They’re not just a chance for a fancy night out at the ‘Legal Aid Oscars’, but an opportunity to recognise the necessary contribution of a small number of tenacious lawyers and firms doing publicly-funded work that often gets less attention than it should do.

Matrix has sponsored the LALYs since the outset, and what I enjoy the most about the event is celebrating individual lawyers who’ve built up experience and knowledge in – and made massive contributions to – areas of law that support some of the most vulnerable in our societies.

The work that they do, day in-day out, often in difficult circumstances with a hostile media or public narrative, is on cases that touch the essence of the rule of law: the powers and duties of the modern state to regulate people’s lives. The awards are an opportunity to appreciate the human story behind the headlines, and to understand how we, as lawyers, impact on people’s lives. The awards show us the kind of lawyers that many of us would like to be, who are the inspiration for the next generation of legal aid professionals.

When we’re working with someone who’s received a LALY, we know what it means in terms of quality and commitment.