On November 23rd, we gathered at the renowned Indian restaurant, MemSaab, to commemorate the legal accomplishments of the newly qualified solicitors and recent tenant barristers of Nottinghamshire. BCL Legal, the top legal recruitment agency in the UK, generously sponsored the event. Nic Fear, a Senior Associate, and Soph Memhi, a legal recruiter, represented the agency at the event.
Nottinghamshire Law Society President Stephen Luke, pictured with BCL Legal Nic Fear & Soph Memhi.
As the guests began to trickle in, the restaurant started resonating with the sounds of chats, joyous laughter, and the creation of fresh connections...
Nottinghamshire Junior Lawyers Division Chair (NJLD), Sadia Hussain with President, Stephen Luke
Once all the attendees had arrived, the presentations commenced, with President Stephen Luke extending a warm welcome to all the guests and expressing gratitude to MemSaab for their hospitality. Additionally, he thanked BCL Legal, the event sponsors, for their support towards this annual gathering.
Presentations were given by Sadia Hussain, Chair of the Nottinghamshire Junior Lawyers Division (NJLD), Kathryn Meir, a former president and Honorary Secretary of the society representing the International Committee, and Nic Fear from BCL Legal who spoke briefly on how BCL Legal is there to support and offer career advice.
Pictured: President, Stephen Luke - Sadia Hussain (NJLD) - Kathryn Meir - Nic Fear (BCL Legal)
Members of the Nottinghamshire Law Society Executive: Stephen Luke (President), Kathryn Meir (Secretary), Lauren Crow (Vice President) & Janine McKinney (Immediate Past President)
Guests from Austin Moore & Partners & Elliot Mather LLP
Guests from Eversheds Sutherland, Actons Solicitors and Deputy Vice President, Marie Dancer from Richard Nelson LLP
Guests from Geldards LLP, KCH Garden Square and 1 High Pavement Chambers
Guests from Browne Jacobson, Gateley Legal, Paragon Law, Broxtowe Borough Council, finalists of the Kevin De Silva Legal Article Competition, Chris Inglis and Aakriti Garodia with NJLD Chair, Sadia Hussain 
Guests from Rothera Bray LLP, Nelsons Solicitors and Massers
The evening also witnessed the awarding of one of the numerous legal competition prizes of the year. The Kevin De Silva Legal Article contest was initiated in early October and received more than 14 submissions from junior legal professionals and law students in the county. This year the article topics to choose from included perceptions of resilience and support in a new work environment; the SRA's intervention in protecting young lawyers in a toxic workplace and finally the hot topic of ChatGPT and it's role in the legal profession.
After carefully reviewing all the submissions, the first round judges selected three finalists for the competition. These finalists were Chris Inglis from Inns of Court College of Advocacy, Aakriti Garodia, an international law exchange student from Nottingham Law School, and Ella Bremner from Freeths LLP. Their entries were then sent to the distinguished final round judges, HHJ Coe KC and HHJ Owen.
Chris focused his article on the issue of addressing a toxic work environment, while both Ella and Aakriti discussed the use of ChatGPT in the legal profession in their essay submissions. It was a great honor to have HHJ Owen attend the event and announce the winner. The 2023 winner of the Kevin De Silva Legal Article competition was announced as Ella Bremner from Freeths LLP. The winning article will be published in the Society's December News Bulletin.
Pictured: Stephen Luke with HHJ Owen and finalists, Chris Inglis, Ella Bremner, Aakriti Garodia and President, Stephen Luke.
Kevin De Silva 2023 Finalists: Chris Inglis (Inns of Court College of Advocacy) - 2023 Winner Ella Bremner (Freeths LLP) - Aakriti Garodia (Nottingham Law School)
The Society would like to express their thanks to event sponsors BCL Legal for their support and the exceptional hospitality of MemSaab. Each year, MemSaab warmly welcomes the Society's members with outstanding food and service.
We would also like to extend our thanks to all those who attended the event and contributed to its success. This gathering provides a wonderful opportunity to come together and celebrate the county's recent legal achievements. We wish them the best of luck in their legal endeavors!
