All decked out in our best bib and tucker

All decked out in our best bib and tucker, we – Julie Hayden, Tania Hings, Tracey Allsopp, Emma Martin and Liz Miles from Greens, along with our lovely guests, Richard Hadley (No 5 Chambers) Clair Wadden (Unity Chambers) and Kelly-Jo Miller (Cafcass) all set out to the Bank House Hotel at Bransford to cheer on our very own Mr David Wilkins who was up for Solicitor of the Year Award.

As ever, there was glitz and glamour as the great and the good arrived for a glass of bubbles in the Friday evening sunshine.

The Committee (specifically Laura Osborne) had outdone themselves, with the Elgar Suite looking magnificent.

The evening raised money for an incredibly worthy cause, Mentor Link, and it was interesting to hear from Andrea Maddocks MBE about the work they do for children in the Worcestershire area. If you have a minute to look at their website, please do.

We were there to cheer on a whole host of people working within the legal community, and all the nominees and winners were very worthy. However, as far as Table 8 were concerned, the most emotional moment of the night came when the President’s Award was announced.

When Andrew (Chandler) started to talk about the person who it had been decided had been award this special award, we all pricked our ears up. It was undoubtedly about our very own Mr Wonderful Wilkins. We were told that he had impressed the panel that, although he had lost out to James Osborne for Solicitor of the Year, they felt that his contribution deserved recognition. We wholeheartedly agree.

David goes above and beyond week in, week out. He has a passion for Care work, for legal aid, and for child protection issues. He is a straightforward, sensible advocate, and will provide a common sense way through the minefield of ‘lack of resources’ or ‘the timetable has gone out of the window’. Whilst he does get stressed, it is because he wants to do the best job possible at all times, and is his own hardest critic. He is a team player, and considers that all of us who work in this area of law deserve recognition for being prepared to work the hours needed so that Court timetables are complied with, that client’s are listened to, and that we as a class of lawyer keep a broken system working as best as we possibly can.

David, we salute you, for a very well deserved award.