Judges

Deveral is the Dean of Leeds Law School, Leeds Beckett University. He is a barrister and legal academic and has taught extensively across undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional courses, publishing widely on legal education, legal skills, and eCommerce law. He is a door tenant at Trinity Chambers and has practiced both civil and criminal law.

With over 30 years in Higher Education, Deveral has played a key role in shaping the way all lawyers are trained. He served on the steering panel for the landmark Legal Education and Training Review and was a member of the Bar Standards Board’s Future Bar Training Programme Board. He helped develop the new syllabuses and assessment strategies for all bar courses introduced in 2020 and led the review examining whether European Law should be a requirement of bar training post-Brexit. He is currently working on a project reviewing the delivery of advocacy and negotiation skills training for pupillage.

An expert in Quality Assurance, Deveral has extensive experience as an external examiner and member of institutional panels for the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board. He served as deputy chair for the QAA subject benchmark statement review for law and recently retired as the Honorary Treasurer of the Committee of Heads of University Law Schools (CHULS).

Jess is a legal education expert with over 20 years experience and an extensive publication record in legal pedagogy and legal education reform. She teaches predominantly in the areas of EU Law and Human Rights. Jess is the Vice-Chair of the Association of Law teachers and serves on the Legal Education Subcommittee for the Society of Legal Scholars and she has recently joined the Executive of the Committee of Heads of University Law Schools.

Jess believes strongly in social justice and the role law and legal education can play in creating more just societies. She believes in empowering colleagues and students through compassion and kindness and is looking forward to bringing her authentic approach to the judging process.

Duncan specialises in the law of unjust enrichment and personal property. He is Professor of Business Law at the University of Leeds where he has taught for ten years primarily in the areas of the law of trusts and secured transactions law.

Previously he worked at the University of East Anglia. He was President of the Society of Legal Scholars in Great Britain and Ireland in 2024-2025 and has worked closely with the Secured Transactions Law Reform Project and the City of London Law Society ‘s Financial Law Committee on reform proposals for the law on secured transactions, and on the private law of crypto-assets. Duncan believes strongly in helping all students whatever their background succeed and fulfil their potential. He is looking forward to bringing new perspectives to the judging panel.

Grace is an Associate Solicitor in the Family team at Clarion Solicitors, having joined the firm in 2019 as a Trainee. Grace’s work supports individuals as they navigate some of the most highly emotive and challenging times in their life on the breakdown of a marriage or relationship, as well as focusing on pre-emptive legal protections and planning. Grace also serves as Vice President of the Harrogate & North Yorkshire Junior Lawyers Division, a not-for-profit organisation that connects junior legal professionals across the North Yorkshire area.

Grace is proud to contribute to the judging panel for this year’s awards and continue to celebrate the fantastic legal profession in the Yorkshire area and is keen to champion innovative and client-focused firms, and to celebrate those practitioners that go above and beyond in the work that they do.

Helen has over 20 years local government experience having worked in both district and unitary authorities. Initially specialising in criminal and civil litigation, all of Helen’s roles have included a focus on local authority governance, which reflects her interest in this area of expertise. She is politically astute and has successfully supported senior officers and members to navigate political change within authorities.

Through her work with LLG, Helen is acutely aware of the challenges faced by Monitoring Officers across the sector and the need for strong local authority governance. She works with a number of stakeholders to develop tools to support Monitoring Officers and promote good governance.

Helen believes that a good understanding of local authority governance from the outset was a key factor in her career progression. She is passionate about developing this knowledge with those entering into the local government legal profession and developing the Monitoring Officers of the future.

Helen is the current:

President for Lawyers in Local Government

National Lead for Monitoring Officers and Governance

Director of Legal & Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, Durham County Council.

James Staton has been a litigation lawyer since November 1982.  After articles at what became Lupton Fawcett, James joined the litigation team at Booth & Co, now Addleshaw Goddard, on qualification. 

He joined Wright & Wright (now Gordons) in 1985 becoming a partner in 1989.  He moved in 1997 to Ralph C Yablon and in 2001 joined Schofield Sweeney where he has been a partner ever since. 

James has a wide litigation practice.  He was President of Bradford Law Society 2012 – 2014 and President of the Huddersfield & Dewsbury Law Society in 2020- 21.  He remains on the committees of both local law societies and since May 2024 has been President of the Yorkshire Union of Law Societies.

Lana is a trainee solicitor within McCormicks Solicitors Litigation and Sports Law department. She also serves as President of the Harrogate & North Yorkshire Junior Lawyers Division, a not-for-profit organisation that connects junior legal professionals across North Yorkshire.

Alongside her legal practice, Lana holds a number of voluntary positions focused on promoting diversity and inclusion, as well as recognising innovation and achievement with organisations. These roles enable her to bring a broad and valuable perspective to the judging panel in support of selecting this year’s award winners.

Lindsey Gaimster is a Partner at MD Law in Sheffield with over 14 years’ experience as a solicitor. Lindsey originally qualified into clinical negligence before later specialising in employment law. Lindsey has practised in both Doncaster and Sheffield during her career. Lindsey is currently the President of the Sheffield and District Law Society. She is passionate about the development of the legal profession and supporting those within it.

Lindsey was a founding member of the Doncaster Junior Lawyers Division and has organised and hosted a number of Women in Law events aimed at supporting and promoting women across the profession. She works closely with local universities in Sheffield, offering career guidance and supporting aspiring lawyers entering the profession. Lindsey is also an active member of the Sheffield Law Society’s EDI Committee and Next Generation Committee, and supports new initiatives including the Legal Tech Committee. Through these roles she continues to champion collaboration, innovation and greater opportunities within the legal community across the region.

Luke is a senior lawyer within the Government Legal Department (GLD) advising on procurement and commercial law.

He has worked at GLD since 2017 in their Leeds office and is also currently President of Leeds Law Society. He is a passionate advocate for bringing a diverse range of students into the profession.

Luke studied philosophy and politics at the University of Manchester and completed the Graduate Diploma in Law at Leeds Metropolitan University and the Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School. Prior to joining GLD, Luke worked at national firm Simpson Millar LLP

I am delighted to be serving as a judge for the Yorkshire Legal Awards 2026, an event that celebrates the outstanding talent, innovation, and dedication within the region’s legal community. 

I practise in the field of Court of Protection at Clarion Solicitors, supporting individuals and families navigating complex matters involving mental capacity. Complementing my legal work, I am also the Chair of the Leeds Junior Lawyer Division; a not-for-profit organisation running educational and networking events for junior lawyers across Leeds and West Yorkshire. 

I am passionate about championing the next generation of legal professionals and recognising the outstanding contributions being made across the sector. It is therefore a privilege to contribute to the judging panel for this year’s awards. 

As a judge, I look forward to reviewing the achievements of this year’s nominees and contributing to the recognition of the lawyers, firms, and legal teams who continue to raise the standard of the profession across the region.  

Phillip Horsfield is a senior public sector solicitor and leader, serving as a member of the Senior Leadership Team and Service Director (Legal Services) and Monitoring Officer at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. He is the Law Society’s Council member for Yorkshire and Humberside and a former President of Lawyers in Local Government, the national membership body representing and supporting local government lawyers. With more than 20 years’ experience advising across a wide range of local authority functions, Phillip has deep expertise in governance and local government law, including planning, housing and environmental matters.