AWARD CATEGORIES AND eNTRY fORMS
ENTRY DEADLINE: 14 April 2025 | 11:59 PM Gulf Standard Time
Note:
- Use a separate entry form for each category.
- There is no limit to the number of categories in which a candidate may submit an entry.
- Email completed entry forms in pdf format to MElegalawards@lexisnexis.com.
General Counsel of the Year (Large Team)
Open to non-government General Counsel, Heads of Legal or persons holding an equivalent title within the GCC who leads a legal team of at least six lawyers.
General Counsel working in government ministries, agencies, and other non-commercial State entities should submit an entry for Government Lawyer of the Year. Sole in-house lawyers should enter the Legal Counsel of the Year category.
Candidates will need to show how their leadership from January 2024 to the present has allowed their department to deliver an exceptional level of legal services to the company and enhanced the company’s performance.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Strategic vision
- Team leadership
- Legal expertise and innovation
- A broad range of in-house responsibilities
- Efficient and effective troubleshooting
- Overall contribution to the success of the business in 2024-25
General Counsel of the Year (Small Team)
Open to non-government General Counsel, Heads of Legal or persons holding an equivalent title within the GCC who leads a legal team of at least six lawyers.
General Counsel working in government ministries, agencies, and other non-commercial State entities should submit an entry for Government Lawyer of the Year. Sole in-house lawyers should enter the Legal Counsel of the Year category.
Candidates will need to show how their leadership from January 2024 to the present has allowed their department to deliver an exceptional level of legal services to the company and enhanced the organisation’s performance.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Strategic vision
- Team leadership
- Legal expertise and innovation
- Ability to take on a broad range of in-house responsibilities
- Effective and efficient troubleshooting
- Overall contribution to the success of the business in 2024-25
Legal Counsel of the Year
Open to non-government Legal Counsel based in a GCC country, including sole in-house lawyers.
Candidates will need to show how their work from January 2024 to the present has allowed their legal department to deliver an exceptional level of legal services to the company and enhanced the company’s performance.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise in complex areas of the law
- Work on a range of in-house legal work
- Work ethic and initiative
- Overall contribution to the success of the legal department in 2024-25
Government Lawyer of the Year
Open to lawyers working for a government ministry, agency or other non-commercial State entity in a GCC country.
Candidates will need to show how their work from January 2024 to the present has allowed their legal department to deliver an exceptional level of legal services to organisation and enhanced its legislative, policy and/or compliance objectives.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- Contribution to the development of policy and/or legislative instruments
- Innovative and effective compliance work and initiatives
- Contribution to achieving the strategic objectives of the government ministry, agency or other State entity in 2024-25
In-House Team of the Year
Open to in-house legal departments of commercial entities in the GCC. Legal departments of in government ministries, agencies, and other non-commercial State entities should submit an entry for Government Legal Team of the Year.
Candidates will need to show how their legal team has delivered an exceptional level of legal services to their organisation and helped their organisation meet its objectives in 2024-25.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal expertise and innovation
- Strategic vision
- Teamwork
- Career development for lawyers
- The legal department’s contribution to the success of the business in 2024-25
Government Legal Team of the Year
Open to legal departments in government ministries, agencies, and other non-commercial State entities in a GCC country.
Candidates will need to show how their legal team has delivered an exceptional level of legal services to their organisation and helped their organisation meet its legislative, policy and/or compliance objectives.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- The legal department’s contribution to the development of legal policy and/or legislative instruments
- The legal department’s contribution to compliance initiatives
- The legal department’s contribution to achieving the strategic objectives of the government ministry, agency or other State entity in 2024-25
Best Workplace for Lawyers (In-house)
Open to in-house legal departments in the GCC (private and public sector).
This award will recognise the legal department that, in addition to its competitive remuneration package, has demonstrated the strongest commitment to a work environment that supports its lawyers’ career development as well as a healthy balance between work pressures and home life.
Best Workplace for Lawyers (Law Firm)
This award will recognise the legal department that, in addition to its competitive remuneration package, has demonstrated the strongest commitment to a work environment that supports its lawyers’ career development as well as a healthy balance between work pressures and home life.
Law Firm of the Year (GCC, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates)
Open to law firms with an office in the GCC.
A Law Firm of the Year award will be presented for each GCC Country and for the GCC.
Indicate on the entry form for which country you would like to be considered or if this is an entry for GCC Law Firm of the Year.
Please note:
- A separate entry should be submitted for each country for which you would like the firm to be considered and for GCC Law Firm of the Year.
- There is no requirement to submit an entry for a country Law Firm of the Year award if you would like to be considered for GCC Law Firm of the Year only.
Candidates will need to show how, in the period from January 2024 to the present, they have stood out from the competition in their jurisdiction (or in the GCC for the GCC Law Firm of the Year) and have been a trailblazer and market leader in a highly competitive legal market.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Strategic vision
- Successful deals, cases and other matters
- New business winnings
- Client support initiatives
- Efficiency initiatives
- Practice expansion and recruitment
- Revenue growth
- Continuing Legal Education initiatives
Trial Advocacy Excellence Award
Open to law firms headquartered in the GCC. Entries from law firms headquartered outside the GCC will not be considered.
The award aims to recognise a law firm whose lawyers have demonstrated excellence as trial lawyers before first instance State courts in the GCC.
Candidates will need demonstrate exceptional trial skills, including in case preparation, client relations, litigation strategy and courtroom practice.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal expertise and innovation
- Exceptional trial lawyer skills, including in litigation strategy, case preparation, client relations, and courtroom practice
- A successful outcome for the client.
Please note that appellate cases do not count for this award.
