Welsh solicitor finalist in Legal Aid ‘Oscars’

Lindsay Taylor, a solicitor in the family team at South Wales law firm Watkins & Gunn Solicitors, has been selected as a finalist for the 10th anniversary Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) awards.

Ms Taylor, who has worked at Watkins & Gunn Solicitors since 2008, was chosen by a judging panel chaired by Michael Mansfield QC as one of three finalists in the Family Legal Aid Lawyer category.

The 11 LALY judges selected finalists in nine award categories after reading over 1,000 pages of nominations and the winners will now be announced and presented with their awards by Michael Mansfield at a ceremony in central London on 12 June.

Organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, the LALYs, which were launched in 2003, are the only awards aimed solely at those doing legal aid work.

LALY organiser Carol Storer said: ‘The judges had such a difficult job to do because the nominations in all categories were terrific. We congratulate everyone on the shortlist. Like so many legal aid lawyers they work flat out for their clients’. On her award nomination, Lindsay said: “I’m really proud to have been shortlisted in these prestigious awards alongside other solicitors in my field that I really admire.”

Since qualifying as a solicitor in 2007, Ms Taylor has built up extensive experience in all areas of family law and her experience as a Police station duty solicitor provides her with a close working knowledge of the criminal justice system and an additional perspective.

Her skill in acting for victims of domestic abuse, including Children Act proceedings, has recently seen her being appointed as a trustee for Torfaen Women’s Aid.

Lindsay has forged strong links with Women’s Aid since Watkins & Gunn launched a series of legal advice surgeries at Torfaen Women’s Aid Chrysalis Centre in Pontypool for female victims of domestic abuse in 2010. She will now use her legal background to help shape and govern the charity going forward as it continues to provide crucial local facilities.

Continued Lindsay: “Through our advice surgeries at the Chrysalis Centre we have been able to give women in abusive relationships, who are often too intimidated to seek legal advice, the opportunity to do so away from the formalities of a solicitor’s office. I have been able to witness firsthand the vital service that the charity provides to local women in abusive relationships. I’m delighted to have been appointed as a trustee so that I can help the charity continue its important work.”

Managing Partner of Watkins & Gunn Clive Thomas said: “I am delighted that Lindsay has been recognised for her extraordinary legal expertise, determination and dedication to her clients as a LALY finalist. It is testament to both her skill as a lawyer and her commitment to helping the victims of domestic abuse. Her appointment as a trustee of Torfaen Women’s Aid is further evidence of this and I’m confident that, with her passion and energy, she will prove to be a real asset to the charity.”