An exclusive and memorable occasion, filled with entertainment, celebration and opportunities to support Amicus' vital work!
Each year, we honour outstanding contributions from law firms, academic institutions, and volunteers who provide vital support to our work on behalf of those facing the death penalty in the United States. Held in iconic venues and featuring powerful performances and guest speakers, the evening brings together legal professionals, human rights advocates, students and supporters for a night of recognition, reflection, and impact.
Proceeds from the event support Amicus’ legal casework, internship programmes, and public education initiatives.
Champions Of Justice Awards 2024
This event has now passed
Hosted at the iconic Old Bailey Grand Hall on 12 November 2024: the exciting concert was the award-winning work of Keith LaMar - live from Ohio’s death row - and Albert Marquès, and, for this performance, features the legendary Grammy award-winning saxophonist Jean Toussaint!
Keith LaMar, a death row inmate, has become an inspiring advocate for justice through his collaboration with renowned jazz pianist Albert Marquès. Despite being on death row for nearly three decades, Keith has used his voice to speak out against the injustices of the death penalty system, collaborating with Albert to create music that resonates with themes of freedom, resilience and hope.
Their performances have garnered international attention, not only for their musical brilliance but also for their powerful message about the human spirit's capacity to overcome even the harshest circumstances. The concert at Old Bailey Grand Hall - their first concert in the UK - will be a moving tribute to their work, surely an opportunity not to miss.
Media coverage for the event: Yahoo News, O Globo, La Estrella, La Nacion, Swiss Info, UDG TV, RFI, Rai News
See below for the 2024 Nominees, Winners (winners in bold), and the Awards Selection Panel.
Champions of Justice - Law Firm Category
Alston & Bird
Arthur Cox
Clyde & Co
Covington
Kingsley Napley
Champions of Justice - Academic Team Category
University of Law (Birmingham)
Southampton University
Champions of Justice - Individual Category
Arabella Murrison
Daniel Leng
Katrina Deering
Nick Kenny
Champions of Jusice - Andrew Lee Jones Award
Professor Jon Yorke
Awards Selection Panel 2024
Professor Robin Maher (Chair), George Washington University, former Director of the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project and Amicus Patron
Dr Tunde Okewale OBE, Doughty Street Chambers
HHJ Sarah Whitehouse KC, Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey)
Champions of Justice 2023
16th November 2023 at The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. Click the button for more information.
Champions of Justice 2022
3rd November 2022 held virtually. Keep scrolling for more information.
Champions of Justice 2021
3rd December 2021 held virtually. Keep scrolling for more information.
Champions of Justice 2020
8th December 2020 held virtually. Keep scrolling for more information.
Champions of Justice 2019
7th November 2023 at the Bush House in London. Click the button for more information.
Amicus’ 2022 Champions of Justice Awards event also was held online. In addition to announcing the Award Winners, we had three keynote speakers; mitigation specialist, Christy Dickerson, capital defence attorney, Shayla Galloway, and death row exoneree, Herman Lindsey. These ‘Voices of Justice’ shared their diverse experiences of the US capital punishment system.
Nominees and Winners
*winners in bold
Champions of Justice - Law Firm Category
Allen & Overy
BCLP
Dentons
Kingsley Napley
Linklaters
Milbank
Reed Smith
Withers
Champions of Justice - Individual Category
Gabrielle Darden (Regional Conflict Counsel Region 1)
Stas Kuzmierkiewicz (Baker McKenzie)
Olivia Loxley (Linklaters LLP)
Andrew Lee Jones Award
Rebecca Greenhalgh
Awards Selection Panel
Professor Robin Maher (Chair)
George Washington University, former Director of the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project and Amicus Patron
David Barnes
Chief Executive of Atkins Chambers and former Chair of the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks
David Bentley KC
Doughty Street Chambers
In 2021, we hosted a virtual event where we looked at the future of Racial Justice and The Death Penalty, while celebrating Amicus’ Champions of Justice Awards, recognising the amazing work which our supporters and affiliate firms have contributed to. The discussion focused on Henderson Hill, a leading figure in the defence of civil rights today and senior attorney at ACLU, in conversation with Robin Maher, internationally renowned death penalty expert and the former Director of The American Bar Association (ABA) Death Penalty Representation Project.
Nominees and Winners
*winners in bold
Champions of Justice - Law Firm Category
Arthur Cox
BCLP
Dentons
Milbank
Morgan Lewis
Shearman & Sterling
Champions of Justice - Individual Category
Claire Butler (Simmons & Simmons)
Maddie Steele (Unity Street Chambers)
Shelagh Kenney (Center for Death Penalty Litigation (CDPL))
Andrew Lee Jones Award
Tim Peterson
Awards Selection Panel
Professor Robin Maher (Chair)
George Washington University, former Director of the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project and Amicus Patron
David Barnes
Chief Executive of Atkins Chambers and former Chair of the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks
David Bentley QC
Doughty Street Chambers
Leslie Thomas QC
Garden Court Chambers
In addition to announcing that year’s Champions of Justice, Amicus’ 2020 online event marked the release of Bobby Moore earlier that year after four decades on Texas Death Row. 40 Years To Freedom highlighted the nature of the work of our lawyers and volunteers with an exciting live panel, whose members presented their deeply personal and legal stories spanning 30 years of fighting for justice through the courts, up to the Supreme Court of the United States (twice). Supported by many teams of dedicated pro bono lawyers over the years, the panel discussed what this seminal case meant to the people involved on the frontline and to Bobby himself. Not only was Bobby’s life saved and he was finally released, but the case, and the fight, created an instrumental change for those with an intellectual disability facing a death sentence in the US.
Nominees and Winners
*winners in bold
Champions of Justice - Law Firm Category
Arthur Cox
Eversheds Sutherland LLP
Milbank
Champions of Justice - Individual Category
Linzi McDonald
Harrison Jowett
Poppy Mulligan
Andrew Lee Jones Award
Linzi McDonald
Awards Selection Panel & Event Speakers
Bobby Moore
His case is the current leading Supreme Court of the United States ruling, saving many people facing the death penalty. Attendees heard from the man behind the case, who spent 40 years on death row. He spoke live from Texas as a free man.
Cliff Sloan
The leading expert, famous for his constitutional and Supreme Court of the United States work who also represented Bobby Moore, author, attorney and passionate pro bono champion talked to us about what it meant to work on Bobby's case.
Joanne Cross
Took over supporting Bobby after her mother, Bobby's penfriend, died. Fighting for Bobby her whole professional life, pushing his case forward, she talked about the personal journey and their friendship.
Luke Varley
When he was sent by Amicus to Texas in 2011, fresh out of law school, Luke would not have believed he would be representing that same death row inmate in the Supreme Court of the United States almost a decade later. Luke shared his amazing Amicus journey.
