Marion Rodwell (pictured), the general counsel and company secretary of Myer, is one of 10 judges for the Awards, which will celebrate the contribution of Australia’s best young lawyers under 30 years of age.

Rodwell will be joined on the judging panel by the head of litigation at the Macquarie Group, Craig Pudig. Prior to joining Macquarie in 2008, Pudig was a partner at Minter Ellison and the Sydney managing partner of Clayton Utz.

The president of Australian Women Lawyers, Kate Ashmor, a lawyer with Public Transport Victoria, rounds out the high-profile trio of corporate counsel judges.

Ashmor is not the only head of a prominent legal body among the judges. Joining her is Tony Kerin, the head of the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA), and David Lee, the head of the Australian Insurance Law Association of Australia.

In addition to leading the ALA, Kerin is also the managing director of the South Australia based firm of barristers and solicitors Johnston Withers, while Lee is a partner with national insurance boutique Lee & Lyons.

Adelaide barrister Alex Ward, fresh from being appointed as the vice-president of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association last month, is also on the judging panel.

Ward was the head of the Law Council of Australia in 2011.

Other barristers on the judging panel are Sydney barrister Rashda Rana and Queensland barrister Kelly McIntyre.

Rana will be judging the in-house category. Rana has expertise across the Bar, private practice and the corporate environment. She was a partner at Holding Redlich before taking up a general counsel role with Bovis Lend Lease in late 2009.

McIntyre, from Brisbane’s Dan Casey Chambers, is judging the energy & resources category. McIntyre is on the Committee of the Bar Council of Queensland and is a member of the Australian Young Lawyers Committee and the Australian Mining and Petroleum Law Association.

The head of the corporate practice at Sparke Helmore, Nick Humphrey, will be judging the banking & finance category. Prior to joining Sparkes, Humphrey was the head of the private equity group at Norton Rose.

The noted mediator and head of Negocio Resolutions, Steve Lancken, rounds out the judging panel.

See below for a full list of the judges for each of the 10 Awards, along with a short bio.

The Awards will be held in Sydney on 14 June.

The 30 Under 30 Awards are the only Awards by a legal publication that recognise the contribution of young lawyers to the profession.

Nominate now
Nominations for the 30 Under 30 Awards close at midnight this Friday (10 May).

Don’t delay in putting your hand up as a legal leader of the future and make sure you complete the online nomination form here.

The judges for the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards are:

Banking & Finance: Nick Humphrey
Nick is the head of the corporate group at Sparke Helmore. Prior to assuming this role in 2012, Nick was the head of the private equity group at Norton Rose. Nick is also the chair of the Australian Growth Company Awards.

Dispute Resolution: Steve Lancken
Steve is the founder of Negocio Resolutions. Steve has more than 30 years’ experience in litigation, mediation and arbitration, and has successfully mediated in more than 2000 disputes. Prior to founding Negocio last year, Steve was a principal at the Trillium Group and in 2008 was appointed to the National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council. He has worked with many of Australia’s largest law firms and companies.

Energy & Resources: Kelly McIntyre
Kelly is a barrister with Dan Casey Chambers in Brisbane.  She is a committee member of the Queensland Bar Council, Women Lawyers Association of Queensland, Australian Mining and Petroleum Law Association and Law Council of Australia’s Young Lawyers Committee. Kelly’s areas of practice include energy & resources, general commercial, wills/probate and family provision, personal injury and insurance.

Environment & Planning: Craig Pudig
Craig is the head of litigation at the Macquarie Group. Prior to joining Macquarie in 2008, Craig was a partner at Clayton Utz for 15 years and the Sydney managing partner for six years. Craig was also previously a partner at Minter Ellison and, in 2012, he was appointed as a director with the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration.

In-House: Rashda Rana
Rashda is a barrister with Ground Floor Wentworth Chambers in Sydney and Atkin Chambers in London. Rashda also has extensive experience in private practice and in-house. She was a partner at Holding Redlich before moving to Bovis Lend Lease as that company’s general counsel and company secretary. She is currently the vice-chair of the Society of Construction Law in Australia and is an adjunct professor at the University of Sydney Law School, where she devised the undergraduate course on international commercial arbitration.

Insurance: David Lee
David is a partner with the national insurance boutique Lee & Lyons, which he founded in 2002 with Lucinda Lyons. David is currently the president of the Australian Insurance Law Association of Australia. He is an accredited mediator and a member of the Institute of Company Directors. David was invited to participate in the Insurance Reform Advisory Group convened by the former assistant treasurer Bill Shorten in 2011.

Intellectual Property: Tony Kerin
Tony is the managing director of Johnston Withers, a three-office South Australian firm of solicitors and barristers. Tony’s particular areas of expertise include personal injury, Workcover and criminal law.  Tony is currently the president of the Australian Lawyers Alliance.

M&A: Kate Ashmor
Kate is the president of Australian Women Lawyers, Australia’s formemost body for female practitioners across the Bar, in-house and private practice spheres. Kate is a lawyer at Public Transport Victoria, a director of Caulfield Park Bendigo Bank and writes opinion pieces for the Women’s Agenda website.

Media, Telecommunications and Technology: Marion Rodwell
Marion is the general counsel and company secretary at Myer, a role she has held since 2008.
Marion has spent her whole career in the in-house sector, and has previously been the general counsel and company secretary of the financial services company IOOF and the gaming house Tattersalls.

Workplace relations, Employment and Safety: Alex Ward
Alex is a barrister with Edmund Barton Chambers in Adelaide. Alex has held a number of senior positions in the profession. In 2011 he was president of the Law Council of Australia and was the president of the Law Society of South Australia in 2004/05. In April this year, he was appointed as the vice-president of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association. Alex’s areas of expertise include workplace relations, criminal law, insurance and general commercial issues.