Nearly 30 years on from that fateful football match, justice has finally been rewarded to the families of the 96 that died in the Hillsborough disaster and the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards has honoured the legal teams that have played a vital role since the inquest began.
The legal teams involved, which included Ruth Bundey from our Criminal Law team based in Chapeltown, Leeds, collectively picked up the award for Outstanding Achievement at the LALY awards ceremony on 7th July in London.
Ruth, who has nearly 40 years’ experience in Criminal Law and Inquests, paid tribute to the dedication of the victims’ families during the event and said that all the law firms came together to form an alliance and securing the justice for the 96 meant that they were “all in it together”.
With over 60 lawyers from six different legal firms and six sets of chambers, the Hillsborough inquest has been the longest in British legal history. In April 2016, the jury ruled that the 96 victims of the disaster had been unlawfully killed and there had been a ‘catalogue of failings’ by the police. The inquest saw more than a million pages of evidence presented and after more than two years, the case can now be closed.
The award on the night was presented by Baroness Doreen Lawrence, who stated just how important it is to have legal aid lawyers that can get the justice people deserve. Upon handing out the award, there was a standing ovation with over 500 people in the audience.
Outstanding Achievement winners:
- Bindmans Hillsborough Team
- Birnberg Peirce Hillsborough Team
- Butcher & Barlow Hillsborough Team
- Broudie Jackson Canter Hillsborough Team
- Doughty Street Chambers Hillsborough Team
- EAD Solicitors Hillsborough Team
- Garden Court Hillsborough Team
- Garden Court North Hillsborough Team
- 1 Gray’s Inn Square Hillsborough Team
- Harrison Bundey Hillsborough Team
- Mansfield Chambers Hillsborough Team
- 4 Paper Buildings Hillsborough Team
