OSBORNES DYNAMIC DUO WIN TOP AWARDS

Osbornes solicitors are delighted to announce that both William Ford and Edward Taylor won Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards in the categories of Social Welfare Law and Children’s Rights respectively.

Yesterday evening saw the 17^th Legal Aid Practitioners Group Legal Aid of the Year awards. The ceremony celebrates the hard work, professionalism and commitment of legal aid lawyers.

William Ford was recognised for his work in social welfare and mention was made of his Court of Appeal case of R (Gullu) v The London Borough of Hillingdon [2019] in which he successfully challenged Hillingdon’s housing allocation scheme, a case which spanned over 4 years.

William Ford, Partner, comments:

“It was an honour just to be nominated for this award, and a huge surprise to actually win it! I am very grateful for the amazing team I work with at Osbornes and the supportive environment that enables us to pursue the cases we do. It was also incredibly humbling to spend an evening in the company of such amazing legal aid lawyers who all clearly share a passion for vital legal aid work across a wide range of areas of law. In the 70^th year of legal aid whilst it is important to celebrate the huge benefits of our legal aid system it is also necessary to be mindful of the challenges to its future viability given the huge cuts in funding”.

Edward Taylor was recognised for his work in upholding children’s rights and mention was made of his case of AS v Kent [2017] in which he successfully challenged the reliance on dental experts in age assessment cases.

Edward Taylor, Solicitor, comments:

“I honestly cannot believe it. I was 99% sure that I wasn’t going to win. I am deeply grateful for the team I work in and the support I have had over the years. It was an honour to be shortlisted and an even greater honour to have won!”

Both William and Edward have shown great passion and commitment to the work they do. Legal Aid lawyers work incredibly hard for their clients despite increasing cuts and challenges. The firm is proud that William and Edward have been recognised for their hard work and passion. Congratulations to them and to all the other finalists!