Specialist judges for Law Society Excellence Awards announced
Date Published: 26-07-2010
Specialist judges for Law Society Excellence Awards announced
Highly respected leaders in their fields have been enlisted by the Law Society to select the short list of entrants and winners of the most prestigious awards in the legal calendar.
The Law Society is inviting nominations for the Excellence Awards 2010 following the outstanding success of the Society's awards since their inauguration in 2007. A host of new categories has been introduced for 2010 to reflect the diverse work of the profession.
The awards, which take place just under three months from now on 21st October, recognise and reward the most outstanding practitioners in the legal professions and are open to individuals and teams across the entire legal sector, not just solicitors.
Entries will be judged by two specialist judges in each category. Those specialist judges include experts in law, business, and social responsibility as well as marketing.
Mike Barry, Head of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer and Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community will join the panel to select the Excellence in Community Investment winner.
Patrick McCann, Global Head of Learning and Development at Herbert Smith LLP and Liz Field, Chief Executive Officer, Financial Sector Skills Council will judge the Excellence in Learning and Development winner (new award).
Patrick Laine, Director of Corporate Partnerships at WWF and Will Day, Chairman of The Sustainable Development Commission will decide on the Legal Sector Alliance Award for Excellence in Environmental Responsibility.
Heidi Sandy, Chair of the JLD and solicitor at Gordons LLP and Natasha Catterson, winner of the 2009 Junior Lawyer of the Year award and solicitor at Fisher Meredith solicitors will join the judging team to select the 2010 Junior Lawyer of the Year award.
The judging panel for the individual award categories will also include President of the Law Society Linda Lee, Vice President of the Law Society John Wotton and Deputy Vice President Lucy Scott-Moncrieff.
The awards reward and promote excellence across the legal profession and celebrate outstanding achievement in areas that are central to the profession today. They will demonstrate that lawyers continue to innovate and to deliver work of the highest quality despite the challenging economic climate.
Awards will also be presented to the individuals judged to have made the greatest personal contributions and positive impact on the perception of the profession, in the categories of Solicitor of the Year - In-house, Solicitor of the Year - Private Practice, Junior Lawyer of the Year, Solicitor Advocate of the Year, AWS Legal Business Woman of the Year, Legal Executive of the Year.
The 2010 awards will see the introduction of the Law Society Gazette's Legal Personality of the Year award. The Law Society Gazette’s editorial team will draw up a shortlist of people who have recently made an outstanding public contribution to the legal profession. This will be based on nominations from readers. The winner will be selected by a judging panel chaired by Editor-in-chief Paul Rogerson.
Law Society President Linda Lee said, "I am encouraging the profession to put aside their modesty and submit a nomination. I encourage practitioners from all types of practices and backgrounds to demonstrate their talents. Winning an award is more than recognition from their professional colleagues, it is also a symbol of quality to members of the public."
She added, "In these difficult times there is no better way to promote the legal profession than to celebrate the excellence and innovation that exists right across the profession. These awards provide a fantastic opportunity to celebrate what is great about the legal sector. The best entrants will gain the accolade of winning the most prestigious awards in the legal calendar. These awards reflect the Law Society's commitment to the promotion of excellence in the legal profession. The wide range of categories reflect the diverse work of the profession and I am urging firms of all sizes to enter these awards."
For more information on the award categories and specialist judges click here: http://services.lawsociety.org.uk/events/awards/excellence/categories
Nominations are open until 20th August. For details and to enter online visit
www.lawsociety.org.uk/excellenceawards
Ends
Notes to Editors:
The closing date for entries is August 20th.
For more information visit
www.lawsociety.org.uk/excellenceawards
The awards will be held on 21st October. To book a table visit
http://services.lawsociety.org.uk/events/awards/excellence/awardsdinner
Journalists can contact the Law Society of England & Wales Press Office on 020 7320 5902
