The black-tie gala awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, 24 November 2022, at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne to celebrate the tireless efforts, dedication, successes, and achievements of women in the legal profession.

Lawyers Weekly is urging female lawyers to submit an entry or nominate a worthy colleague across 31 individual and group categories that cover academics, barristers, executives, general counsel, in-house lawyers, law students, mentors, partners, and wellness advocates.

At the end of the ceremony, one individual winner will be chosen as the recipient of the 2022 Women in Law Excellence Award.

Ms Dibbenhall noted that the awards program attracts nominees from different backgrounds practising and achieving excellence in every area of the law.

“Your achievements are more significant than you realise,” she told Lawyers Weekly.

“Someone has recognised your brilliance and taken the time to nominate you for this award. Own your achievements and share them with the rest of us so we can celebrate with you.”

Looking for well-written, well-supported submissions

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To increase their chances of qualifying as a finalist, award entrants must “spend the time” to reflect on the material they could include in their submissions, including case studies, financial metrics, and examples of how they have propelled the legal profession forward or achieved stellar outcomes for clients.

“Most people can’t remember everything they have done in 12 months on the spot. Give yourself a bit of time to think about all the things you could include in your submission,” Ms Dibbenhall suggested.

“Maybe share it with some colleagues for feedback and more ideas. Give it time to percolate. Then sit down and write it up.”

Strong submissions are well written, well structured, and well supported and paint a clear picture of the entrant’s achievements, Ms Dibbenhall said.

Entrants could opt for a formal or conversational tone in their submissions but must ensure that they are engaging and honest, she added.

“My best advice would be to remember that we start with a blank page,” Ms Dibbenhall said.

“Tell us everything we should know to form a good picture of not only your achievements (definitely important) and how you have dealt with any challenges (also very important), but also your broader contribution and leadership.

“This could be at your workplace, within the broader profession, or in your community.”

Financial metrics matter

Awards entrants should also consider including financial metrics in their submissions as they could demonstrate growth over the 12-month assessment period.

For those hesitant to include them, Ms Dibbenhall reassured entrants that the judging panel includes senior members of the profession who are committed to keeping the information confidential as part of the judging process.

“Providing financial and performance metrics are really important in helping us assess your submission. If the question asks or recommends that you provide these details, you may be marked down if you don’t as it affects our ability to properly compare your submission to others,” she said.

“If you are still not comfortable, consider whether there is some alternative way of expressing metrics that we can still use. For example, if you don’t want to share your overall figures for the year, perhaps they could be expressed as a percentage growth on previous year.”

Answer the questions

In addition to this, Ms Dibbenhall urged award entrants to ask clients, colleagues, or community members to write them a reference to include in their submissions.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for this. Most people are honoured that you have asked them, and enjoy the opportunity to formally thank you for your hard work,” she assured.

Most importantly, Ms Dibbenhall echoed the views of other judges and advised applicants to read the question and provide relevant answers.

She concluded: “Sometimes people get caught up in what they want to say, rather than what was actually requested. That’s okay. You can tell us the whole lot. But always make sure you’ve answered the essential elements of the question.”

The Women in Law Awards program is the benchmark for excellence, recognising the outstanding women influencing the Australian legal profession. It is the pinnacle event for recognising female talent in the Australian legal industry and presents an opportunity for leading women to showcase the depth of their talent, attract more clients, and propel their careers.

Held on Thursday, 24 November 2022, the prestigious national awards program shines a spotlight on executives, barristers, academics, pro bono, rising stars, and other legal professionals in large and boutique firms.

Click here to submit an entry or nominate a worthy colleague by 9 September 2022 to be in the running for these prestigious awards.

For more information, including categories and judging process, click here.