The besT of LeicesTershire’s wins aT The LeicesTershire
LOCAL FIRMS CELEBRATE BECO
The current Leicestershire Law Society (LLS) President, Gina Samuel-Richards, kept the list of winners completely under wraps, even from herself, so she too could delight in the winner’s announcement on the night of the ceremony.
Gina commented: “Our judges had their work cut out for them during this awards process. After meeting the finalists at this year’s finalist announcement event, I understood the calibre of the contenders and the difficulty of the task that our judges had ahead of them. I was ecstatic to hear who the winners were and to share those special moments with them on stage.”
Nominations across each of the 10 categories were investigated and diligently whittled down by this year’s panel of distinguished judges.
The high-profile judging panel consisted of: Sandra Pollock OBE of Open Mind Training & Development; Trusha Lakhani ACCA Global Council Member; Associate Head Tim Hillier of De Montfort University Leicester Law School; Associate Professor Steve Evans of University of Leicester Law School; Jamal Jeffers, Barrister of KCH Garden Square Chambers; District Judge Asjad; and Andrew Goulter of Mattioli Woods.
The awards are organised and presented each year by the current President of the Leicestershire Law Society. Presidents are elected by the society and then serve a year-long term in the role. Gina is the first LLS President of African heritage. “For my year-long Leicestershire Law Society presidency, ‘legacy’ is the theme I settled upon,” Gina explained. “I am the first person of African heritage to hold my office. To be the first of anything carries its own challenges and rewards. I took on this role with the knowledge of the weight it places on my shoulders, representing the dynamic and powerful legal community of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and representing the Black community, setting a path for all those who come after us.”
Leicestershire Law Society is said to be one of the most vibrant local law societies. For this year’s award ceremony, Gina wanted a theme to reflect the character of the society. She chose a Moroccan theme due to the country’s melting pot of cultures – a symbolic similarity to Leicester. With it, Gina wanted to bring Morocco’s exciting colours, delicious foods, vivacious culture, and beautiful patterns and textures to Leicester.
Gina has been organising the awards ceremony over the past year in collaboration with the LLS team and headline sponsor ReviewSolicitors run by Saleem Arif.
Michael Hanney CEO and Co-Founder of ReviewSolicitors, said: “These awards have a significant and lasting impact on the community. By celebrating outstanding achievements and promoting transparency, the awards not only inspire legal professionals to pursue excellence but also foster trust and confidence among clients seeking legal services. Recognising the accomplishments of some of Leicestershire’s finest achieving law firms and practitioners sets a high standard for quality legal services, ultimately benefitting the wider community.
“At ReviewSolicitors, we are strong advocates for the power of client feedback to drive improvements in legal service delivery. By partnering with the Leicestershire Law Society, we hope to encourage even more law firms and practitioners to embrace transparency, continuously improve their service, and meet the needs of clients in an ever-evolving landscape.”
ReviewSolicitors is a platform that allows transparency in the legal sector and accountability among the legal industry’s professionals. The firm’s activities align with Gina’s and accessibility to legal se “According to the 2021 significantly higher perce in its population above th the next 30 years, Generati one-third of our workforce “They’ll be the most diver means the legal communi the best and brightest over a city with a vast variety of b we need to work on retaini “Young people are temp and fast pace of London Birmingham, but some university and fall in love individual is our Mayor, Sir “Leicester is an attrac make our businesses we by running schemes t the brightest.
“I hope my presidency act this generation no matter proving to them that no there can be success and And I know our finalists w too.”