firm for its immigration and human rights work.
Established areas of law are: action against public authorities, business immigration, child care, civil liberties, clinical negligence, community care, crime and fraud, dispute resolution, debt and insolvency, employment, family and divorce, housing, Islamic law, asylum and immigration, litigation, mental health, mental capacity, personal injury, prison law, professional negligence, public law and administrative law, regulatory matters, wills and probate and welfare benefits.
