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The Great British Excellence Awards celebrate the people, businesses and organisations doing exceptional work. Explore the categories and help recognise someone shaping the future through their achievement, leadership and impact.
Women in Law Excellence Award
Celebrating women in legal practice demonstrating excellence in advocacy, counsel, and professional leadership
About this category
The Women in Law Excellence Award celebrates a woman who has shown outstanding ability in legal practice, whether in advocacy, advisory work, in-house counsel or the leadership of a firm or legal team. It recognises the quality of her legal work and the difference it makes to clients, colleagues and the profession.
The winner will combine technical excellence with sound judgement and integrity, and will have helped move the profession forward, whether through landmark matters, innovation in how legal services are delivered, or by opening doors for the women who follow her.
Eligibility
- Open to women solicitors, barristers, legal executives, in-house counsel and legal leaders
- Must practise in, or have a significant presence in, the UK
- Work should fall within the last 12 to 24 months, set against a wider track record
- Self-nominations and third-party nominations are both welcome.
Judging criteria
- Legal Excellence: quality, complexity and outcomes of the legal work
- Client Impact: the value and service delivered to clients
- Leadership: leading teams, practices or matters with vision and integrity
- Innovation: new approaches to legal services, technology or access to justice
- Contribution to the Profession: mentoring, diversity, pro bono and professional bodies
Qualitative criteria
- Reputation among clients, peers and the judiciary
- Ethical standards and professional judgement
- Support and sponsorship of other women in law
- Commitment to pro bono or access to justice work
- Resilience and composure in demanding matters
Metrics
- Significant matters won, completed or advised on
- Practice or team revenue growth
- Client retention and new instructions
- Pro bono hours or community legal work
- Rankings, directory listings or professional recognition
Additional criteria
Entries should include examples of significant work (anonymised where client confidentiality requires it), supporting figures and a testimonial from a client, colleague or senior member of the profession.
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