Lawyer of the Year
This category acknowledges truly exceptional individual contributions to the profession during 2018. Submissions are welcomed from private practitioners, in-house counsel and barristers, offshore or onshore, in the UK. Judges will be looking for evidence of exceptional performance in any area that makes the chosen lawyer stand out from their peers.
2019 Winner
Richard Miskella
Lewis Silkin
Led the high-profile investigation for The Old Vic into the allegations of sexual harassment against Kevin Spacey. He then advised pro bono on the set-up of ‘The Guardians Programme’, designed to allow employees a confidential outlet to share concerns about behaviour at work and continues to advise and train other organisations who want to set up a similar programmes.
Shortlisted
Richard Neylon - HIGHLY COMMENDED
HFW
Dubbed ‘The Fixer’, Neylon has carved a niche advising international companies on difficult, esoteric issues in challenging and hostile environments, from terrorism to kidnapping, hijackings, drug seizures, and detentions of people and property by recalcitrant authorities.
Vidisha Joshi
Hodge Jones Allen
One of the youngest managing partners in the UK, Joshi has overseen Hodge Jones Allen becoming the first law firm to be entirely owned by its employees, in a structure very much akin to that pioneered by John Lewis, after its equity partners agreed to sell the business to an employee ownership trust.
Jolyon Maugham QC
Devereux Chambers
One of the UK’s most respected tax law silks, Maugham QC has won plaudits and faced brickbats in recent years for his work as the founder and director of The Good Law Project, through which he has played a key role in bringing to court a number of legal challenges to the Brexit process.
Andrew Taggart
Herbert Smith Freehills
In 2018 Taggart, partner and EMEA head of employment at HSF, led on an award-winning pro bono initiative working closely with Working Families. He came up with the idea of developing an innovative web-based solution that is now used by a variety of law firms to assist Working Families, getting support quickly and easily those who need legal and practical advice.