Campaigning solicitor Louise Christian receives top accolade
Louise Christian, the solicitor who has acted tirelessly for families of rail crash victims & some of those held in Guantanamo Bay, has been chosen as the Legal Aid Personality of the Year in this year's prestigious Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year awards.
Louise was presented with the award by Cherie Booth QC at a ceremony in central London on 23 June 2004.
In announcing the award, compere John Howard described Louise as
'a campaigning lawyer to her boots'.
He added: 'We're all familiar with her high-profile cases: Ladbroke Grove, Southall, Potters Bar and, of course, Guantanamo Bay. However, what you may not know is that Louise is also chair of the group Inquest, which she helped found in 1981. For the past 23 years, she has done many, many inquests, most of which never make even the local papers, let alone the national press.'
Louise is senior partner at Christian Khan, one of the few remaining firms in central London which still offers a full range of legal aid services.
Accepting the award, Louise said: 'Legal aid needs personalities - determined passionate and motivated individuals who will fight for justice and empower people.'
She revealed that the legal aid minister David Lammy had recently refused to meet her to discuss the refusal of legal aid to Potters Bar Rail Crash victims, even though she was asked to brief everyone at the meeting with him, including even the representatives from the Legal Services Commission. Louise said 'I do not know if David Lammy only meets legal aid lawyers on the basis they are not complaining -or perhaps he does not meet legal aid lawyers at all! But even if I never get to meet him I plan to go on complaining as long and as loudly as I can about unfairness, to go on fighting for access to justice and a proper legal aid system and to go on supporting and celebrating the many dedicated and committed personalities for justice still battling away in legal aid.'
