The Lawyer is probably one of the best-known publications in the legal sector and every year they throw a rather glitzy awards ceremony where the best and brightest talents in the industry are recognised over a fancy dinner.
At MD Communications we regularly help firms to boost their chances of being recognised at The Lawyer Awards, providing input on already drafted submissions and supporting those who want to be in with a chance of a gong this year with last-minute help.
This year, the deadline for submissions is Friday 3 March 2017 (so, under a week to go..)
Rewarding excellence
The calibre of entrants for The Lawyer Awards is as impressive as you might expect for a publication so front and centre of the legal sector. Last year, some of the winners on the night included:
- Energy team of the year – CMS
- IP team of the year – Powell Gilbert
- Employment team of the year – Ashfords
- Litigation team of the year – Irwin Mitchell
- Corporate team of the year – Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
- Finance team of the year – Herbert Smith Freehills
In addition to the awards for specific practice areas, The Lawyer also has a number of sector-wide prizes. These include Law Firm of the Year (Clyde & Co) and Regional Firm of the Year (Brodies). You can see the full list of last year’s success stories.
Entering the Lawyer Awards
Awards categories are broken down into:
- Transactional
- In-house
- The Bar
- Organisational
There is also a special category for Pro Bono Initiative of the year.
Entries for The Lawyer Awards are tailored to the category and include specific information about the firm or the team. For example, information about deals done and supporting evidence of performance, which could be anything from client wins to precedents set.
In our experience, most firms have something to shout about at the end of 12 months and entering these awards is a great way to start gaining recognition for those achievements. Entries are made online and The Lawyer asks for five referees to be provided with the submission to support the information in it.
The benefits of making an award submission
We always encourage our clients to put themselves forward for industry awards because they have an enormously beneficial effect on everything, from reputation, through to generating work. In particular, awards like this will create:
- Recognition from your peers in the legal sector
- Recognition that is highly respected outside the industry too
- A fantastic marketing tool – winning an award is a fast track to a raised profile. The great thing with The Lawyer awards is that even if you don’t make it past the shortlist that’s still something to shout about given the quality of the other entries.
- A great networking opportunity
Plus, of course, there is the awards dinner, which – in my humble opinion – is one of the best awards nights in the industry calendar.
What we offer
MD Communications has a vast wealth of experience with awards submissions and we offer a fast turnaround. We can tailor our service to you with either a draft submission from scratch, or a review and edit of a submission you’ve pulled together but need a little help giving it legs.
Remember, the deadline is 3 March, so get in touch today.
