Naina Patel, Naoimh Hughes, Sudhanshu Swaroop, Lord Bingham of Cornhill, Samantha Knights and Mark Muller QC (Chair, BHRC)

The award was in recognition of BHRC's Access to Justice in Afghanistan Project. The five year project, completed in May 2008, has provided training for local lawyers, academics, NGOs and students, and sourced, bought and distributed 10,000 legal textbooks. Barristers have also provided training at annual workshops in Kabul, focussing on discrimination, violence against women and the rule of law.

"The long term benefits of the books and the training, the quality of the relationships established with local organisations, as well as the development of a successful model of providing resources in local languages, are all part of the project's success."

"The achievements are a result of considerable hard work, dedication and expertise of the project team."

The Award is given to an individual barrister, set of chambers or legal department in which barristers are based in recognition of their outstanding commitment to pro bono work.

The Bar Pro Bono Award was set up by Lord Goldsmith QC in 1996 and is in honour of his late father, Sydney Elland Goldsmith, who worked as a solicitor in Liverpool and who died during Lord Goldsmith’s year as Bar Council Chairman in 1995.

The panel of judges for this years award are:

Desmond Hudson, Chief Executive of the Law Society;
David Hobart, Chief Executive of the Bar Council;
Steve Johnson, Chair of the Advice Services Alliance;
Diane Burleigh, Chief Executive of the Institute of Legal Executives; and
Gary Brown, Chair of the Institute of Barristers' Clerks.