Trounce takes Young Solicitor of the Year award for 2010

A solicitor in the commercial team at Cornwall Council who only qualified in September last year has won Solicitors in Local Government’s Young Solicitor of the Year award for 2010.

Laurie Trounce joined Cornwall’s legal team at a challenging time following the council’s move to unitary status. The SLG citation said she “has displayed outstanding abilities in a range of contractual disputes, including a successful challenge against the Ombudsman”.

Trounce was nominated by Richard Williams, head of legal and democratic services at the council, who described her as “the absolute epitome of everything a local government solicitor should be – she ‘owns’ her cases and is proactive, sharp, efficient and intuitive.”

The award, which was sponsored by Trowers & Hamlins, was presented at the SLG’s Weekend School in York.

The other finalists were Rizwana Kauser from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Amy Oakley from Sheffield City Council.

The award is open to individuals working in local government with up to ten years’ post-qualification experience. The criteria are that the individual must fulfil one or more of the following:

• Be innovative
• Be making or having a material impact on their local authority’s performance
• Be an exemplar of best practice
• Promote the best interests, and help raise the profile of, local government lawyers.