Mallesons Stephen Jaques's Executive Director, People and Development, Kate Rimer, was named the 2010 Integrity Legal Talent Manager of the Year at Thursday night's inaugural Lawyers Weekly Icon Awards, held in Sydney.

The judges recognised Rimer's skill in launching a number of new initiatives at the firm in the past 12 months, including an international graduate program - providing a rotation system across international offices - as well as a Partner Feedback System which has seen 90 per cent of partners receive qualitative feedback from a team of 12 peers.

Freehills' Director of People and Development, Gareth Bennett, was highly commended by the judges for his implementation of a formal talent management program covering risk profiles for employee development and succession, and the introduction of the new role of executive counsel at Freehills to offer lawyers an alternative career path to partnership, as well as overseeing a significant overhaul of the Freehills bonus scheme - which is uncapped for the first time.

Other finalists included Alexis Navie, Director of Human Resources at Corrs Chambers Westgarth for her work on 'Corrs2010', a transformation change program that crossed client relationships, peer collaborations and professional excellence, and recently appointed Swaab Attorneys' People and Development Manager, Gemma Johnston, for driving a significant number of programs. including the firm's benefits program "Mind Body and Spirit @ Swaab".

The 2010 Lawyers Weekly Icon Awards, recognising excellence in the legal profession, were held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, in Sydney.

Click here to read the full report on all the 2010 Icon Award winners, and don't miss full coverage of the event in the special Lawyers Weekly 500^th edition, on desks on 27 August, 2010.