Two Bath lawyers are to go head-to-head in the same category for a prestigious national legal excellence award. Mowbray Woodwards’ family partner Daniela Nickols and Rebecca Stevens, senior associate solicitor-advocate at Withy King have been nominated for the Law Society Excellence Award for Solicitor of the Year – Private Practice.
The nominations come less than a year after both Daniela, pictured right, and Rebecca, pictured below, were among the winners at the Bristol Law Society annual awards 2015.
Daniela, an accredited by the Law Society as a Child Representative and a member of the Wiltshire Family Justice Board, landed the title of Solicitor of the Year at the awards while Rebecca collected the Pro Bono Individual of the Year Award.
Daniela has practised family law throughout her professional career and as a member of the Law Society’s Children’s Panel has significant expertise acting for guardians appointed by the court to act for children and acting directly for competent children.
Rebecca, a member of Withy King’s family team, gained national recognition last year for her role in helping to support a father with learning difficulties in his battle to prevent his young son from being adopted, without Legal Aid or any other means to pay for his defence.
They were presented with their awards by BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman in front of a 370-strong audience at the society’s annual dinner in Bristol.
Commenting on Daniela’s nomination, Mowbray Woodwards managing partner Tracey Smith said: “We were all absolutely delighted for Daniela. As well as going way beyond the extra mile for her clients, Daniela plays an active part in the charity sector and her wider community.”
Last year Rebecca was nominated in the Legal Personality of the Year category of the Law Society Excellence Awards.
The winners of the Law Society Excellence Awards will be announced at a prestigious ceremony on October 20 at the Hilton Park Lane, London, where guests will celebrate the very best work in the legal profession.
President of the Law Society Robert Bourns, a partner at Bristol-headquartered TLT, said: “To be shortlisted for the Excellence Awards is an achievement that all should be proud of.”
Daniela and Rebecca are up against five other lawyers from firms across the UK in the Solicitor of the Year – Private Practice category.4
