Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year 2026

The nomination period for this year’s Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards runs until Tuesday, 21 April 2026, so please get nominating!  This is also the deadline for donating to our crowdfunding appeal to support the Legal Aid Newcomer award. If you want to show your support for junior members of the profession, please do consider donating. The LALYs are run on a non-profit basis, so donations help us to ensure that the award ceremony on 3 July 2026 is accessible to everyone across the profession.

Now is time to start thinking about which legal aid hero you’d like to nominate. The 10 award categories encompass all those who deliver or contribute to the delivery of legal aid: all contract categories; solicitors, legal execs, caseworkers and paralegals; instructed counsel; an organisational award; and of course, those all-important support staff (defined as broadly as possible).

What makes a compelling nomination? There is no magic formula, but persuasive nominations tend to be supported by statements from those who can attest to the astounding impact of legal aid work – colleagues, clients, judges, experts and even opponents!

For more information about the 10 award categories, official guidance, and the online nomination form, visit the dedicated LALY26 page.

Details for this year’s LALY are also contained in this  year’s official LALY flyer, which is attached and can be accessed online here.’