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This category is for chambers of barristers established in Yorkshire. The award will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable legal expertise and innovation
• Involvement in leading cases
• Strategic vision
• Client care and satisfaction
• Contribution to the community including pro-bono work
• Consistent approach to education and training

Open to all firms across Yorkshire. This award will be judged according to the following criteria:

• A commitment to diversity and inclusion, with an emphasis on developing opportunities for professional advancement in law
• A significant focus on identifying and removing the legal profession’s barriers to entry
• Active promotion of equality, internally and externally
• Strong passion for celebrating diversity in all of its forms

This award is only open to teams who work within an organisation’s in-house legal department and will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Entrants should show how they perform essential legal work for their employer
• They should be able to demonstrate how they add value to the business or organisation
• Examples of a clear commitment to excellence, quality and innovation
• Their work should have been recognised and appreciated by the Yorkshire legal and business community
• They should have positively contributed to the wider legal community

This award is open to firms that have 1 to 50 employees based in Yorkshire, or earn up to £10 million in annual turnover nationwide. They will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Training initiatives and accreditations received or being worked towards. For example, Investors in People
• Demonstrable appreciation or recognition by clients
• Dedication to development and welfare of staff
• Client initiatives that you feel have set the firm apart from the rest
• Contribution to the legal community
• Recognition received from other firms
• Contribution to the community including pro-bono work
• Please remember to state how many partners you have based in Yorkshire

This award is open to firms that have 51 to 250 employees based in Yorkshire, or earn between £10 million and £50 million in annual turnover nationwide. They will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Training initiatives and accreditations received or being worked towards. For example, Investors in People
• Growth in reputation
• Demonstrable appreciation or recognition by clients
• Dedication to development and welfare of staff
• Client initiatives that you feel have set the firm apart from the rest
• Contribution to the legal community
• Recognition received from other firms
• Contribution to the community including pro-bono work
• Please remember to state how many partners you have based in Yorkshire

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This award is open to firms that have 250 employees or more based in Yorkshire, or earn more than £50 million in annual turnover nationwide. They will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Training initiatives and accreditations received or being worked towards. For example, Investors in People
• Growth in reputation
• Demonstrable appreciation or recognition by clients
• Dedication to development and welfare of staff
• Client initiatives that you feel have set you apart from the rest
• Contribution to the legal community
• Recognition received from other firms
• Contribution to the community including pro-bono work
• Please remember to state how many partners you have based in Yorkshire

This award is open to law firms that practice in a clearly identifiable niche area of the law and will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable appreciation or recognition by clients
• Dedication to development and welfare of staff
• Client initiatives that you feel have set you apart from the rest
• Contribution to the legal community
• Recognition received from other firms
• Contribution to the local community such as pro-bono work

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This award is only open to individuals who work within an organisation’s in-house legal department and will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Entrants should be show how they perform essential legal work for their employer
• They should be able to demonstrate how they add value to the business or organisation
• Examples where they’ve shown leadership, exhibited excellent team work and demonstrated a clear commitment to excellence, quality and innovation
• Their work has been recognised and appreciated by the Yorkshire legal and business community
• They have positively contributed to the wider legal community

Open to managing partners of law firms across Yorkshire. This award will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Evidence of contribution to the success of their practice in the last 12 months
• Demonstrable leadership and strong management skills
• Dedication to clients
• Non-fee earning, but work-related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community including pro-bono work

Open to partners at law firms across Yorkshire. This award will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Evidence of contribution to the success of their practice in the last 12 months, both in fee earning and other areas, such as marketing or setting up new projects which have benefitted the firm
• Demonstrable expertise in field of work
• Evidence of a growing reputation or maintaining their standing as a leader in their field
• Dedication to clients
• Demonstrable work to help/mentor junior staff
• Contribution to the community, including pro-bono work

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This award will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Maximum age at ceremony: 35 years
• Demonstrable involvement in interesting, challenging or new areas of law and the capacity in which you were involved
• Demonstrable dedication to your clients
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made significant impact, taking into account the time you have been practicing and any notable obstacles that you have overcome
• Non-fee earning, but work related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community including pro-bono work

This award will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Nomination must relate to work carried out while employed by a law firm or in-house legal team under a training contract
• Excellent standards of work
• Dedication to the job
• Professional development during training
• Contribution to client relationships and/or business development
• Include references from senior colleagues
• Contribution to the community, including pro-bono work

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Open to all lawyers based in Yorkshire. The winner of this award will be decided by the judging panel prior to the awards ceremony.

The judges will be looking for a lawyer who has made outstanding contributions to the region within the past 12 months. They will have contributed to the success of their practice, have strong leadership skills and will have demonstrated that they are committed to excellence in all that they do

Please note that you are unable to nominate yourself for this special award.

