Maslen wins Young Solicitor of the Year award for local government

A lawyer who works for West Sussex County Council and a leading legal publisher has been named Young Solicitor of the Year in local government.

Kirsten Maslen works three days a week for the local authority and two days a week for PLC. At West Sussex she leads a team that provides a one-stop shop for the council's projects, procurement and legal advice.

The other finalists, who were commended for their work, were Sancho Brett of Cornwall Council and Lia Musto-Shinton of Wakefield Council.

Bev Cullen, Chair of Solicitors in Local Government, said: “The standard of applications was very high this year and Kirsten is a worthy winner. The award reflects the high quality work that is undertaken by young solicitors working in local government that is largely unrecognised in the wider legal community.”

The award, which has been running since 2005 and is sponsored by law firm Trowers & Hamlins, was presented last Friday at the Weekend School at the University of Warwick.

It is intended to “recognise the unique and valuable contribution that young solicitors make to their authorities and their communities”. The award is open to any local government solicitor who has up to 10 years’ post qualification experience.

Malcolm Iley, partner at Trowers and chair of the judges, said: "The judges look for evidence of innovation, material impact on an authority's performance, and best practice and/or contribution to raising the profile of local government lawyers. Kirsten more than demonstrated this and is a well-deserving winner."