Mills becomes a Dame in New Year honours

A TURBULENT year for Director of Public Prosecutions Barbara Mills QC has ended on an unexpected high note with the award of a DBE in the New Year's Honours List.

She is among a smattering of lawyers to appear in the list. It includes former Law Society president and Linklaters & Paines senior partner Mark Sheldon, and Paulene Collins, chief training officer at the Law Society, who was the driving force behind implementation of the Legal Practice Course.

Mills, whose management of the CPS was subjected to a barrage of criticism last year by the Association of First Division Civil Servants, described her award as a "tribute to all the staff in the CPS and a recognition of their hard work".

Sheldon, who received a CBE, is the first former Law Society president to receive an honour since the Government stopped automatically issuing former presidents with knighthoods seven years ago. "I feel very honoured," he said.

A delighted Collins won her OBE for services to legal education and described it as recognition "for all the people I have worked with during my career". Anthony Heath, former president of the Justices' Clerks Society, also received an OBE, while Cyril Broom, former director of planning at the Institute of Legal Executives ,was awarded an MBE.