We are delighted to congratulate Nick Bano, Ollie Persey and Mia Hakl-Law who have been shortlisted as finalists for the 2024 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards. Our warmest congratulations to Nick, Ollie and Mia for this outstanding achievement.
Nick Bano is a finalist for Legal Aid Barrister of the Year, Ollie Persey is a finalist for Legal Aid Newcomer of the Year and Mia Hakl-Law, Director of Operation & Human Resources of Garden Court Chambers, is a finalist for the Legal Aid Support Staffer Award.
Nick Bano specialises in representing homeless people, residential occupiers, and destitute & migrant households in both public law and private law disputes. He has acted in many of the most important housing law cases in recent years. The legal directories consistently recognise his expertise in this field, as well as his inventiveness and commitment to his clients.
Nick has a particular specialism in cases where social entitlements overlap with equality and discrimination law. He has been instructed in many of the key cases in this area. Nick is excellent at engaging with the tenants he represents, with legal directories noting that “he fights for tenants". Nick has recently published a book entitled, 'Against Landlords: How to Solve the Housing Crisis'.
Ollie Persey has a broad public law practice focusing on the rights of children, asylum seekers and migrants and disabled people. He has expertise in discrimination, education, community care, mental health and Court of Protection matters. He is ranked in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 and was a finalist for the ‘Junior of the Year Award' at the Legal 500 Awards 2022 for his work in his core practice areas.
Ollie is the consultant editor of the latest edition of the highly regarded practitioner text, ‘Halsbury’s Laws on Judicial Review’, and a contributing author of the Legal Action Group textbook, ‘Discrimination in Public Law’. He is a trustee of Southwark Law Centre, a director of the Education Law Association and a former co-chair of Young Legal Aid Lawyers. Prior to joining Garden Court, he was a lawyer at Public Law Project, an academic at the LSE and Oxford University and worked for the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights. Ollie co-convenes the Community Care and Education Law Teams.
Mia Hakl-Law is a member of Garden Court Chambers Senior Management Team and the Management Board. She heads the Operations Team and is responsible for Garden Court’s staff and physical resources, including Administration, Compliance, Facilities, Human Resources and IT.
Mia pioneered our award-winning mentoring scheme, ‘Access to the Bar for All’, which encourages students from minority and disadvantaged groups to consider a career as a barrister. 16-year-old students, girls and/or those from ethnic minority and disadvantaged groups, are offered mentoring for five years and paid internships at Garden Court Chambers. Mia is responsible for managing this Long Term Mentoring Scheme in Chambers.
The scheme won 'Outstanding in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion' and the 'Social Mobility Award' at the Women, Influence & Power in Law UK Awards 2024. In 2019 and 2020, it won 'Outstanding Contribution to Diversity & Inclusion' at the Chambers Bar Awards. The scheme was awarded 'Diversity Initiative of the Year' at the UK Diversity Legal Awards 2017 and it was also shortlisted for 'Diversity Project of the Year' at the Women in Law Awards 2020 and 'Diversity Initiative of the Year' at the UK Diversity Legal Awards 2019.
Mia's commitment to Chambers is next to none and we are so pleased that Mia has been recognised by the LALYs for all her hard work.
A full list of finalists can be found here.
Winners will be announced at the in-person LALY24 ceremony on Friday 5 July. Book your tickets here.
