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Duncan Lewis Solicitors shortlisted for three awards at The Law Society Excellence Awards 2021 (4 August 2021)

Date: 04/08/2021
Duncan Lewis, Main Solicitors, Duncan Lewis Solicitors shortlisted for three awards at The Law Society Excellence Awards 2021

We are delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for three awards at this year’s Law Society Excellence Awards. The firm has been shortlisted for the Excellence in Upholding the Rule of Law award, whilst public law director James Packer has been shortlisted for the Human Rights Lawyer of the Year award and public law solicitor Jeremy Bloom has been shortlisted for Junior Lawyer of the Year.

The Law Society Excellence Awards are one of the most prestigious accolades for law firms in England and Wales, recognising the work accomplished throughout the legal profession in the last twelve months.

The firm has been shortlisted in the first Excellence in Upholding the Rule of Law category. This award is designed to showcase the vital role that lawyers play in: ensuring laws are followed by everybody, regardless of position, power or status, and holding those who do not follow the law to account, via our independent judiciary in the courts.

As the largest provider of legal aid services in England and Wales, our overriding aim is to give our clients a voice and to ensure that the most vulnerable in society have access to justice irrespective of their individual circumstances. Our motto ‘we give people a voice’ resonates throughout our work and by challenging obstacles we aim ameliorate access to justice for all.

In the last year we have carried out a number of challenges against hindrances to access to justice in order to create a fairer more just system that all individuals can benefit from. Through such challenges our aim is that the widespread and long-lasting outcomes will benefit the lives of countless marginalised individuals and help enhance the process for practitioners.

In SM v Lord Chancellor, legal aid providers expressed concerns that those detained in prison under immigration powers were not receiving access to legally aided advice in the same capacity as those detained in immigration removal centres (IRCs) with the latter being afforded legal aid surgeries and the former not. In response, the Lord Chancellor announced a wide-ranging review of the legal aid arrangements for immigration detainees, aiming for equal access across the detention estate. The court declared that the current legal aid arrangements are in breach of the claimant’s rights under Article 14 taken with Articles 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 ECHR. With around 400 immigration detainees in prisons at any time, the impact of this litigation will improve access to justice for a large and vulnerable group.

Solicitor in the above case, Jeremy Bloom, has been named a finalist for the Junior Lawyer of the Year award. Jeremy’s commitment to his clients is unwavering and through his dynamic and strategic litigation he has achieved significant improvements to the lives of his clients and to access to legal aid. He has shown true determination to ensuring that marginalised individuals are not impeded by unjust policies and practices. Jeremy is currently acting for five Claimants in a challenge to the lawfulness of the consultation on the Home Office’s New Plan for Immigration. The Claimants case is that they were discriminated against as they were unable to participate in the consultation on an immigration and asylum policy which will affect them in myriad ways. The case is of significant constitutional importance as it may determine the jurisdiction of the courts in relation to consultation activities undertaken by public bodies to inform primary legislation and it may strengthen equality law duties in this arena.

Public law director James Packer has been shortlisted in the Human Rights Lawyer of the Year category. James has been working consistently at the highest level and is long-overdue praise for the remarkable work he carries out for the benefit of both his clients and the wider legal world. He is described by those that work alongside him as “a solicitor who epitomises determination and dedication to the cause of his clients and the advancement of human rights” and “fearless in his approach, even when the odds seems stacked against him”. In a recent case, James successfully brought a judicial review on behalf of QJ a traumatised and mentally ill man, who is “very disabled by his symptoms to the point that he cannot communicate meaningfully”, successfully challenging a decision that he was not an “asylum seeker”. James drafted the Grounds of Review, and was advocate at the (successful OPH), following which the Home Office withdrew the decision. James is now advocate in QJ’s appeal.


We would also like to congratulate our immigration consultant Marios Kontos who has also been shortlisted for the Junior Lawyer of the Year and Solicitor of the Year – In-house awards for his work with Rainbow Migration.


We are incredibly proud to be shortlisted at the Law Society Excellence Awards and offer huge congratulations to James, Jeremy and Marios and to everyone involved in improving our approach and providing excellent legal services.


This year, the Law Society Excellence Awards will be an online ceremony, taking place on 7 October 2021.




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