2023 Law Awards

2023 ACT Law Award Categories

ACT Firm of the Year

The ACT Law Society’s ACT Firm of the Year Award is an annual award that recognises the outstanding efforts of local firms in contributing to access to justice, and to a diverse and healthy legal profession.At the discretion of the judging panel, only one award may be presented each year.

 

Firms may self-nominate for the ACT Firm of the Year, or be nominated by someone else (subject to the nominees’ consent).

Nominees will be judged based on achievement in one or more of the following areas:

• commitment to pro bono legal work in the ACT

• encouraging and developing a diverse and inclusive legal profession in the ACT

• supporting and encouraging the development and mentoring of young lawyers in the ACT

• providing wellbeing support to staff in the ACT

• contributing to the reputation of the legal profession in the ACT

• innovative use of technology in legal service delivery in the ACT.

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination, a firm must consist of:

• two or more practising lawyers who are current members of the ACT Law Society

• one or more principals who are current members of the ACT Law Society

A firm is ineligible for nomination if an employee is a judge of the award.

A person is ineligible for nomination if they are a judge of the award, a currently serving Councillor or staff member of

 

The judges of the award will be:

• the President of the ACT Law Society

• a Councillor of the ACT Law Society

• a former president of the ACT Law Society, invited by

the President

At the discretion of the judging panel, a Chair (or Chairs) of any ACT Law Society Committee may be invited to be an additional judge on this panel.The judges of this award must advise the ACT Law Society of any conflict with a nominee of the award they are judging, prior to the meeting of the judging panel. Judging panels may choose to approach additional nominees. They may also choose to seek further information from nominees, their referees, or the ACT Law Society’s professional standards staff.

 

The successful nominee will be determined by a consensus of the judging panel members. The judges may choose not to issue an award if they feel there are no suitable candidates nominated.  The judges’ decision is final.

Government Law Award 2023 (Joint award)

The Government Law Award recognises the outstanding achievements of practitioners working in government. The Award seeks to raise awareness of the activities of government law practitioners, and encourages government law practitioners to remain active participants in the legal profession in activities beyond their core employment duties.

 

Criteria

Nominees will be judged based on their achievement in one or more of the following areas:

• responsible for significant legal projects, litigation, drafting, or other work deserving of recognition

• providing education and developing awareness of legal issues in a Department or Agency

• providing leadership and innovation resulting in improved performance of a Department or Agency

• contribution to the community beyond their legal position, including pro bono work or legal support to community organisations or not-for-profits, or to the ACT Law Society or ACT Bar Association

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination, an individual must:

•have been admitted as a barrister or lawyer for a minimum of five years

•be a Government Law Practitioner

•be a current member of the ACT Bar Association or ACT Law Society

 

“Government Law Practitioner” (for the purpose of this award) means a person working in a legal role who is employed by an ACT or Commonwealth Government Department or Agency

 

A person is ineligible for nomination if they are a judge of the award, a currently serving Councillor or staff member of the ACT Bar Association.

 

Judging

The judges of the award will be:

• the President of the ACT Bar Association

• the President of the ACT Law Society

• Well respected and experienced government lawyer

 

The judges of this award must advise of any conflict with a nominee of the award they are judging, prior to the meeting of the judging panel. The successful nominee will be determined by a consensus of the judging panel members. The judges may choose not to issue an award if they feel there are no suitable candidates nominated. The judges’ decision is final.

New Lawyer of the Year

The ACT Law Society’s New Lawyer of the Year Award is an annual award that recognises the outstanding achievements of early career lawyers in the ACT. The Award seeks to encourage new lawyers to be active participants in the legal profession beyond their core employment duties, and to raise awareness of these activities.At the discretion of the judging panel, only one award may be presented each year.

 

Individuals may self-nominate for the New Lawyer of the Year, or be nominated by someone else (subject to the nominees’ consent).

Nominees will be judged based on achievement in one or more of the following areas:

• contribution to the legal profession, and/or to the ACT Law Society

• contribution to the community

• legal professional achievement

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination, a person must:

• be a New Lawyer; and

• be a current member of the ACT Law Society.

 

“New Lawyer” (for the purpose of this award) means a person admitted to legal practice in Australia for no more than five years at the nomination deadline. A person is ineligible for nomination if they are a judge of the award, a currently serving Councillor or staff member of

the ACT Law Society, or have previously won this award.

 

The judges of the award will be:

• the Patron of the New Lawyers Committee

• the President of the ACT Law Society

• the Chair of the Young Lawyers Committee

At the discretion of the judging panel, a Councillor of the ACT Law Society may be invited to be an additional judge on this panel. The judges of this award must advise the ACT Law Society of any conflict with a nominee of the award they are judging, prior to the meeting of the judging panel. Judging panels may choose to approach additional nominees. They may also choose to seek further information from nominees, their referees, or the ACT Law Society’s professional standards staff.

