The SLS Legal Awards, established in 2018, continued to honour the exceptional legal talent within the Surrey Law Society membership at it’s sixth Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner, held at G Live on Thursday 3rd October. This prestigious event recognised the outstanding commitment and achievements of legal professionals across the county and we were thrilled to announce winners across 12 categories, highlighting the most exemplary work in the legal field.
We extend our sincere thanks to all members who submitted nominations this year, resulting in an impressive number of entries. The calibre of applications was exceptionally high, reflecting the remarkable talent within our community. Congratulations to all the winners; and those who received commendations, your contributions and dedication to the profession are truly commendable.
The categories for the 2024 SLS Legal Awards are:
DMH Stallard (WINNER)
Peacock & Co Solicitors (COMMENDATION)
KGW Family Law (WINNER)
Rosewood Solicitors (COMMENDATION)
Victoria Clarke, Elite Law Solicitors (WINNER)
Karin Walker, KGW Family Law (COMMENDATION)
Nichols Marcy Dawson LLP (WINNER)
Russell-Cooke LLP (COMMENDATION)
Rosewood Solicitors (WINNER)
DMH Stallard (WINNER)
Russell-Cooke LLP (COMMENDATION)
Niamh Phelan, Peacock & Co Solicitors (WINNER)
Russell-Cooke LLP (WINNER)
Howell-Jones LLP (WINNER)
Peacock & Co Solicitors (COMMENDATION)
Ashley Burrow, Meadows & Co (WINNER)
Lauren Keir, Rosewood Solicitors (COMMENDATION)
DMH Stallard (Corporate Team Guildford) (WINNER)
Moore Barlow (Wealth Disputes Team) (COMMENDATION)
June Venters KC, Venters Solicitors (WINNER)
Date: Thursday 3rd October 2024
Venue: G Live, London Rd, Guildford GU1 2AA.
Booking is now closed.
Kindly be aware that there is an additional booking fee applied to the overall ticket prices of 1.5% plus 80p per transaction.
| 6:30pm | Welcome Reception | Lower Foyer |
| 7:15pm | Welcome by the President | Main Auditorium |
| 7:30pm | Gala Dinner | Main Auditorium |
| 9:00pm | An After-Dinner Speech | Main Auditorium |
| 9:45pm | SLS Legal Awards Ceremony | Main Auditorium |
| 10:30pm | Casino & Jazz | Lower Foyer |
| 12:30am | Carriages |
G Live does not have any accommodation onsite but there are a number of nearby options available for those wishing to stay overnight.
Both the Mandolay Hotel and Harbour Hotel are within a 2-minute walk of G Live, with the Travelodge Guildford a 6-minute drive away and Guildford Manor Hotel & Spa and the Holiday Inn 10 minutes’ drive away.
The Surrey Law Society has not reserved any rooms but at the time of writing, all venues listed above are showing availability for the night of the 12th October, with other options also available via the major hotel bookings websites. Please visit sites such as booking.com or hotels.com or the hotel websites directly to ascertain availability and the most preferable rates.
Alex Macqueen is a BAFTA nominated actor and qualified Barrister.
He is best known for his roles as Julius Nicholson in the BBC’s ‘Thick Of It’ and Neil’s Dad in the Channel 4 comedy ‘The Inbetweeners’. Most recently, he starred opposite Hugh Bonneville in the ‘Downton Abbey Movie 2’, Will Ferrell in Jesse Armstrong’s ‘Downhill’, and Michael Caine in Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘Youth’, as well as with Idris Elba in the TV series, ‘Hijack’.
Alex is a very experienced and engaging speaker, sharing anecdotes from the world of film and TV, and also insights from his experience as a Barrister and Master of the Bench, at London’s Middle Temple.
He has a long association working with Sir Kenneth Branagh, which began when he was directed by him in Disney’s ‘Cinderella’, before going on to star opposite him in the West End version of ‘The Painkiller’, and the Sony Classic movie, ‘All Is True’.
Alex was nominated for a BAFTA for the HBO comedy, ‘Sally For Ever’ and an Evening Standard Award for the Film 4 thriller, ‘The Hide’. He’s also appeared in family favourites, The Durrells, Outnumbered, Miranda, Peaky Blinders, The IT Crowd, Black Mirror and This Is England . . . to name but a few.
