Warwickshire County Council’s Legal Services team has achieved recognition in two categories at the Lawyers in Local Government (LLG) Awards for 2024.
Announced at LLG’s Spring Conference in Leeds on Friday 7 June, Warwickshire Legal Services (WLS) won the ‘Excellence in Training’ category, whilst also securing a Highly Commended result in the ‘Lawyer of the Year’ category in which WLS had two finalists.
WLS were delighted to be awarded the ‘Excellence in Training’ award for providing a fully inclusive range of recruitment and development opportunities to foster the professional growth of legal careers within local government. This includes apprenticeships, trainee solicitor positions, traditional legal training contracts, access to learning mentors, and the development of an internal “Grow Your Own” programme. There are also opportunities for legal staff to embark on secondments and work experience placements in partnership with reputable client organisations such as Warwickshire Police.
In the ‘Lawyer of the Year’ category, Alison Freeth, Legal Executive in the Young People team at WLS, was Highly Commended for her recent work on the accelerated procedure for discharging care orders, and for her long service and dedication to law over the past 25 years, alongside her ongoing promotion of careers within local government.
In the same category Sioned Harper, Governance team lead and Senior Solicitor at WLS, was also a finalist for her commitment and dedication, ensuring that the public can be confident that Warwickshire County Council is a well-run local authority with good governance, transparency, and accountability.
Rob Powell, Executive Director for Resources at Warwickshire County Council, said:
“I would like to extend my congratulations to Warwickshire Legal Services on their success and recognition at this year’s Lawyers in Local Government Awards. Our team are ambitious, motivated, and committed to making a real difference to local communities in Warwickshire and beyond. I am delighted that they are being recognised for their dedicated work ethic and the professional development opportunities that the team deliver”.
Nichola Vine, Head of Legal and Governance & Deputy Monitoring Officer, said:
“I am proud our successes this year. The Excellence in Training award highlights what a wonderful group of people we have working here at Warwickshire Legal Services. Their continued hard work and dedication in everything they do is what makes our success possible, and so I would like to say thank you to all our staff for continuing to give their very best in supporting our clients.”
LLG is the professional membership body representing, promoting, and supporting the interests of local government legal or governance officers working within a local authority. The LLG Awards covered five categories, with a Highly Commended and Winner within each category, honouring individuals and teams in law who exemplify unwavering dedication, innovation, and expertise in their fields.
To read more about all of the winners, visit the Lawyers in Local Government website.
For more information about WLS, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wls, and follow the WLS LinkedIn page at www.linkedin.com/company/warwickshire-legal-services