Two members of Garden Court Chambers have been shortlisted for Legal Aid Barrister of the Year.
Maya Sikand has been shortlisted as one of three finalists in the Legal Aid Barrister of the Year Category and John Beckley has been shortlisted in the Young Legal Aid Barrister of the Year Category . The awards will take place on 1st December 2008.
Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) Awards, celebrate the work of solicitors and barristers and other legal aid practitionerswho have dedicated their careers to the service of some of the most vulnerable members of society.
Maya Sikand:
Maya specialises in criminal defence work, crime related civil work, judicial review and extradition. She has a particular interest in the public law aspect of criminal matters, youth justice and human rights jurisprudence. She has a specialist knowledge of ASBOs and other civil orders (such as closure orders) imposed in the criminal courts and is the author of "ASBOS: A Practitioner's Guide to Defending Anti-Social Behaviour Orders" (LAG, September 2006). Click here to read the most recent review. She has in recent years begun to focus much more on other crime related civil work such as police actions, death in custody inquests and prison law. Read More
John Beckley:
John is predominantly a housing practitioner, although he has extensive experience of social security law and asylum support. He has also represented prisoners at adjudications and parole hearings and has represented travellers in High Court injunction and committal proceedings . A focus of John's housing work is representing tenants who are accused of nuisance and anti-social behaviour, including tenants with mental health problems and those who have had closure orders and ASBO's made against them. He regularly represents in section 204 homelessness appeals. Read More
