Hatfield, Hertfordshire, 6th July 2023 – It was a historic night for Welwyn Garden City legal firm, Crane & Staples Solicitors. Three inspirational women lawyers scooped coveted awards at the Hertfordshire Law Society dinner. The glamorous black-tie event, celebrating the success of Hertfordshire’s legal community, was held on Thursday night at Hatfield House.

The ceremony began with the announcement that Trainee Solicitor Amy Tapping had won the award for the highest scoring LPC (Legal Practice Course) student of the year. This is a huge achievement for Amy, reflecting her ongoing hard work, dedication, and academic ability. This is a promising beginning to Amy’s legal career at Crane & Staples.

Following this, Senior Associate Family Solicitor Sian Churchill won the esteemed Excellence in Client Service award.  This award celebrates a lawyer who goes above and beyond for their clients and has contributed to a groundbreaking legal case. Sian won for her commitment to vulnerable clients and her tireless work on a historic children law case heard in the Supreme Court last year. This award was open to individuals, teams and firms across Hertfordshire, so it was particularly impressive for Sian to win as an individual entrant.

Finally, the ceremony concluded with the biggest award of the night. Sharon Montgomery, Partner at Crane & Staples and Family lawyer of over 35 years, was bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award celebrates an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the legal profession, their firm, clients and the community throughout their career.

The judges cited Sharon’s twenty years as Training Principal at Crane & Staples as one of the reasons for her win. They noted that Sharon has guided over forty junior lawyers through the crucial early stages of their careers. Unbeknownst to Sharon, many of her former trainees had written glowing testimonials for inclusion in her submission.  It was particularly emotional for Sharon, as some of these colleagues were also in attendance, including four of the current Partners at Crane & Staples. Additionally, the award recognised Sharon’s lifetime of service to the Welwyn Hatfield community, including her work supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

Reflecting on the evening, Bonnie Twiggs, Partner at Crane & Staples, commented, “We are all so proud of our three wonderful winners. We are delighted that their hard work and dedication has been recognised amongst their peers. It is also fitting that their respective awards represent the different stages of a legal career at Crane & Staples. It truly was an amazing night!”

Crane & Staples would like to thank Diana Kirsch, President of the Hertfordshire Law Society, and all the committee members, for organising this wonderful evening. We would also like to congratulate the evening’s other winners. It was a pleasure to celebrate together again.