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James Packer Highly Commended for Human Rights Lawyer of the Year and Jeremy Bloom Wins Junior Lawyer of the Year at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2021 (8 October 2021)

Date: 08/10/2021
Duncan Lewis, Main Solicitors, James Packer Highly Commended for Human Rights Lawyer of the Year and Jeremy Bloom Wins Junior Lawyer of the Year at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2021

We are delighted to reveal that our public law director James Packer has been Highly Commended for the Human Rights Lawyer of the Year award and public law solicitor Jeremy Bloom has won the Junior Lawyer of the Year at the 2021 Law Society Excellence Awards. The Law Society Excellence Awards recognise the industry-wide work carried out by law firms in England and Wales and are one of the most prestigious awards ceremonies in the legal profession.

The Human Rights Lawyer of the Year award celebrates excellence and outstanding achievement in human rights, and rewards solicitors whose determination and dedication have made exception contributions to the promotion, protection and advancement of human rights whether through long-term activity or from a single outstanding case.

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. James consistently brings cases on behalf of the most disadvantaged in society, especially those who suffer from problems with their mental health.

He 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.

James also brought a judicial review against a decision that VS a very traumatised former victim of modern slavery, repeatedly exploited for sexual purposes, extremely vulnerable with complex mental health needs, was not a Victim of Trafficking. Once again, James was the solicitor-advocate in the (successful) judicial review. He is now advocate in her appeal.

The judges felt: “that for too long James has been an unsung hero of the legal profession, working tirelessly and courageously on often unpopular cases to ensure the rights of all, and particularly the most disadvantaged, are protected. His long list of successes, both reported and unreported, achieve real impact for his clients and are worthy of recognition. He also goes above and beyond to add value to the profession through providing an exemplary standard of training to new solicitors who will undoubtedly carry on his good work.”


What makes Jeremy’s success all the more notable is that he has only been practicing law for a few years, and qualified at the end of 2019. He brings wide-reaching and high-profile judicial review claims on behalf of his clients including on access to justice and legal aid, the Windrush scheme and all aspects of the asylum process.

Jeremy’s most significant case this year is perhaps R (SM) v Lord Chancellor [2021] EWHC 418 (Admin), a judicial review claim challenging the less favourable arrangements for access to immigration legal aid for immigration detainees held in prisons compared with those held in Immigration Removal Centres. Jeremy’s client was detained under immigration powers in prison for over nine months without access to legal advice, unable to challenge the lawfulness of detention, or lodge a human rights and asylum appeal. In response to the case, 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.

The Junior Lawyer of the Year award celebrates an exceptional standard of work as well as great dedication to the role of a junior lawyer. The judges are looking for a lawyer who is excelling in their role or making a significant contribution to voluntary or pro-bono schemes. The look for lawyers that will be going beyond what is expected of a junior lawyer and bringing insight, flair, imagination and hard work to everything they do.

The judges commented that Jeremy “…has been involved in pivotal cases that make a big impact and a real practical difference after just two years of post-qualification experience. Jeremy is a real change maker, and his involvement in the Windrush project and work at a legal aid firm has changed the lives of thousands of people…”


We are also pleased to share that our immigration consultant solicitor Marios Kontos has won the Solicitor of the Year – In House award for his work with Rainbow Migration. The judges said “Marios Kontos stood out to all the judges because they are a junior lawyer advising on sexual orientation or gender identity asylum claims with limited resources during the pandemic. The judges were highly impressed with this solicitor’s interactions on law and policy work with the Home Office and involvement with the European Court of Human Rights on a Belarus case.”


We are extremely proud that James and Jeremy have been recognised at this year’s Excellence Awards and once again offer our congratulations to Marios as well as all of the other winners and nominees.




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