We were very proud to sponsor, judge and attend the Northern Law Awards last night, celebrating the expertise and dedication of legal teams in the North of England. The Communicourt team had a wonderful evening, meeting and applauding outstanding legal practitioners at the awards dinner in Newcastle.
Alongside other judges, we were tasked with the difficult job of selecting the winner of the “Family Law Team of the Year” Award. We met with delegates from the four finalists, Cygnet Family Law, Major Family Law, Sintons LLP and Tilly Bailey & Irvine LLP and were asked to select the team who best demonstrated legal expertise, appreciation by clients, client service excellence, project management skills and team working. It was an extremely difficult task, as all four finalists clearly embodied all of these qualities and achievements.
However, after careful consideration and deliberation, Communicourt’s managing director, William Scrimshire, was delighted to present Cygnet Family Law with the Family Law Team of the Year Award, at the awards ceremony held at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead. We found the Cygnet team to be “an outstanding team providing outstanding expertise”, and were very pleased to be able to recognise their exceptional work. Congratulations to the whole team!
Our intermediaries work alongside outstanding family lawyers across the North of England (and beyond) every day, so it was a real pleasure to take part in recognising the skill, empathy and commitment of legal professionals who we know consistently go above and beyond for their clients, particularly those with communication difficulties and other vulnerabilities.
Were you paying attention?
Did you notice the fidget aids hidden in our Communicourt gift bags on your party’s table? These resources can assist many different people to regulate their emotions and attention more effectively. Anecdotally, intermediaries see this in the courtroom every day, and there is a growing body of research which points to their effectiveness:
- Understanding Fidget Widgets: Exploring the Design Space of Embodied Self-Regulation (Karlesky & Isbister, 2016)
- To Fidget or Not to Fidget: The Effect of Movement on Cognition (Grodner, 2015)
- What Does Doodling Do? (Andrade, 2009).
Intermediaries often offer court users attention aids during hearings and meetings. They can be particularly helpful for people with ADHD, anxiety and PTSD, but many others also find them useful, including some autistic court users and neurotypical people. If you happen to be caught without a specific fidget aid, there are lots of alternatives that can be implemented which have a similar effect, such as encouraging a client to doodle, or providing a simple piece of Blu Tack or a hairband.
Thank you & congratulations
Our sincere thanks to the Northern Law Awards, it’s been a pleasure to sponsor the event and to celebrate many of the dedicated legal professionals our intermediaries work alongside. Finally, a huge congratulations to all of the finalists and winners, including newly crowned Family Law Team of the Year, Cygnet Health!