Arbitration Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
Entries for this award should focus on a single stand-out arbitration dispute worked on in 2024-25.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Exceptional case preparation, strategy, client relations, and practice and advocacy during arbitration proceedings
- Legal expertise and innovation
- The importance of the dispute
- Client satisfaction
Banking & Finance Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
Entries for this award should focus on a single banking & finance deal worked on in 2024-2025.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- Exceptional strategy and innovation in getting the deal done
- Project management skills
- Legal, regulatory or other importance of the deal
- Client satisfaction
Construction Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
Entries for this award should focus on a single construction project worked on in 2024-25.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- Exceptional strategy and innovation in getting the deal done
- Project management skills
- Legal, regulatory or other importance of the deal
- Client satisfaction
Corporate-Commercial Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
Entries for this award should focus on a single corporate or commercial deal or other matter worked on in 2024-25.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- Exceptional strategy and innovation in getting the deal done
- Project management skills
- Legal, regulatory or other importance of the deal
- Client satisfaction
Employment Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
Entries for this award should focus on a single employment case or matter worked on in 2024-25.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Exceptional management of the matter considering its complexity, including background context, legal and regulatory complexity, and client
- Legal expertise, innovation, and strategy in bringing the matter to a conclusion
- Importance of the matter for employment law in the country or region
- Client satisfaction
Commercial Litigation Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
This award will go to a law firm which has shown excellence in a commercial litigation matter worked on in 2024-25.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Exceptional case preparation, strategy, client relations, and courtroom practice and advocacy
- Legal expertise and innovation
- Legal or other importance of the dispute
- Client satisfaction
Maritime & Transport Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
Entries for this award should focus on a single maritime law matter worked on in 2024-25. This includes shipping and other transport contracts, marine insurance, marine accidents, shipping disputes, and environmental regulations related to the maritime industry.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Exceptional management of the matter considering its complexity, including background context, legal and regulatory complexity, and client
- Legal expertise, innovation, and strategy in bringing the matter to a conclusion
- Legal or other Importance of the matter
- Client satisfaction
Energy & Infrastructure Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
Entries for this award should focus on a single construction, oil & gas, or infrastructure project worked on in 2024-25.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- Exceptional strategy and innovation in getting the deal done
- Project management skills
- Legal, regulatory or other importance of the deal
- Client satisfaction
Real Estate Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
Entries for this award should focus on a single real estate deal worked on in 2024-2025.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- Exceptional strategy and innovation in getting the deal done
- Project management skills
- Legal, regulatory or other importance of the deal
- Client satisfaction
Tax Team of the Year
This award will be presented to a law firm in the GCC, Egypt, Jordan, or Lebanon demonstrating outstanding performance in the field of tax law in 2023/24. Entries for this award should focus *on a single tax dispute or other tax matter* worked on in 2024-25.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- Exceptional strategy and innovation in resolving the case or other matter
- Legal, regulatory or other importance of the case or other matter
- Client satisfaction
Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT) Team of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC.
Entries for this award should focus on a single technology, media or telecom law matter worked on in 2024-25.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- Exceptional strategy and innovation in bringing the matter to a conclusion
- Importance of the matter in the current legal landscape
- Outcome for your client
Managing Partner of the Year
Open to Managing Partners of a law firm or law firm office in the GCC.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Outstanding strategic thinking
- Leadership
- Communications skills
- Winning new business
- Client support
- Success and growth of the business in 2024-25
Senior Associate of the Year
Open to associates employed in a law firm in a GCC country who have between 6 and 10 years’ experience as a lawyer or legal consultant.
This includes all time working as “Associate” in a law firm or as in-house counsel for a company or other organisation – including any “stub” period when the candidate was not yet admitted to the bar – but does not include time worked as a trainee, articling student, legal assistant, or paralegal. This category is not open to partners, of counsel, counsel, or legal directors. Only one entry per law firm.
Candidates will need to show that they are the partners of tomorrow.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Dependability in a lead associate role on matters
- Key client relationships
- Legal expertise and innovation in the candidate’s practice area
- Outstanding file management skills
- Leadership potential
Rising Star of the Year
Open to associates employed in a law firm in a GCC country who have practised as a lawyer or legal consultant for less than four years.
This includes all time working as “Associate” in a law firm or as in-house counsel for a company or other organisation– including any “stub” period when the candidate was not yet admitted to the bar – but does not include time worked as a trainee, articling student, legal assistant, or paralegal. Only one entry per law firm.
Candidates will need to show that they are the firm’s future lead associates.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Legal and technical expertise
- An exceptional work ethic
- Initiative
- An exceptional contribution to the success of the matters the candidate has worked on
AI Legal Innovator of the Year
Open to law firms with one or more offices in the GCC and to in-house legal departments in the GCC.
Candidates need to show how through innovation and AI, introduced new and improved ways of providing legal services or new working practices that are influencing the future of law and practice.
Judges will be looking for evidence of original AI concepts that improve the speed and quality of legal services.
Arbitrator of the Year
Open to arbitrators who are resident in a GCC country.
This award recognises superior performance by an arbitrator in domestic or international disputes.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Superior legal and technical expertise
- Contribution to the development of arbitration in the region
- Added value for clients
Independent Expert of the Year
Open to independent experts and independent expert firms based in the GCC.
This award recognises superior performance by an expert or expert firm in domestic or international disputes.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- Superior technical expertise
- Contribution to expert evidence and the administration of justice in the region
- Added value for clients.
Corporate Service Provider of the Year
Open to corporate service providers with one or more offices in the GCC. Please note that this category is not open to law firms.
Judges will be looking for evidence of:
- A full range of corporate services available to clients
- Technical expertise
- Exceptional troubleshooting and problem-solving capacity
- Exceptional customer service.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact:
Malini Dean
Events Manager
Email ID: malini.dean@lexisnexis.com
Contact No.: +971 58 8249821