This award is open to individuals and team nominations. For those who have a practice in banking or other areas of finance law. It will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievement in banking or finance and the capacity in which you were involved
• Demonstrable dedication to your clients
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made a significant impact, taking into account notable obstacles that you have overcome
• Demonstrable appreciation/recognition of your work by clients/colleagues
• Non-fee earning, but work-related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community

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This category is open to individual and team nominations. This award is specifically for those who have a practice in real estate and will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievement in your area of practice and the capacity in which you were involved
• Demonstrable dedication to your clients
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made a significant impact, taking into account notable obstacles that you have overcome
• Demonstrable appreciation/recognition of your work by clients/colleagues
• Non-fee earning, but work-related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community, including pro-bono work

This category is open to individual and team nominations. This award is specifically for those who have a practice in corporate, finance or non-contentious commercial law and will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievement in your area of practice and the capacity in which you were involved
• Demonstrable dedication to your clients
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made a significant impact, taking into account notable obstacles that you have overcome
• Demonstrable appreciation/recognition of your work by clients/colleagues
• Non-fee earning, but work related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community, including pro-bono work

This category is open to individual and team nominations. This award is specifically for those who have a practice in any area of criminal law. The award will be judged to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievements for clients if a defendant and clear examples of pursuing worthwhile cases if a prosecutor
• Demonstrable outstanding knowledge of the field which has been recognised by colleagues and peers
• Innovative working practices to cope with cuts in legal fees, court fees and court closures
• Extra credit will be given for having made a significant impact in the last 12 months
• Non-fee earning, but work related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community, including pro-bono work

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This award is open to individuals and team nominations. For those who provide debt collection services from within a law firm, in B2B or B2C. It will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievement in debt recovery, including monies collected, customer satisfaction and integrity
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made a significant impact, taking into account notable obstacles that you have overcome
• Demonstrable appreciation/recognition of your work by clients/colleagues
• Non-fee earning, but work-related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community

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This award is open to all individuals and teams specialising in employment law and will be judged according to the following criteria:

• The quality of legal services offered, both in terms of significant cases and a clear dedication to clients
• Displaying an innovative and flexible approach to changes in the legal market
• Examples of how their work has been recognised/appreciated by the Yorkshire legal and business community
• Examples of excellence in non-fee earning, but work-related activities – such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and a broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community, including pro-bono work

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This category is open to individual and team nominations. This award is specifically for those who have a practice in any area of family law. The award will be judged to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievement in your area of practice and the capacity in which you were involved
• Demonstrable dedication to your clients
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made a significant impact, taking into account notable obstacles that you have overcome
• Demonstrable appreciation/recognition of your work by clients/colleagues
• Non-fee earning, but work related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community, including pro-bono work

This category is open to individual and team nominations. This award is specifically for those who have a practice in any area of intellectual property law. The award will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievement in your area of practice, whether that be copyright, designs, patents, trade marks or any other particular area of intellectual property
• Demonstrable dedication to your clients
• Demonstrable outstanding knowledge of the field which has been recognised by colleagues and peers
• Credit will be given for having made a significant impact in the last 12 months in your field of expertise
• Non-fee earning, but work related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community, including pro-bono work

This category is open to individual and team nominations, particularly those who practice in civil, commercial or criminal litigation and alternative dispute resolution such as mediation, arbitration and regulatory work. The award will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable involvement in significant matters/cases and the capacity in which you were involved, for example any test cases, or particularly newsworthy ones which you have been involved in
• Demonstrable achievement in your area of practice
• Dedication to your clients
• Innovative use of litigation funding
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made a significant impact, taking into account notable obstacles that you have overcome
• Non-fee earning, but work-related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community including pro-bono work

This category is open to individual and team nominations, for those who do legal work for private clients in private practices. The award will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievement in your area of practice and the capacity in which you were involved
• Demonstrable dedication to your clients
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made a significant impact, taking into account notable obstacles that you have overcome
• Demonstrable appreciation/recognition of your work by clients/colleagues
• Non-fee earning, but work-related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community including pro-bono work

This award is open to individuals and team nominations. This award is specifically for those who have a practice in regulatory compliance across or in specific sectors. It will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievement in regulatory compliance across or in specific sectors, and the capacity in which you were involved
• Demonstrable dedication to your clients
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made a significant impact, taking into account notable obstacles that you have overcome
• Demonstrable appreciation/recognition of your work by clients/colleagues
• Non-fee earning, but work-related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community

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This category is open to individual and team nominations. This award is specifically for those who have a practice in real estate and will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Demonstrable achievement in your area of practice and the capacity in which you were involved
• Demonstrable dedication to your clients
• Stand out from colleagues as a lawyer who has made a significant impact, taking into account notable obstacles that you have overcome
• None fee-earning, but work-related activities, such as marketing, establishing new initiatives and broader contribution to the profession
• Contribution to the community