A leading light in the legal profession has been named as Coventry and Warwickshire’s Professional of the Year.
Nick Button, senior partner at Coventry-based Button Legal LLP, scooped the top award during the fourth Coventry and Warwickshire First FirstPro Awards, which were held at the Ricoh Arena.
Around 260 people attended the FirstPro awards which aim to celebrate the skill and expertise of professionals in Coventry and Warwickshire.
The awards are designed to encourage continuing professional development, raise the profile of professionals locally and recognise those individual professionals who contribute to the growth of the sector by putting something back into the community.
Button founded Button Legal LLP in 1988 and has just completed an extremely active year which saw him serve as the president of the Warwickshire Law Society and raise thousands of pounds for charity.
“I’m absolutely delighted to have won this award and surprised considering the amount of talent in the room, I can’t believe it’s fallen to me,” he said.
“I think there’s huge potential and a huge talent in Coventry and Warwickshire and I hope events like the Coventry and Warwickshire First Pro Awards can help inspire the region’s professionals and give them something to aspire to.”
The judging panel for the awards was made up by Daniel Gidney, CWLEP board member and chief executive of the Ricoh Arena, Ian Harrabin, of Complex Development Projects, and Phil Ewing, director at Harrison Beale & Owen and chairman of Coventry and Warwickshire First.
Ewing said the judging process brought home the high number and quality of professional services provided in the region.
“The standard of the nominees this year really underlined the diverse range of professional services on offer in Coventry and Warwickshire and the remarkable standard to which they are delivered,” he said.
“The judges saw that Nick had contributed a lot to business and the wider community over a long period of time and he is fully deserving of this award.
“He has worked hard to keep pace with the ever-changing legal profession through changing his own business to one which is more flexible and better equipped to cope with the volatility of the economic climate.
“He has also been helping other businesses to face those changes through his work as president of the Warwickshire Law Society.”
The awards are divided into six categories with the Professional of the Year being chosen from the category winners.
Edward Laverick, of Restore IT Consultants, won the Business Services award, Tim Powell, University of Warwick Science Park’s Minerva Business Angels, took the Financial Services award, Nick Button, Button Legal LLP, received the Legal Services award, Tom Bromwich, Bromwich Hardy, scooped the Property Services award, Lee Summers, Alumet, was named Sustainability Professional, and Michelle Vincent, HB&O, was selected as Young Professional of the Year.
Special guest Chris Hughes, creator of Top Gear Live, also attended to speak at the evening.
