Swaab Attorneys' chief executive Bronwyn Pott took out honours at Thursday night's inaugural Lawyers Weekly Icon Awards, claiming the 2010 e.law Asia Pacific Practice Manager of the Year Award.

The judges recognised Pott's professional dedication which has seen regular mentoring and coaching programs for staff and the creation of an intranet "Firm Hub" as a 'one-stop knowledge shop' to assist firm communications, which has been an important contribution in the firm's appearance in the BRW Best Places to Work survey in 2009 and 2010.

Norton Rose's Chief Operation Officer, Tim Shacklock, was also highly commended for his work following the Deacons' merger with Norton Rose early this year, which ensured the smooth transition of the merger, especially that systems - across marketing, finance, IT, corporate services and risk - were ready to go in line with the official merge date of 4 January.

Other finalists included Baker & McKenzie's Asia Pacific Intellectual Property Practice Group Leader, Robert Arnold, for his work pioneering systems and processes to increase the capacity and productivity of the Asia Pacific lawyers, and Wotton + Kearney's chief operating office, Andrew Price, who has played an integral role in the HR, business development and marketing functionality of the firm.

The 2010 Lawyers Weekly Icon Awards, recognising excellence, innovation and leadership within the Australian 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.

Click here to read the latest news and features affecting legal practice management in our dedicated Best Practice section!