Welcome to The British Legal Awards 2009, Thursday 3 December 2009

Old Billingsgate Market, London

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NEWS: 4 Dec 2009 - Stephenson Harwood, Linklaters and Abbey take the honours at British Legal Awards

The British Legal Awards 2009: View full report in Legal Week 10 December

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A capacity audience descended on Old Billingsgate Market in the City of London to celebrate the collective achievements of the British and international legal profession on Thursday 3 December at The British Legal Awards.

The event, which was hosted by Legal Week and fronted by the comedian Alexander Armstrong, culminated in the awards of Law Firm of the Year, which was scooped by Stephenson Harwood, and the City of London Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Supreme Court Justice and former Herbert Smith partner Lord Collins.

"I was very lucky to have worked with an enormously talented bunch of people, and to have had such interesting work so that I got a buzz every time I went into the office," said Lord Collins of his time at Herbert Smith in a filmed acceptance speech that was shown on the night.

"That is why I am so pleased that this award is from the City of London Law Society. I owe a lot to the City."

Other winners included Abbey National, which was named Legal department of the year, Rio Tinto, which won the In-house Award for Innovation and Linklaters, which scooped Banking, Finance and Restructuring Team of the Year for its work advising on the administration of Lehman Brothers’ European operations.

Earlier, Bill Knight, the chairman of the judging panel, praised the judges for their hard work reaching "careful and independent decisions".

He added: "The entries showed the resilience of the legal profession and the need for our services in good times and bad. In good times we put through the transactions which keep the economy turning. In bad times we pick up the pieces and form them into new models."

The event also featured a presentation from James Partridge, the founder and chief executive of Changing Faces, the official charity of the awards.

Founded in 1992, Changing Faces supports people who have disfigurements to the face, hand or body.

John Malpas
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
Legal Week

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