As well as chairing the ‘Downing Street Debates’ at Number 10, Alex has hosted conferences and awards including the ULTRA Travel Awards, Simpsons Healthcare conference and the Middle Temple Annual Dinner.
HEADLINE SPONSOR OF THE SLS LEGAL AWARDS 2024
Evelyn Partners is the UK’s leading integrated wealth management and professional services group, created following the merger of Tilney and Smith & Williamson. With £54.4 billion of assets under management (as at 31 March 2023), it ranks as the second largest UK wealth manager measured by EBITDA and the fifth largest professional services firm ranked by fee income (source: Accountancy Age 50+50 rankings, 2022).
It has a network of offices across 28 towns and cities in the UK, as well as the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands. Through its operating companies, the Group offers an extensive range of financial and professional services to individuals, family trusts, professional intermediaries, charities and businesses.
Evelyn Partners’ purpose is to ‘place the power of good advice into more hands’, and it is uniquely well-placed to support clients with both their personal financial affairs and their business interests. Evelyn Partner’s personal wealth management services include financial planning, investment management and advice, personal tax advice and, through Bestinvest, an award-winning online investment service for self-directed investors. For businesses, its wide range of services includes assurance and accounting, business tax advice, employee benefits, forensic advice, fund administration, fund governance, recovery and restructuring and transaction services.
Evelyn Partners, Headline Sponsor & Sponsor of Law Firm of the Year
Evelyn Partners is the UK’s leading integrated wealth management and professional services group, created following the merger of Tilney and Smith & Williamson. With £55.8 billion of assets under management (as at 31 March 2022), it ranks as the second largest UK wealth manager measured by EBITDA and the sixth largest professional services firm ranked by fee income (source: Accountancy Age 50+50 rankings, 2021). It has a network of offices across 27 towns and cities in the UK, as well as the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands. Through its operating companies, the Group offers an extensive range of financial and professional services to individuals, family trusts, professional intermediaries, charities and businesses.
Evelyn Partners’ purpose is to ‘place the power of good advice into more hands’, and it is uniquely well-placed to support clients with both their personal financial affairs and their business interests. Evelyn Partner’s personal wealth management services include financial planning, investment management and advice, personal tax advice and, through Bestinvest, an award-winning online investment service for self-directed investors. For businesses, its wide range of services includes assurance and accounting, business tax advice, employee benefits, forensic advice, fund administration, fund governance, recovery and restructuring and transaction services.
Clio, Entertainment Sponsor & Sponsor of Support Team Member of the Year
Clio is transforming the legal experience for all by creating the world’s leading cloud-based technologies for law firms—to keep lawyers and their clients better connected throughout the legal process. Firms of all sizes and practice areas use Clio products—Clio Manage, Clio Grow—to manage firm operations, streamline billing and payments, automate legal documents, and improve client experiences. Flexible contracts and competitive pricing, try Clio for free for 7 days, with no commitment needed. Book a personalised walkthrough and learn more at clio.com/uk.
Landmark Information, Sponsor of Property Lawyer of the Year
Landmark Information is at the forefront of legal products and data supply to support the UK’s Property Professionals. Our dedicated, personal approach supports legal professionals in their due diligence in line with the Law Society and SRA requirements. Landmarks longevity in the legal market brings valuable experience and dependability to risk solutions whilst continuing to innovate.
Guildford Chambers, Sponsor of Family Law Team of the Year
Guildford Chambers is a progressive, multi-disciplinary set of barristers, uniquely positioned to provide competitive and effective advocacy for individuals and businesses in Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, London and the Southeast.
Our growing portfolio of client’s value that we work with them as an extension of their team, and we endeavour to build strong and successful working relationships. We operate a system of specialist practice groups which ensure you receive the best advice and advocacy from your chosen barrister.
Our barristers and experienced, responsive clerking team share an uncompromising attitude to quality and client service with a sensible approach to cost.
Pro Drive, Sponsor of Lifetime Achievement Award
Pro Drive work with law firms who prefer to outsource the planning and management of their IT systems. Our clients want to use technology to help put them ahead of their competition but they do not have the time or expertise to do this themselves. We can help with IT Support & Cyber Security, built around a strategic plan.
