• Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Community Involvement
    • Mission and Values
    • PRecision Curriculum
  • Services
    • Public Relations
    • Content
    • Chambers Law Firm Rankings
    • Crisis & Litigation PR
    • Supreme Court Litigation
    • Media Training
    • Digital
    • Video
    • Poston Programs and Webinars
    • Podcasts
    • Public Affairs
    • CEO and Executive Leadership Communications
    • Internal and Employee Communications
  • Industries
    • Legal
    • Financial Services
    • Real Estate
    • Health Care
    • Architecture, Engineering and Construction
    • Associations & Professional Societies
    • Other Professional Services
  • Results
  • Blog
  • Careers
    • Openings
    • PRecision Curriculum
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • Community Involvement
    • Mission and Values
    • PRecision Curriculum
  • Services
    • Public Relations
    • Content
    • Chambers Law Firm Rankings
    • Crisis & Litigation PR
    • Supreme Court Litigation
    • Media Training
    • Digital
    • Video
    • Poston Programs and Webinars
    • Podcasts
    • Public Affairs
    • CEO and Executive Leadership Communications
    • Internal and Employee Communications
  • Industries
    • Legal
    • Financial Services
    • Real Estate
    • Health Care
    • Architecture, Engineering and Construction
    • Associations & Professional Societies
    • Other Professional Services
  • Results
  • Blog
  • Careers
    • Openings
    • PRecision Curriculum
  • Contact
  • Search

Nominating Clients and Prospects for Legal Industry Awards: Key in a Law Firm’s Business Development Toolbox

  • Posted by Leslie Valenza
  • On September 14, 2021
  • award nominations, business development, content, Poston Content

Share This...

Leslie Valenza

Spotlighting successful collaborations with clients is an important step in demonstrating your firm’s commitment to innovation, leadership and service. Nominating clients for recognitions that honor distinguished in-house talent is a great way to express gratitude to clients for entrusting your firm with their high-valued legal matters. Yet award submissions are a relationship-building tactic underutilized by outside counsel.

In addition to promoting significant litigation wins or landmark deals, perhaps your firm has partnered with clients to create solutions that streamline the delivery of legal services or advance diversity, equity and inclusion within the industry. Or maybe your firm teamed up with an in-house legal department to deliver pro bono assistance to struggling communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. And most importantly, consider the ways your clients demonstrate their leadership in their industries, organizations and communities.

To implement this concept as part of your 2021 business development and public relations integration strategy, we are beginning a short series of posts that focus on legal industry awards that recognize law firm-client partnerships and / or corporate legal departments.

First up, American Lawyer Media’s Law.com and Legalweek are seeking nominations for the Leaders in Tech Law Awards recognizing U.S.-based lawyers and professionals who have led “cutting edge matters at the intersection of law and technology.”

The awards will honor both law firm and in-house attorneys across numerous categories, including:

  • Tech-Enabled Litigation Department of the Year
  • Start-Up Firm / Emerging Company Law Firm of the Year
  • Most Innovative Legal Department of the Year
  • Most Innovative Operations Team of the Year
  • Innovators of the Year (Individual)
  • New Law Company of the Year (alternative legal service providers working for technology companies)
  • Innovations in Pro Bono
  • Innovations in Diversity and Inclusion
  • Championing Diversity in Tech
  • Lifetime Achievement

Additional categories recognizing vendors (fee required) and courts may be found here.

What are the judges looking for?

In short, the judges are seeking “concrete, and preferably measurable, ways” in which the lawyers or professionals contributed to the success of his or her company, the advancement of diversity and inclusion, or the expansion of access to pro bono legal services.” Nominations must focus on “precedent-setting” or “game-changing” projects or initiatives in the U.S.

The 2021 winners were recognized for spearheading a range of initiatives, including the creative use of artificial intelligence to streamline contract approvals, the development of a cutting edge case management system to increase productivity, and the innovative use of technology to enhance the advancement and mentorship of women and minority lawyers.

What is the submission process?

Nominations must be made via ALM’s online portal and submission questions vary depending on the award category. For example, questions for the In-house “Innovations in Pro Bono” category include:

  • Project / Initiative: Define the project or initiative’s scope. Include timelines, goals and team members. Nominations may focus on a particular stage of a long-term project. (250 words)
  • Execution: Describe how the matter or project was carried out for the client. How successful was the implementation? Was it within budget and delivered in time? What have been its benefits? Provide hard evidence that goals have, or are being, achieved. (450 words)
  • Reference: Provide a written reference that illustrates the success of the project and team. (100 words)
  • Q&A: What are some of the biggest challenges the team / individual faced in the past year and how did they overcome them? (200 words)
  • Q&A: How would you rate the current legal system drive towards encouraging access to justice? Is there tangible movement in closing the justice gap? (200 words)
  • Q&A: What role do you believe technology will play in the future of pro bono and access to justice work? (200 words)

Supplemental materials such as photos, PDF files, YouTube or Vimeo videos and website links may also be submitted. However, additional written material will not be considered by judges.

Demonstrating the range in essay questions required, submissions for the in-house “Lifetime Achievement” category include:

  • Description of Role: Describe your role, number of years of experience and areas of responsibility (100 words)
  • Achievements: How have you excelled in your role? Provide evidence of your leadership ability, strategic vision, troubleshooting and legal skills, client satisfaction and contribution to the success of the business and the wider community. (600 words)
  • Reference: Provide one short written reference from inside or outside the firm / organization for an on-the-record conversation about the nominee’s legal work and accomplishments. Provide the name and title of the person providing the reference. (100 words)
  • Lifetime Achievement Essay: Describe why the nominee deserves to be nominated for this honor. Include career highlights and achievements. (600 words)
  • Upload nominee headshot

It’s important to note that if selected, certain responses provided in the submission form may be published in the awards supplement, and therefore, must be attributed to one or two individuals. Interviews with the nominee and / or references may be requested.

Nominations are due October 18, 2021, and winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony during Legalweek New York on February 2, 2022.

Up Next

Other prominent national recognitions that focus on legal departments and / or feature client collaborations that we will watch and report on for you include awards from The American Lawyer, the Association of Corporate Counsel and Chambers among others.

Our Poston Content team watches for the many awards that law firms regularly pursue and has a winning track record of successes. To learn more, visit our website at www.postoncommunications.com or contact us today.

0 Comments

Recent Posts
  • Poston Adds Award Winning PR Professional to Growing Team
  • House of Content Horrors: Content Writing That Will “Scare” Off Your SEO
  • House of Content Horrors: Five “Deadliest” Legal Marketing Content Boo-Boos
  • House of Content Horrors: The Spooky Font that Haunts Our Nightmares – Hellvetica
  • How to Create Social Media Content in Support of Your Business Goals
Archives
  • December 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2016

We’re Here to Help: Four Keys to Improving Your Chambers Submissions

Previous thumb

Client Alert Checklist: How to Write Content That Adds Value

Next thumb
Scroll

What We Do

  • Services
  • Industries
  • Results
  • Blog

Who We Are

  • Our Team
  • Community Involvement
  • Mission and Values

Poston Communications is a public relations agency focused on professional services companies including law, accounting, architecture, associations, construction, engineering, financial services, health care, human resources, interior design, investment banking, management consulting, real estate, recruiting, technology and venture capital.

404-875-3400 | [email protected]

  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy

©2022 Poston Communications LLC - All rights reserved