ARTICLE

Full Circle: From Winner to Sponsor of the SLS Lawyer of the Year Award

Helen Clifford of Helen Clifford Law, SLS Legal Awards Lawyer of the Year 2023 and proud sponsor of the SLS Lawyer of the Year Award 2025, shares what receiving the prestigious Award meant to her.

As SLS Lawyer of the Year 2023, I am honoured to be sponsoring this year’s prestigious award. To be recognised for excellence in legal practice by a panel of esteemed judges and for making a meaningful impact in the community was deeply affirming - both professionally and personally. I remain incredibly grateful to the judges and fellow nominees who made the moment possible.

Since receiving the award, Helen Clifford Law has continued to grow from strength to strength. This year, I am delighted to have welcomed a Practice Manager, Stephanie Battley, to the firm. Our unwavering commitment to our clients remains at the very heart of everything we do. For the firm to be recognised for our commitment to social responsibility, community engagement and improvement has been immensely rewarding and is the very DNA of Helen Clifford Law. 

The firm is proud to be ongoing supporters of a number of charities, one being The Back Up Trust - a remarkable organisation helping individuals who have sustained life-changing spinal cord injuries. This year, we are thrilled to be sponsoring tetraplegic Karter and Back Up Trust employee, Chris Yeates, as he takes on the challenge of Adaptive Karting. Following a life-changing road accident in 2006, Chris wanted to get back to karting but did not think it was possible with his level of injury. After seeing how other tetraplegics had adapted their karts, Chris did the same and will be competing in his first ever FFSA Handikart Championship Race in Mirecourt, France, in September this year. In fact, he will be the first ever UK entry and we are hugely excited to be sharing the experience with him. Chris’s next stop will be the first ever adaptive kart race to be held at the world-famous UK Silverstone racetrack in 2026. Chris is a powerful example of how ‘seeing is believing’ - his journey shows others that there is life after injury, a truth we are also relentlessly dedicated to supporting. 

I founded Helen Clifford Law with a clear mission: to achieve justice for those who have been wronged. For over 28 years I have had the privilege of helping clients, particularly those injured or treated unfairly in the workplace, to rebuild their lives and regain financial security. Securing their future continues to drive me every day and is immensely rewarding. I am proud of what I do and I feel privileged to be able to help.

Since winning the SLS Lawyer of the Year Award I have continued to achieve outstanding outcomes for my clients. One recent success was a high-profile settlement case against the BBC. I am delighted to have enabled my client to recover the compensation necessary to help him rebuild his life. Medical injury compensation can pay for the best treatment, and it has always been an essential part of Helen Clifford Law to ensure our clients achieve just that, but it does not end there. The rehabilitation and the rebuilding of lives turned upside down in an instant can take time and be tough, but with the right help, it can be done. 

While supporting clients across a wide range of injury claims, much of my focus has been on injustice within the construction industry. My father, Frank Clifford, was a founding member of the Construction Safety Campaign - a cause I continue to support passionately. No one should be injured or killed at work. In a civilised society, we have a duty to ensure safe working conditions for all. I do not want to keep attending inquests or supporting clients through HSE prosecutions. I cannot stop workplace accidents - but I will never stop fighting to make them less likely.

Being recognised by SLS for ‘going above and beyond’ for my clients has been very meaningful for me. It is not just about legal results; it is about giving people a voice and helping them move forward. This has always been my motivation. Receiving the SLS Lawyer of the Year Award inspired me to continue to do my absolute best for my clients, their families, and their loved ones. I trust that the winner of this year’s award will feel the same.