Insight6, Sponsor of Client Experience Award
As Customer Experience (CX) specialists in the legal sector, insight6 partners with over 250 UK law firms to drive new business, retain satisfied clients, and foster a CX-focused culture. We help firms measure client journeys, gather real-time feedback, and deliver motivational team training, ensuring CX becomes a boardroom priority. For more information, contact Paul Matthews at paul.matthews@insight6.com.
Ochresoft, Sponsor of Private Client Team of the Year
Ochresoft’s ‘Intelliworks’ is award-winning, market-leading case management software, built by lawyers for lawyers, covering all aspects of compliance and risk management.
Ochresoft has the legal and regulatory expertise to ensure that our content-rich workflows always incorporate the latest legal content and best practice standards, delivered in real time. Intelliworks workflows are updated whenever there is a change in law or regulation.
Intelliworks supports hundreds of law firms and thousands of users across England and Wales, who use our Conveyancing and Private Client workflows to increase their process and business efficiency.
For more information, visit: www.ochresoft.com
On Point Data, Sponsor of Employer of the Year
On Point Data believes the legal sector deserves independent, impartial advice, and that customers deserve honest, transparent, and helpful communication with a team that understands their requirements. Based in Woking, On Point Data brings a refreshing partnership model prioritising personal service and delivering seamlessly integrated solutions. Driving the dynamic are seasoned company founders, Jeremy Dorkins and Kevin Johnson. With delivery, compliance and service at its core On Point Data reimagines the way solicitors do business. To learn more about our extensive property conveyancing solutions, partnership model and online platform visit www.onpointdata.co.uk or follow us on LinkedIn
Verify 365, Sponsor of Lawyer of the Year
Verify 365 is the ultimate AML, KYB & KYC client onboarding platform crafted by lawyers for lawyers. Our comprehensive platform incorporates a range of solutions designed to combat daily challenges within law firms and ensure they are practising compliantly within the regulatory guidelines.
Verify 365’s innovative technology is helping law firms across the UK streamline their onboarding processes, enhance due diligence protocols, ensure regulatory compliance and achieve the HM Land Registry’s coveted ‘Safe Harbour’ status. Our proprietary technology ensures your firm can take a risk-based approach to verify client information, mitigate potential threats, prevent financial fraud and protect your firm.
ReviewSolicitors, Sponsor of Law Firm of the Year (Under 20 Fee Earners)
ReviewSolicitors is your trusted partner for managing and enhancing your online reputation. We specialise in collecting and showcasing authentic client reviews for over 4,000 law firms, reaching over 8 million users annually. With our user-friendly platform, you can effortlessly gather and display client feedback, boosting your firm’s visibility and attracting new clients. You can elevate your online presence with ReviewSolicitors and let your stellar reputation speak for itself.
Actionstep, Sponsor of Junior Lawyer of the Year
Actionstep is a fast-growing, dynamic SaaS (Software as a Service) business with a global customer base, including 22,000+ users globally and 100+ UK law firms. Actionstep delivers a comprehensive legal practice management cloud platform to midsize law firms looking for a flexible all-in-one solution.
Combining all the work of law firms in one platform, including Matter Management, CRM, Document Assembly and Management, Time and Billing, Payments, Client and Business Accounting, Reporting, and more, Actionstep is where law works.
NetDocuments, Sponsor of Junior Lawyer of the Year
NetDocuments is the world’s #1 trusted cloud-based content management and productivity platform that helps legal professionals do their best work. Backed by 25 years of experience in cloud innovation, NetDocuments offers a complete end-to-end platform for document and email organization and management, including award-winning automation and AI capabilities; robust security, collaboration, and search technologies; seamless integrations with other tools professionals use daily; and a suite of large language model AI-powered solutions with the security and guardrails to leverage AI responsibly. NetDocuments supports 7,000+ law firms, corporate legal departments, and public sector entities globally.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have any queries regarding an award category, the shortlist, judging process or the Awards Dinner.
Email: helen.opie@surreylawsociety.org.uk or elouise.enright@surreylawsociety.org.uk or phone: 0333 577 3830 Mobile : 07597 582400
