Lawyer quartet scoops New Year honours

Four lawyers were rewarded with OBEs in the 2008 New Year's Honours List for achievements in fields ranging from law firm management, pro bono, diplomacy in Baghdad and animal welfare.

Newcastle-based Ward Hadaway's managing partner Jamie Martin was awarded an OBE for services to business in the North East. Martin's firm has undergone heavy expansion and enjoys a solid reputation, and Martin is looking to take it national in 2008.

Martin said: "It's a great honour and a big surprise - with a lot of help and support along the way from clients, colleagues and friends."

Solicitor Dinah Crystal was honoured for services to pro bono legal services. Crystal is director of external relations and clinical education at The University of Manchester's School of Law and set up the university's legal advice centre eight years ago.

The centre now has around 300 students assisting approximately 400 clients annually on landlord and tenant disputes and divorce, probate, consumer and employment cases.

"I thought for students it was a wonderful thing to put something back into the community," said Crystal on her motives for starting up the centre, which is supported by Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, Clifford Chance and LawWorks.

Abda Sharif was rewarded with an OBE for her services as a legal adviser to the British Embassy in Iraq. Sharif is an assistant legal adviser at the Foreign Office and last year spent around a year in Baghdad at the British Embassy there. She has since returned to work at the Foreign Office in London to continue her work.

Mike Radford received an OBE for his activities in the field of animal welfare law. Radford is a reader at the University of Aberdeen Faculty of Law and has written extensively on animal welfare law.

Jonathan Squire was awarded an MBE for his services in community relations in Glasgow through the Glasgow Ethnic Minorities Law Centre.