 

The successful nominee will be determined by a consensus of the judging panel members. The judges may choose not to issue an award if they feel there are no suitable candidates nominated.  The judges’ decision is final.

President’s Medal (ACT Bar Association)

The ACT Bar Association’s President’s Medal is an award, conferred at the discretion of the President of the ACT Bar Association, that recognises the exemplary professional contribution of an ACT barrister in one or more of the following areas:

•the administration of justice;

•the achievement and/or promotion of access to justice

•improvements in the law and/or in the administration of justice

•the promotion or defence of the rule of law and/or the public interest

•modelling of the high standards of professional ethical behaviour required of members of the Bar

•otherwise upholding the honour and integrity of the ACT Bar.

The President’s Medal may be conferred in recognition of a barrister’s conduct in a particular case, or generally.

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination, an individual must:

•have been admitted as an Australian lawyer for at least 5 years; and

•either currently hold, or in the past for a period of at least 5 years have held, an ACT Barrister’s Practising Certificate.

 

A person is ineligible for nomination if they are a judge of the award.

 

Judging

The judges of the award will be:

•the current President of the ACT Bar Association

•such other person or persons as may be appointed by the President to assist her/him with the process of judging the award.

 

The President’s Medal may be, but need not be, awarded annually.

 

The judges of the award must declare any conflict of interest arising in respect of a nominee of the award prior to any meeting of the judging panel.  The judges may at their discretion seek and obtain such further information and conduct such further inquiries as they see fit.

The successful nominee will be determined by consensus.  No award will be conferred if consensus cannot be reached or if the judges determine that there are no exemplary nominations for a particular year or if no nominations are received.  The judges’ decision is final.

President’s Medal (ACT Law Society)

The ACT Law Society’s President’s Medal is an annual award that recognises significant personal and professional contributions of a local legal practitioner to the improvement of law and justice in the community. This prestigious award is given to members who can be held up as outstanding examples to both the local profession and to those who might seek to join their ranks.

At the discretion of the judging panel, only one award may be presented each year

Nominees will be judged based on their personal and professional contribution demonstrating outstanding achievement in one or more of the following areas:

• improvement in community access to justice

• promotion or defence of the rule of law

• promotion or defence of the public interest

• improvement in legal policy or legislation which delivers significant benefits to the ACT community

• improvements in the administration of justice in the ACT

• significant service or support to ACT solicitors, and/or to the ACT Law Society

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination, an individual must:

• have been admitted as a lawyer for a minimum of five years

• practise in the ACT, or have practised for a substantial period in the ACT

• be of high standing in the ACT legal profession

• be a current member of the ACT Law Society.

 

A person is ineligible for nomination if they are a judge of the award, a currently serving Councillor or staff member of

 

The judges of the award will be:

• the current President of the ACT Law Society

• the Immediate Past President of the ACT Law Society

• the president preceeding the Immediate Past President.

 

The judges of this award must advise the ACT Law Society of any conflict with a nominee of the award they are judging, prior to the meeting of the judging panel.

 

Judging panels may choose to approach additional nominees. They may also choose to seek further information from nominees, their referees, or the ACT Law Society’s professional standards staff.

The successful nominee will be determined by a consensus of the judging panel members. The judges may choose not to issue an award if they feel there are no suitable candidates nominated.  The judges’ decision is final

Pro Bono Service Award 2023 (Joint Award)

The Pro Bono Service Award recognises the vital work done by individual practitioners in the ACT who volunteer their time and legal expertise to assist others within the community. This pro bono work is largely unacknowledged, but it provides an invaluable service to many disadvantaged members of our community, ensuring that access to justice is available to all.

 

Criteria

Nominees will be judged based on their achievement in one or more of the following areas:

• made an exceptional contribution to the ACT community through pro bono legal work

• advocated for or on behalf of socially or economically disadvantaged people in the ACT

• contributed to the protection of the public interest in the ACT

• made advancements to access to justice in the ACT.

 

Applications should include a summary of the nominee’s pro bono activities, provide information about those who benefitted from the work, and indicate the outcomes achieved.

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination, an individual must:

•have been admitted as a barrister or lawyer for a minimum of five years

•be a current member of the ACT Bar Association or ACT Law Society

 

A person is ineligible for nomination if they are a judge of the award, a currently serving Councillor or staff member of the ACT Bar Association.

 

Judging

The judges of the award will be:

• the President of the ACT Bar Association

• the President of the ACT Law Society

• The ACT Attorney General

 

The judges of this award must advise of any conflict with a nominee of the award they are judging, prior to the meeting of the judging panel. The successful nominee will be determined by a consensus of the judging panel members. The judges may choose not to issue an award if they feel there are no suitable candidates nominated. The judges’ decision is final.