ILEX 2007 AWARDS

21 January 2008 pr001.08

The cream of the crop, the very best Legal Executives have been honoured as the winners of the ILEX 2007 Awards were announced at the annual ILEX Graduation Ceremony at the Corn Exchange, Bedford on 21 January.

The new ILEX 2007 Award for Excellence, sponsored by Title Research, celebrates and marks the achievements and skill of ILEX members by recognising the individual who has demonstrated the extra ability and devotion to the legal profession that sets them apart from their peers went to Mr Robert Harvey, a Legal Executive with the Chatham law firm, Stephens & Sons. He wins a commemorative trophy, certificate and travel vouchers worth £1000.

The winner has been a Legal Executive for over forty years. He joined his first law firm shortly after leaving school and achieved Fellowship status in 1976. Over the next few years he developed his interest in Personal Injury work and was one of the first ILEX Fellows to be appointed to the Law Society’s Personal Injury panel in 1994. He is still a member of that Panel and will remain so until at least 2010.

Along with Partner Jacqueline Shicluna he conceived Kent Accident Link, a collaboration of more than ten firms throughout the county who joined together to enable accident victims to gain easy access to qualified and reputable lawyers. This was launched in 2002 and continues to thrive today. Continuing his work in the field of Person Injury the winner was appointed to the Law Society’s Personal Injury Panel as an assessor in 2000, the only Legal Executive to hold such a position. In his nominators words “He has pursued excellence throughout his career and continues to pursue and achieve excellence in his day to day work”.

The ILEX 2007 President’s Award, sponsored by MCA Legal, is a new Award in the gift of the Institute’s Presidentthat recognises an individual who has given exceptional service and dedication to ILEX and the legal community, and who best represents the ILEX values and ethos. The Award went to Mr David Addington, a Legal Executive with the law firm Mello Jones & Martin in Hamilton, Bermuda. He has been a Legal Executive for over 35 years, 30 of them in the idyllic setting of Bermuda and is a well-respected lawyer in the island community. Besides being an established litigator and litigation manager, he is a qualified Mediator, a Fellow of the Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Chartered Management Institute.

He has determinedly promoted ILEX in Bermuda, establishing the ILEX Bermuda branch in 1986, becoming chairman in 1990. He has been instrumental in paving the way for ILEX courses on the island and has for several years acted as a lecturer at the College of Bermuda. He has also worked tirelessly to have the Legal Executive (Registration) Act passed by the Bermudian Parliament which would officially recognise Legal Executives on the island and it looks this long held ambition will be achieved in 2008. Mr Addington received a commemorative trophy, certificate and a cheque for £500.

The ILEX 2007 Student of the Year, sponsored by the ILEX Tutorial College, went to Joanne Bourne, a Legal Executive with Pinders Solicitors in Derby. She had the highest score of students completing the ILEX Level 6 Exams in 2007, passing with a Distinction and a score of 86%. She received a commemorative trophy, certificate and a cheque for £500.

The ILEX 2007 Pro Bono Award, sponsored by Peverel Management Services, was awarded to two Legal Executives from South Gloucestershire, Alison Scammell from Brain Sinnott & Co in Kingswood, Bristol and Kelly Gitsom from Foster & Partners, also in Kingswood. For many years they have given unequivocal support and advice as trustees of a local charity “Survive” that offers help and support to sufferers of domestic violence.

They are also members of the local Domestic Violence Forum, which brings together a number of organisations in the South Gloucestershire area, including the police and social services so they can exchange ideas and ensure a common approach to problem solving and planning in this sensitive area.

The winners receive a commemorative trophy, certificate and a cheque for £500 from the sponsors to go to a charity chosen by the winners, in this case “Survive”.

President of the Institute, Lesley Graham said “Today we recognise those exceptional members, the cream of the crop, through the ILEX Awards. These Awards celebrate excellence, outstanding achievement and dedication to the profession that is central to our members.

“They highlight best practice, personal dedication and contribution to the Institute and the profession. The winners rightly gain from recognition by their peers. But what is just as important is the fact that we can all gain by learning from the achievements of these individuals, no matter what branch of the profession we work in.”

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