Minster Law Awards Ball 2024: Meet our award-winning colleagues
Minster Law’s annual Awards Ball is a fantastic opportunity for us to recognise our colleagues’ achievements over the past year and celebrate together at a glamorous ceremony.
Each year, our colleagues nominate those who they believe have best demonstrated our values, with tenacity, creativity, courage, and teamwork that we uphold every day in our business. We had a huge number of colleagues nominated this year which is a wonderful reflection of all the incredible achievements by our colleagues and the subsequent recognition from peers.
Our 2024 Awards Ball at the Queens Hotel in Leeds, saw around 300 colleagues attend to cheer on the finalists and winners across seven prestigious award categories.
Without further ado, it’s a pleasure to introduce our award-winning colleagues.
Stand Together Award – With a shared purpose, we can have a more positive impact on the people around us
Winner: Fallck Shaer Ali, OIC Admitted File Handler
Time with Minster Law: 5 years+
Fallck truly embodies the spirit of unity and collaboration with his colleagues. No matter the challenge, he is always the first to step up, tackle it head-on, and find a solution. He stand united not only with his team and department, but the broader business and consistently drives success. The unwavering support Fallck shows for his colleagues shines through in everything he does.
Fallck said “Winning my award was an incredible experience, and I felt truly amazing , especially when I heard the pop from everyone when my name was mentioned! I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the executive team for the award, as it made me feel recognized for my hard work. I have always ensured I can be the best for my colleagues to be able to go above and beyond when they need me; its just who I am! But to win that award it meant the world to me! I am also deeply grateful to Matthew Sykes for giving me a chance when some had doubts about me. Additionally, I want to thank my team, my colleagues, Jemma Neal, Victoria Thorne, and Mick Murphy for their unwavering support over the last few months. Also, I want to thank Rachel Kitchen and Cheryl Hill for their support in my previous role they gave me a lot of challenges which helped me improve my knowledge and support my colleagues across the business! Finally, I want to make a clear point to anyone reading this externally that Minster Law is an amazing company to work for! The atmosphere here at Minster is secondary to none! I can honestly say Minster understands their colleagues and always ensure they provide the support we all need! Whether that’s work related or within our personal lives! Big shout out to Minster Law!”
Be Courageous Award – Believe in the opportunity and have the courage to follow it to wherever it leads us
Winner: Rosemary Carroll, Technical Lead
Time with Minster Law: 18 months
Rosemary fearlessly embracing new challenges and readily rolling up her sleeves to address issues and solve problems head-on. Despite the challenging nature of their department following large scale changes, she continues to learn and evolve, sharing her knowledge with others regardless of the challenges that arise, holding their nerve and driving the continued improvement of her department and the wider business.
Rosemary said: “I felt honoured to have received the award. I haven’t been part of the Minster Law team for that long and to be able to see that I have the support and backing of the management team when it comes to implementing and rolling out changes to the department means a lot. Without the support of the wider business the recommendations and training that I’ve worked on this last 18 months alongside my colleagues wouldn’t have been achievable. I worked at Irwin Mitchell for many years and the thought of working for a new company was initially daunting. However, Minster Law have fully embraced the transfer of staff and made everyone feel welcomed and part of one large team. The transition couldn’t have been any smoother or well received.”
Find a Way – The difference between what is difficult and what is possible lies within our own resolve
Winner: Zara Wright, Business Analyst
Time with Minster Law: 14 years
Calm, collected, and proactive are just a few of the words that describe Zara. She can always be relied upon to provide support to our colleagues taking a pragmatic approach to problem solving. A deliberate collaborator, Zara finds a way to look for solutions and overcome any obstacle in her way.
Zara said: “I was so shocked but feel very honoured and proud to have won this award. I’m very grateful to have been recognised and nominated by my colleagues. Thank you to Minster Law and everyone involved for all their hard work putting on such a fantastic annual event.”
