Debra Morris has been named Lawyer of the Year 2024 by the Derby & District Law Society at a glittering awards ceremony in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the legal community in Derbyshire and beyond.
Debra began her training as a Legal Executive in 1991 and qualified as a Solicitor in 2002 and has worked exclusively in personal injury throughout, with a particular interest in mild traumatic brain injury and complex brain injury claims. Debra’s journey to become a solicitor was not an easy one and as opposed to many of her peers, Debra chose to work full-time alongside her part-time studies in law in order to provide for her family, whilst also raising her two young daughters.
Debra has more than 30 years’ experience working in personal injury and has secured well over £35 million for her clients since then, however more importantly, she has changed countless lives that have been devastated by serious injury and loss. Since joining Affinity Law, she has also taken on the additional responsibilities of a financial deputy and is now appointed by the Court of Protection to act for 15 clients who have lost capacity to handle their finances following catastrophic injuries including brain injuries.
Debra said: “I am absolutely honoured and humbled to have won the Lawyer of the Year award. I love my job and working in this niche area of law, it’s something I am so passionate about.
“Thank you to the Derby & District Law Society for the recognition, and as ever to my wonderful family, friends, colleagues at Affinity Law and connections across the legal and brain injury communities for their continued support and encouragement.”
Debra continues to specialise in brain injury claims and has particular expertise in dealing with mild traumatic brain injuries (often referred to as concussion) and vestibular injuries (damage to the balance system resulting in symptoms including dizziness, imbalance and cognitive impairment) and is proud to be recognised as a specialist Head Injury Solicitor by the national charity Headway, and as an Accredited Brain Injury Specialist by APIL for her outstanding work in this area.
Debra recognises the complexity of mild traumatic brain injury claims in that scans and tests often show no abnormalities, meaning such injuries can often be missed and initially undiagnosed. Debra has a wealth of experience in dealing with these types of claims and will undertake thorough investigations to get to the bottom of any injury sustained and its effects.
Over the years Debra has built relationships with professionals throughout the brain injury community on both a national and local scale, including The Derby Head Injury Team and Nightingale Hospital, and is highly recommended by experts in the field. Debra is able to use her connections to secure timely initial assessments by local clinicians on a private basis, therefore ensuring the best access to rehabilitation in order to progress the recovery of her clients at the earliest opportunity.
In 2023 alone, Debra recovered almost £2 million for her clients.
Debra also continues to support some of her clients post litigation as a financial deputy. In fact, one of Debra’s proudest achievements throughout the past 12 months has been growing the firm’s Court of Protection department. What initially started as Debra acting for one client as a one-off has now turned into one of the Derby office’s main sources of income. Under the jurisdiction of the Court of Protection, Debra essentially steps into the shoes of her clients who have lost capacity, either as a result of illness or injury, to support them to make decisions and manage their best interests in relation to their finances. As part of this professional deputyship, Debra manages clients’ investments, benefits, day to day expenses and allowances, as well as engaging with any multidisciplinary team in place. She is responsible for managing all aspects of a client’s finances, from the most basic such as paying utility bills, to the most complex such as assisting with the purchase, sale, tenancy or adaptations of a property. Debra is required to work with a number of different solicitors and professionals across other disciplines in her role as financial deputy, which she always does with the utmost respect and professionalism.
Alongside all this, Debra also dedicates much of her time to charity and her impact on the community over the past decade has been nothing short of exceptional. Debra first joined Headway Derby, a local charity working to improve the lives of brain injury survivors and their loved ones in 2014 where she sat on the Board of Trustees supporting the charity at a difficult financial time and contributing to the overall development of the organisation. In 2016, Debra stepped up her role at Headway Derby and became the charity’s Chairperson, taking over from the retiring Chair of many years, a role she has diligently done for almost eight years now. Since her appointment, Debra has demonstrated her commitment by completing a scary skydive to raise £5000, arranging numerous fundraising events and steering the charity through unprecedented times during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Debra was nominated by a colleague who said: “It is difficult to thank Debra appropriately for the incredible contribution she has made to the community in Derby, both professionally and personally, but this award goes some way in recognising her unwavering dedication and incredible efforts over the past three decades. She is a shining example of a truly fantastic and dedicated solicitor and a true credit to the legal profession.”
The accolade was presented by Luke Baxter of STAT Building Consultancy Ltd.