News

25 September 2009

Winners of Yorkshire Lawyer Awards 2009 Announced

The cream of Yorkshire's legal sector were last night (Thursday 24th September) acknowledged for their contribution both to the profession and to the region when the winners of the Yorkshire Lawyer Awards 2009 were announced.

Organised by Barker Brooks, the ceremony, which was held at Rudding Park was, once again, hosted by ITV's Gaynor Barnes. Over 200 lawyers from across the region gathered to see, amongst others, Howard Culley* of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors named as Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year 2009. Presenting him with his award was Carl Tinker, Sales Manager of headline sponsors, MD5.

Howard Culley* was chosen in recognition of almost thirty years' service to the legal profession. The judges said that, despite his slightly unconventional start - having commenced his legal training in his late twenties - he has been a significant contributor to his firm's success; seeing it move from a small, largely Magistrates Courts focused, regional practice to a major national firm. He has been instrumental in building the firm's commercial practice as well as taking control of its finance function and being Managing Partner for 21 years before stepping down earlier this year with a view to retiring from the practice.

Although the awards are now in their ninth year, the Presidents' Award was presented for only the second time - this time to Martin Shaw** of Pinsent Masons LLP. The award was presented by Jeremy Shulman, co-President of the Awards, to Martin's colleagues who accepted on his behalf.

Other winners were: Williscroft & Co. (Law firm 1-10 Partners); Howells Solicitors (Law Firm 11-30 Partners); DLA Piper (Law Firm 31+ Partners); John Pickering & Partners LLP (Niche Law Firm); Paul Mann of Hammonds LLP (Rising Star Award); Mary Butler of Bell & Buxton Solicitors (Private Client Award); Michael Reevey of Addleshaw Goddard LLP (Real Estate Award); Dispute Resolution Team at Zermansky and Partners (Dispute Resolution Award); Last Cawthra Feather (Enterprise Award); Hammonds LLP (Corporate and Commercial Award); and the Yorkshire Restructuring Team at DLA Piper (Corporate Recovery Award).

The judging panel comprised of co-Presidents of the Awards, Jeremy Shulman of Shulmans Solicitors and Peter McCormick, OBE, of McCormicks Solicitors, who chaired the judges; Paul Aber from the College of Law in York, Eleanor Doohan of Asda House, Roger Dixon of Hague & Dixon Solicitors, Debbie Green of Leeds Law Society, Nicole Jackson of Leeds City Council, Lorette Law of Switalskis Solicitors LLP and John McQuater of Atherton Godfrey Solicitors.

The awards are organised by Barker Brooks Media and supported by the Leeds Law Society, in association with the headline sponsor, MD5. Other sponsors included Arena Group, Begbies Traynor, Davis Langdon, Harrow Green, Hemingway Tailors, Intaforensics, Leeds Law School, MDA Searchflow, Park Court chambers, Property Search Group, Redmayne Bentley, Stroz Friedberg, University of Huddersfield and Wesleyan Group.

As well as honouring hard work and talent in the Yorkshire legal profession, the awards raised money for local charity, Yorkshire Cancer Research.

The 2009 winners are:

Law Firm 1-10 Partners	Williscroft & Co. (Bradford)
Law Firm 11-30 Partners	Howells Solicitors (Sheffield, Rotherham, Hull)
Law Firm 31+ Partners	DLA Piper (Leeds, Sheffield)
Niche Law Firm	John Pickering & Partners (Halifax)
Rising Star Award	Paul Mann of Hammonds LLP (Leeds)
Private Client Award	Mary Butler of Bell & Buxton Solicitors (Sheffield)
Real Estate Award	Michael Reevey of Addleshaw Goddard LLP (Leeds)
Dispute Resolution Award	Zermansky and Partners (Leeds)
Enterprise Award	Last Cawthra Feather (Bradford, Ilkley, Leeds, Shipley)
Corporate & Commercial Award	Hammonds LLP (Leeds)
Corporate Recovery Award	DLA Piper (Leeds, Sheffield)
Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year	Howard Culley of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors (Sehffield, Leeds)
Presidents' Award	Martin Shaw of Pinsent Masons LLP (Leeds)

For further information, please contact Jane Burgess at Barker Brooks PR, telephone 01423 851150 or email jane.burgess@barkerbrooks.co.uk

Editor's Notes - Biog Details *Howard Culley, Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year 2009
Howard Culley of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors qualified as a solicitor at the age of 34, having begun his career with Barclays Bank before deciding to read law at Sheffield University in his late 20's.
Since then he has spent the last 30 years being a significant contributor to the team which has built his firm from being a small, largely Magistrates Court practice in Sheffield to being the major national firm which it now is.

Howard initially concentrated on building a new commercial practice within his firm, while also taking control of the firm's finance function. He held the position of Managing Partner for 21 years before stepping down earlier this year with a view to retiring from the practice.

An avid Sheffield Wednesday fan and one-time Chairman, Howard was architect and is now Chairman of Sheffield City Trust which fought a successful campaign to make Sheffield into The City of Sport. The Trust now boasts an enviable array of sports and entertainment venues which serve the local community as well as attracting international events.

**Martin Shaw, Winner of the Presidents' Award 2009
Martin Shaw has been with Pinsent Masons since joining as an articled clerk in 1966. More than 40 years later, after a stint as managing partner and heading up the Leeds corporate department, he is head of his firm's European corporate operations, a field in which the firm formerly known as Simpson Curtis is now a significant force.

During the 1980s, Martin played a leading role in persuading Yorkshire-based companies that there was no need to go to London for good advice on major deals and stock market flotations. It is largely thanks to his hard work, and that of one or two others, that the corporate capability of Yorkshire - and Leeds in particular - is now so firmly on the map.

He has been involved in countless major deals in the course of his long career, including some huge acquisitions and disposals, more than 30 stock market flotations, and - in a coup for non-partisan diplomacy - the takeovers of both Newcastle United and Sunderland football clubs.

As chairman of the Yorkshire Business Awards he has helped raise many thousands of pounds for the Variety Club of Great Britain; and during his 13 years as Chairman of the Governors at Gateways School he has seen student numbers more than double, while the school was rated as 'outstanding' after the most recent visit of the Independent Schools Inspectorate.