Tony O’Malley (pictured right) is judging The Senior Barrister Award and The Junior Barrister Award, the latter of which is sponsored by Sheahan Lock Partners. Tony recently started his own boutique practice, LCR Advisory, after being the head of King & Wood Mallesons in Australia.

Like Tony O'Malley, Philip Gleed knows what it is like to run a law firm. The founder of his own executive search and recruitment firm was a former managing partner of Melbourne mid-tier firms Rigby Cooke Lawyers and Mason Sier Turnbull. Fittingly, Philip is judging the Managing Partner Award, proudly sponsored by Burrows Legal, and the Law Student Award.

The best firms and in-house teams

Lawyers Weekly is delighted to introduce three new categories to this year’s Awards program, with the adjudicators for those Awards all holding senior positions in the profession.

The Law Firm of the Year Award recognises both the outstanding delivery of client services and a commitment to treating all staff within the firm with respect. Finalists for this Award will demonstrate their respective firm has a culture where lawyers can thrive.

Rashda Rana is judging this award. Rashda has experience across all levels of the profession. Currently, she is a barrister at 39 Essex Street Chambers, Singapore, combining this role with being the vice chair of the Society of Construction Law Australia. Rashda is the immediate past president of the Australian Institute of Arbitrators and is also a former general counsel of Bovis Lend Lease and a former partner at Holding Redlich.

Rashda is also judging one of the leading individual awards, The Corporate Counsel Award.

Reflecting the changing nature of the profession is The Boutique Law Firm Award. The growing importance of small and specialist firms is recognised with this inaugural award, which will be judged by Myer general counsel Marion Rodwell. Marion will also be running her eye over the next generation of private practice legal leaders as the adjudicator in The Senior Associate Award.

The third new award on this year’s program is The In-House Team Award. This award pays tribute to the work of in-house lawyers, whose numbers and influence are growing. Caroline Kirton QC, the chair of the Equality and Diversity Committee at the Victorian Bar and chair of the construction law section of the Commercial Bar Association, will be selecting the winner of what promises to be one of the evening’s more competitive categories.

Caroline will also be judging The Public Service Award, which recognises lawyers in government departments and public service organisations.

Welcome back

Lawyers Weekly is fortunate to have the following trio of judges return to the selection table for this year’s Awards.

Justice Margaret Beazley (pictured right), the president of the NSW Court of Appeal, is judging The Pro Bono Award, proudly sponsored by Negocio Resolutions, and The Young Gun Award, which is open to lawyers of any age in their first three years of practice.

The two key transaction awards are being judged by one of the legal professions’ most eminent movers and shakers.

Dr Stephen Moss will be deciding the winners of both The Dealmaker Award and The Transaction Team Award. Stephen is the chairman of Eaton Capital Partners.

Rounding out the impressive list of judges is Dr Rosemary Howell.

Befitting her status as a former secretary general of the Law Council of Australia and a visiting professorial fellow at the University of NSW, Rosemary is judging The Dispute Resolution Team Award and The Partner Award.

Rosemary was one of the founding members of The Dispute Group last year. Angela Bowne SC, Jeremy Gormly SC and Max Kimber SC were also founding members of this new alternative dispute resolution entity.

How to nominate

You can make a nomination for the Lawyers Weekly Law Awards, proudly sponsored by Michael Page Legal, here.

The nomination deadline is 6pm on Friday 27 June, so don’t delay in putting forward your name or that of a colleague, your firm or your team.

The Lawyers Weekly editorial team will select three to six finalists for each of the 16 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, which will be held on Friday 8 August at Sydney’s Four Seasons Hotel.

Lawyers Weekly would like to thank all our sponsors, including Michael Page Legal, Burrows Legal, Sheahan Lock Partners, Negocio Resolutions and e.law.

Full list of judges

Justice Margaret Beazley: The Pro Bono Award, proudly sponsored by Negocio Resolutions; The Young Gun Award

Philip Gleed: The Managing Partner Award, proudly sponsored by Burrows Legal; The Law Student Award

Dr Rosemary Howell: The Dispute Resolution Team Award; The Partner Award

Caroline Kirton QC: The In-House Team Award; The Public Service Award

Dr Stephen Moss: The Transaction Team Award; The Dealmaker Award

Tony O’Malley: The Senior Barrister Award; The Junior Barrister Award, proudly sponsored by Sheahan Lock Partners

Rashda Rana: The Law Firm of the Year Award; The Corporate Counsel Award

Marion Rodwell: The Senior Associate Award; The Boutique Law Firm Award