Press Release
Young Camden lawyer wins prestigious award
Shazia Khan, a partner with Camden-based solicitors Christian Khan, was last night named Young Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year 2005. The Legal Services Commission (LSC) sponsors the award.
Shazia was presented with her award by Cherie Blair, who chaired the judging panel, at the Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards ceremony in London.
Shazia’s rise since becoming a lawyer has been meteoric. She was made a partner at Christian Khan just two years after qualifying. Shazia has already acted in a number of high profile cases, covering death in custody, race discrimination and education law. One of Shazia’s nominations for the award said: "She is one of the most committed and creative young lawyers."
Speaking after receiving her award, Shazia said: "It is a great honour to receive this award. I am committed to tackling injustice and social exclusion at all levels. The work I do would virtually be impossible to undertake without legal aid. Maintaining legal aid funding is essential to defend the most vulnerable members of our community.
"Legal aid lawyers are on the front line in assisting vulnerable and deprived members of our communities to get access to justice. A career in legal aid guarantees that no two days are the same. I would recommend a career in legal aid to anyone who is interested in law. The work is challenging, demanding and gives me great personal satisfaction."
Congratulating Shazia on her award LSC Deputy Chief Executive, Brian Harvey said: "On behalf of everyone at the LSC, I would like to congratulate Shazia on winning this award. The comments made by the people who nominated Shazia show what good work legal aid lawyers are during every single day.
"Investing in the next generation of legal aid lawyers is a key priority for the LSC. This is shown by our training grants scheme. So far, we have awarded nearly 400 grants to young legal aid lawyers to fund their training. This has amounted to an investment of nearly £10 million. We will be awarding a further 100 grants annually."
The Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards are organised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group and Independent Lawyer magazine. The awards are in their third year and provide an opportunity to commend legal aid lawyers for the extraordinary, but often overlooked, work they do.
ENDS
Media information
Contact Richard Shand in the LSC's Press Office on 020 7759 0491.
Notes to editors
1. The Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year 2005 awards took place at Haberdashers Hall, 18 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9HQ on 23 June 2005.
2. Cherie Blair, who chaired the judging panel, presented the winners with their awards. John Howard, the BBC broadcaster, compered the ceremony.
3. The judging panel also included Doreen Lawrence from the Stephen Lawrence trust.
4. Photographs of the event are available from Richard Shand.
5. Shazia is available for interview. All requests should be made to Richard Shand.
6. More information about the Legal Services Commission is available on the Legal Services Commission's website at http://www.legalservices.gov.uk.
Last updated: 28 December 2006