News

Congratulations are in order for directors Bahar Ata and Krina Parmar who have been shortlisted for Public Law Lawyer of the Year and Family Law Lawyer of the Year respectively at the 2020 Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year (LALY) Awards.

We are delighted that the work carried out by Bahar and Krina in their relevant departments has been recognised by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group which organises the LALY awards to reward and recognise the exemplary work carried out by legal aid lawyers throughout the year.

Luton-based public law director Bahar Ata's most notable case over the past 12 months is her Supreme Court case of Hemmati & Ors v SSHD which saw the court deliver a landmark judgment concerning the detention of asylum seekers under Dublin III Regulations.

Bahar also showcased her commitment and dedication to clients earlier this year when she represented a number of clients due to be removed to Jamaica on a February 2020 charter flight. Despite very difficult circumstances, she successfully obtained an injunction and prevented some of her clients’ removal.

After winning the Legal Expert Award at the CILEx National Awards 2019 in September, Bahar’s shortlisting should come as no surprise and is thoroughly deserving in light of the excellent work she has carried out in the last year.

In a similar light, family and child care director Krina Parmar remains committed to legal aid work, tackling some of the most challenging aspects of family and child care law. With her work largely consisting of cases of serious non-accidental injuries, some of which involve incidents where babies have died, sexual allegations are made, or involve complex and sensitive cultural or international elements, Krina does not shy away from taking on ‘difficult’ matters. A key example of this attitude being her current representation of a father in an application by the local authority (LA) for a forced marriage protection order (FMPO), and whose daughter – the subject of the proceedings – has severe mental health difficulties.
Krina’s proficiency in assisting the vulnerable also translates into her heavy involvement with pro bono surgeries – particularly for various Women’s Aid – and local contact centres, where she trains professionals in supporting victims of domestic abuse, forced marriage, and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

During such uncertain times it comes as a comfort to know that some things remain a constant; that our lawyers continue to produce work of the highest standard and uphold our promise to give people a voice.


We are incredibly proud that both Bahar and Krina have made this year’s shortlist and look forward to supporting them on the awards night. The LALY awards are taking place virtually on 7 July 2020.