In the "Chambers and Partners 2011", Fitzgerald was listed as a leading silk in Public and Administrative, Criminal, and criminal extradition law, and received a star ranking for his work in Civil liberties in the United Kingdom. Fitzgerald is also consistently ranked in Legal 500 for his work in Administrative and Public Law, Crime and Human Rights. Legal 500 described him as "a true intellectual giant – a top-class extradition and appellate lawyer". In June 1998, Fitzgerald was awarded the Justice award, sponsored by The Timesof London, for outstanding contributions to criminal justice. Fitzgerald is also the ninth most cited barrister in the UK press, with 70 mentions between July 2006 and 2007. On 25 September 2005, Fitzgerald became the "Human Rights Silk of the Year" at the "Chambers and Partners Bar Awards". In June 2008, Fitzgerald was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours list 2008. The award was made in recognition of his services to human rights. In 2009, Fitzgerald won the silver jubilee "Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year" (for outstanding achievement) from the Legal Aid Practitioner's Group. Fitzgerald has been a trustee of the Death Penalty Project since its inception in 2005. Fitzgerald is also a patron of the Human Rights Lawyers Association, which aims to, among other goals, "further research, education and training in the areas of human rights law and practice, and the effective implementation of human rights law within the United Kingdom". Fitzgerald is a trustee of The Longford Trust, founded in 2002 by admirers of Lord Longford (1905–2001) to celebrate his achievements and to further his goals in social and prison reform. Fitzgerald is also a patron of Young Legal Aid Lawyers, which has a strong belief in the "importance of good quality representation and advice at all levels to those who could otherwise not afford it".