Justice Margaret Beazley (pictured), who earlier this year was appointed as the first female president of the NSW Court of Appeal, is judging the prestigious Pro Bono Award this year.

The Awards recognise Australia’s best barristers, private practice and in-house lawyers, from the junior to the most senior levels of the profession.

Justice Beazley is one of a number of high-profile female judges for this year’s Awards, which will be held at Melbourne’s Crown Casino on the evening of Friday 26 July.

Caroline Kirton SC, the chair of both the Equality & Diversity Committee and the Commercial Bar Association - Construction Law Section, with the Victorian Bar, is judging the Senior Associate Award, proudly sponsored by Empire Careers.

Dr Rosemary Howell, a former secretary of the Law Council of Australia and one of Australia’s leading dispute resolution experts, and former Law Institute of Victoria president Caroline Counsel, are joining Justice Beazley on the judging panel.

Leading in-house lawyers Kate Munnings, the chief risk and legal officer of Transfield Services, and former Corrs Chambers Westgarth and Baker & McKenzie partner, and Medibank group general counsel, Mei Ramsay, are judging the Senior Barrister and Junior Counsel Awards respectively.

The latter Award is proudly sponsored by Sheahan Lock Partners.

Best of business
High-profile legal and corporate consultants will be adding their weight to the judging panel this year.

The two transaction-focused awards have two of Australia’s leading business and commercial minds running their eye over submissions. Dr Stephen Moss, the chairman of Eaton Capital Partners, is judging the Dealmaker Award, proudly sponsored by J Legal, and Jon Adgemis, the Australian partner-in-charge (mergers & acquisitions) of top-four global accountancy firm KPMG, will decide the winner of the inaugural Transaction Team Award.

Leading commercial and global legal consultant Ted Dwyer is the judge of the Young Gun Award, while former Maddocks and Middletons managing partner John Chisholm (pictued left) will judge the current crop of law firm heads in the Managing Partner Award, proudly sponsored by Burrows Legal.

Tasmanian barrister and former Australian Lawyers Alliance president Greg Barns and senior Herbert Smith Freehills partner Peter Butler, who is also a director of the Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation, round out the judging panel.

You can make a nomination for the Lawyers Weekly Law Awards, proudly sponsored by List A Barristers, here.

The nomination deadline has been extended to 5pm on Monday, 1 July.

The Lawyers Weekly editorial team will select three to six finalists for each of the 13 competitive categories.

The Michael Kirby Lifetime Achievement Award and the Advocate Award recipients are selected by the Lawyers Weekly editorial team and announced on the night of the Awards on 26 July.

Tickets for the event are available here.

Full list of judges:

The Corporate Counsel Award, Proudly sponsored by ACLA: Caroline Counsel

The Dealmaker Award, Proudly sponsored by J Legal: Dr Stephen Moss

The Dispute Resolution (Team Award), Proudly sponsored by Negocio Resolutions: Dr Rosemary Howell

The Junior Counsel Award, Proudly sponsored by Sheahan Lock Partners: Mei Ramsay

The Law Student Award, Proudly sponsored by The College of Law: Peter Butler

The Managing Partner Award: John Chisholm

The Partner Award, Proudly sponsored by Burrows Legal & the Practice Manager Award: Greg Barns

The Pro Bono Award: Justice Margaret Beazley

The Senior Associate Award, Proudly sponsored by Empire Careers: Caroline Kirton SC

The Senior Barrister Award: Kate Munnings

The Transaction Team Award: Jon Adgemis

The Young Gun Award: Ted Dwyer