Garden Court is delighted to congratulate our barristers, Brenda Campbell and Paul Clark, on being shortlisted for the prestigious Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2017 (LALYs) taking place on 5 July 2017.
Brenda Campbell has been shortlisted for Legal Aid Barrister of the Year and Paul Clark has been shortlisted for Legal Aid Newcomer of the Year.
Brenda Campbell
Brenda Campbell was called to the Bar of England & Wales and the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2002. Her work is almost exclusively funded by legal aid.
She is instructed in serious, high profile and complex criminal & inquest cases, often involving the representation of defendants who, by reason of their personal vulnerabilities, are in need of specialist representation. Brenda is often instructed in cases with complex histories including 'legacy' cases in Northern Ireland, multi-handed cases and fresh appeals.
Notable cases include securing the acquittal of the Omagh bombing suspect, Seamus Daly, and thereby avoiding a serious miscarriage of justice. Brenda acted as sole counsel on the case. She is also instructed in the on-going Ballymurphy Inquests and the on-going appeal of R v JM, which amongst other grounds challenges the imposition of mandatory life sentences imposed on children convicted of serious crime.
Brenda balances her legal aid practice with a commitment to pro bono and advisory work. For many years she was on the Executive Committee of the Bar Human Rights Committee and was also a board member of Just for Kids Law.
Paul Clark
Paul Clark (called to the bar in 2010) completed his pupillage in September 2013 and has been a tenant at Garden Court Chambers ever since.
His practice – which is almost entirely in legal aid work – has a strong focus on civil liberties and human rights, and reflects his deep commitment to representing the most vulnerable and marginalised. It is constituted predominantly of inquests, public inquiries, actions against the police and other state bodies, prisoners’ rights and claimant judicial review.
During his short period in practice, he has been instructed on some of the most complex and sensitive cases in recent times, and received a judicial appointment as Assistant Coroner for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough.
Solicitors comment on Paul’s “astounding work ethic" and willingness to step in at very short notice to fight for vulnerable clients, regardless of whether the matter is high profile.
His notable cases include the inquest into the death of toddler Poppi Worthington and the Undercover Policing Inquiry. Paul is also instructed in the case of serial killer Stephen Port who murdered four men he met through a dating app. Paul is advising the victims’ families in seeking redress for possible operational failures in the police investigation of Port that may have allowed him to continue to murder and rape young men.
LALYs 2017
The LALYs are organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group and the award ceremony takes place on Wednesday 5 July 2017 in London. Awards will be presented by Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
The full list of finalists can be viewed on the Legal Aid Practitioners Group website.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting http://www.lapg.co.uk/laly-tickets