Outstanding Committee Contribution Award – Celebrating those colleagues who have contributed to any of our important committees, or have been involved in a piece of work outside of their normal role which has had a positive impact on the culture of our business or local community
Winner: Lorna Barron, Assistant Fee Earner, Multi Track department
Time with Minster Law: 13+ years
Lorna is a true ambassador and role model for teamwork and collaboration. Always curious and looking for ways to learn more, she embodies our core values in everything she does. Although clearly passionate about ED&I, she is also keen to get involved with our other committees too. Her dedications and thirst for knowledge inspires those around her and encourages her to step outside of her comfort zone to continually contribute to our collective success.
Lorna said “I was shocked to be a finalist and then to actually win! I feel so grateful to many colleagues who have supported me through the years at Minster Law. Also, what an amazing night the Ball was, a massive thank you to all who put the effort in to arrange it, very much appreciate.”
Jonathan Bamforth’s Great Service Award – Jonathan was a strong advocate for delivering excellent customer service and his approach was pivotal in creating and shaping what has become one of the most successful serious injury teams in our industry. In tribute to Jonathan, this award recognises those helping and delighting our customers through great service
Winner: Matthew Itson, Associate Solicitor
Time with Minster Law: 10+ years
Matthew reflects exceptional dedication, skill, and professionalism. Consistently demonstrating a profound commitment to clients and colleagues alike, his ability to connect with clients, reflects those of Jonathan, highlighting his extraordinary interpersonal skills and dedication to client care.
The willingness to “go the extra mile” is not just a professional trait but a testament to his character. His exceptional care, meticulous attention to detail, and client-first approach set a standard for excellence.
Matthew said “It was a deep honour to win this award, since I had the pleasure of knowing Jonathan from when I joined Minster in 2014 and worked with him briefly as his assistant solicitor in 2021 before he fell ill.
As someone who completed my training at Minster, I can say that we all looked up to Jonathan and hoped to model ourselves after him and the values he brought to his work, so it’s a privilege just to be mentioned in the same breath and to be part of paying tribute to his well-deserved legacy.
Client care is part of everything that I do, and this has been reinforced by all those I’ve had the pleasure to work with here at Minster, including last year’s recipient Edel Selby, so it’s very gratifying to have this recognised by my colleagues who graciously nominated me for this award. I will continue to earn this accolade through the service I deliver to all my clients.”
Team of the Year Award – Proving that there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’
Winner: OIC Disputes and Litigation
(Muhammad Minhas, Rosemary Carroll, Jemma Neal, Holly Martin, Darla Naughton, Luke Vardy, Rebecca Thompson, Kirsty Mcleod)
OIC Disputes and Litigation Team has demonstrated outstanding dedication, innovation, and transformation, making them highly deserving of this award.
Over the past year, this team has gone above and beyond to support each other, their clients, and the wider business. Despite managing high caseloads, they have consistently prioritised collaboration and have been an unwavering source of support for one another. “If you need support from any of them, they will always be there to lend a helping hand.”
The team’s progress this financial year is unparalleled, reflecting their resilience, determination, and shared values. Their achievements have improved processes, elevated team morale, and ultimately provided outstanding service to clients.
Jemma Neal, The Team Leader said: “It was really nice for the team to win and be recognised for their hard work. We are a great team who always work together to get the job done.”
CEO Choice Award
Winner: Jo Lloyd, Head of Fast Track
Time with Minster Law: 2+ years
Jo has continually achieved over the past 12 months. She is the embodiment of what it means to be a transformational leader, her remarkable ability to tackle challenges head-on, inspire her team, and foster an environment of innovation and collaboration has had a profound impact on the business.
She is known as a bold and highly credible leader, who inspires colleagues to reach their full potential whilst driving forward her vision to her clients, teams and department.
Jo does not only lead by example but consistently finds a way to succeed while empowering those around her.
Jo said “I was very surprised and humbled to receive the CEO choice award. Shirley was saying such lovely things in the build up to announcing the winner that I just didn’t relate those to me! I think the award reflects that I feel I have the trust and support from the executives to enable me to do what I need to do and a fantastic team around me who have bought into the transformation of the department. This is just the start of a thriving Fast track and OIC Litigation team of which every member should be very proud and excited to see where it goes next.”
