By Kevin Donoghue, solicitor director of Donoghue Solicitors
We did it again! Donoghue Solicitors has been shortlisted in the Liverpool Law Society Legal Awards for the third time in a row.
This accolade comes hot-on-the-heels of our shortlisting for Boutique Law Firm of the Year in the 2019 Modern Law Awards.
Read on to find out why we’re shortlisted and what this means to us and our clients.
Why Liverpool Law Society Legal Awards are Trusted
The bi-annual Liverpool Law Society Legal Awards are described as “celebrating legal excellence”.
An independent panel judges the Awards. Panel members come from the worlds of business, academia and the judiciary. Glenys Hunt, a non-practising past president of Liverpool Law Society, chaired this year’s panel. Members included:
- Professor Warren Barr Head of Department at Liverpool Law School, University of Liverpool,
- Ms Lesley Martin-Wright, Chief Executive of Knowsley Chamber of Commerce
- His Honour Judge Graham Wood QC, the Designated Civil Judge for Cheshire and Merseyside.
Liverpool Law Society jealously protects the integrity of the Awards. No director of the Society or staff member gets involved in the judging of the Awards in any way. The Chair’s role is to assist and guide the Panel only. She does not have voting rights. The judging panel makes its decisions confidentially. Only the judging panel interviews the nominees. Directors or staff members of the Society are excluded.
Why Donoghue Solicitors is Shortlisted for Liverpool Law Society’s Small Law Firm Award
Donoghue Solicitors has been shortlisted in the Small Law Firm Award category. Competitors must be law firms with up to 30 locally-based staff (including non-fee- earning staff). The “local” area is large. It includes the city of Liverpool, and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Wirral, Knowsley, Sefton, Widnes, St Helens and Neston in the County of Cheshire.
Having met that definition, the judging panel then considered the following:
- a firm that has made a significant contribution and/or brought reputational benefit to Liverpool and surrounding areas
- evidence of attracting more than local work
- a firm that represents “law at its best”
- demonstrating a commitment to law as a business, run effectively while taking into account client care
- training initiatives and accreditations received or being worked towards
- client initiatives that have set the firm apart from the rest
- contribution to the community including pro-bono work.
The judges decided that Donoghue Solicitors was one of only two firms which met these strict criteria.
Donoghue Solicitors was also shortlisted for the Boutique Law Firm Award in the 2019 Modern Law Awards.
Liverpool Law Society Comments
The Society announced the shortlist by saying:
Liverpool Law Society is delighted by the number of nominations received for the 2019 Legal Awards from individuals, teams and firms across the membership. The competition has been fierce, the independent judging panel have met and interviews have taken place. The judging panel said: “The quality, quantity and calibre of applications for this year’s Liverpool Law Society Legal Awards has been incredibly high, which reflects the strength and talent of our local legal community.
Liverpool Law Society President Chris Topping said:
I am very excited that the Legal Awards ceremony is now only a few weeks away, the announcement of the shortlist is always a significant moment in the build-up. I know that the evening will be a fantastic showcase for the excellent work of both individuals and firms who are members of Liverpool Law Society and I hope you will join with me in this celebration.
The awards ceremony will take place at Rum Warehouse, Stanley Dock, Liverpool on Friday, 17th May 2019. The BBC’s Roger Johnson is hosting. The local Law Society describe the black-tie event as “one of the highlights of the region’s legal profession’s calendar’s year”.
Why This Matters
I am thrilled that the judging panel recognised my team’s efforts. Their dedication and commitment to our clients impresses me every day. I look forward to taking my staff to the event as a “thank you” for all their hard work. This expert recognition also gives our clients confidence that they are working with a leading law firm, dedicated to putting their needs first and representing “the law at its best”.
Kevin Donoghue leads Donoghue Solicitors, a firm of compensation claims lawyers. Contact him here.