Final countdown for Solicitors Journal Awards nominations

With just one week left to nominate for a Solicitors Journal Award, lawyers have been advised to submit themselves for legal gongs now or miss out at the inaugural awards night in May.

The Solicitors Journal Awards will be hosted by the BBC's Andrew Marr as SJ celebrates 160 years of legal publishing at the stylish Grand Connaught Rooms in the heart of legal London.

With the deadline for submissions set for next Monday 29 February, SJ's managing editor, Laura Clenshaw has warned legal professionals not to miss out on a chance of winning one of the first awards from the world's longest-running legal publication.

'We've received some simply outstanding nominations so far,' she said. 'This is a chance to be acknowledged by the profession, your clients, an industry-leading judging panel, and the 160-year-old Solicitors Journal as we celebrate the best of the best in the business.'

Firms, chambers, in-house teams, and ABSs are all invited to nominate. SJ's elite judging panel - including Sean Jones QC, shadow attorney general Karl Turner MP, and the Law Society's president, Jonathan Smithers - is tailored to each specialist category, meaning nominees will be judged by their peers.

Julia Thackray, family course director at CLT, family mediator, and judge of Family Team of the Year, said: 'These are challenging times for family lawyers. The changes in the last few years have come thick and fast, with wide-ranging family justice reforms, new legislation, and the virtual loss of legal aid meaning that lawyers and their practice must adapt rapidly.

'It will be fascinating to see what the most innovative and interesting family teams are doing not only to keep pace with these changes, but to anticipate them and to stay one step ahead to provide their clients with the best service they can.'

Multiple nominations are welcome in the following categories:

• Employment Team of the Year
• Commercial Team of the Year
• Litigation Team of the Year
• Family Team of the Year
• Legal Aid Team of the Year
• Personal Injury Team of the Year
• Private Client Team of the Year
• Property Team of the Year
• Pro Bono Team of the Year
• Regional Team of the Year
• Rising Star
• Legal Education Provider of the Year

Labour's justice minister Andy Slaughter MP, who is a judge of the Pro Bono Team of the Year Aaward, said: 'This will be a cracking event and provide some much-needed enjoyment to solicitors across the country. I am delighted and honoured to play a part.

'Solicitors Journal is an important publication and has been for over a century and a half. Their even-handed and forensic coverage is always worth a read.'

Max Harris, the immediate past chair of the Junior Lawyers Division and associate at Baker & McKenzie, remarked that he is looking forward to judging the Rising Star Award.

'It is a great pleasure to be part of the inaugural Solicitors Journal Awards,' he said. 'This year, not only do we celebrate its 160th anniversary, but also the many individuals who continue to make a positive impact on the profession.'

Download the entry form here. Submissions must include no more than 150 words about the firm, up to 500 words on meeting the awards criteria, plus any supporting documentation to be in with the chance to win that all-important prize.

The winners will be announced on the evening of 25 May at the black-tie event, which will include a champagne reception and three-course dinner. All information can be found on our awards page.

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