Monday, 19 July 2021
One week left to nominate for ACT Law Awards
Help us celebrate the local lawyers who inspire you! Nominate an outstanding legal professional for the ACT Law Awards.
The ACT Law Society invites members to consider their peers, firms, and themselves, for nomination to the ACT Law Awards.
Nominations close at 5pm on Monday 26 July.
The winners of the 2021 ACT Law awards will be announced at our Annual Dinner & Awards Night at Pialligo Estate's Glasshouse on Friday 27 August 2021.
The awards are:
- The President’s Medal, recognising significant personal and professional contributions of a local legal practitioner to the improvement of law and justice in the community.
- The ACT Firm of the Year, recognising the efforts of local firms in contributing to access to justice, and to a diverse and healthy legal profession.
- The Pro Bono Service Award, recognising the vital community legal work done by individual practitioners.
- The Government Law Award, recognising the achievements of practitioners working in government.
- The Young Lawyer of the Year, recognising the achievements of early career lawyers.
Click here to download the full Rules and Nomination Forms for the 2021 ACT Law Awards
The President’s Medal
The President’s Medal recognises significant personal and professional contributions of a local legal practitioner to the improvement of law and justice in the ACT community. This may include achievements in community access to justice, promotion or defence of the rule of law, improvements in legal policy or legislation which delivers significant benefits to the ACT community, or significant service or support to ACT solicitors, and/or to the ACT Law Society.
The ACT Firm of the Year
The ACT Firm of the Year is a new annual award that recognises the outstanding efforts of local firms. Nominee firms will be judged on achievement in the ACT in areas such as commitment to pro bono legal work, encouraging and developing a diverse and inclusive legal profession, supporting and mentoring young lawyers, providing wellbeing support to staff, or innovative use of technology in legal service delivery.
The Pro Bono Service 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 includes lawyers who have made an exceptional contribution to the ACT community through pro bono legal work, advocated for or on behalf of socially or economically disadvantaged people, contributed to the protection of the public interest, or made advancements to access to justice in the ACT.
The Government Law Award
The Government Law Award recognises the outstanding achievements of practitioners working in government. This may include achievements such as significant legal projects, developing awareness of legal issues, providing leadership and innovation, or contributing to the community beyond their legal position.
The Young Lawyer of the Year
The Young Lawyer of the Year recognises the outstanding achievements of young lawyers in the ACT. The Award seeks to encourage young lawyers to be active participants in the legal profession beyond their core employment duties, and to raise awareness of these activities. Nominees are judged based on their contributions to the legal profession and/or to the ACT Law Society, their contributions to the ACT community, and their legal professional achievements.
The Trophies
Each year, the Law Society commissions a local artist to create a new and unique set of awards. In 2021, Canberra timber artist Clare Solomon has created “Represent / Advance / Defend” — using rescued timber from the old Supreme Court, three different species of reclaimed timber float off an acid etched steel panel on a timber base. The three pillars of timber represent the Law Society’s mission statement, which in part is to “Represent, advance, and defend the interests of an independent legal profession in the ACT.”
Nominations
Nominations for the President’s Medal must be put forward by a person other than the nominee. For all other awards, individuals (or firms, where relevant) may self-nominate, or be nominated by someone else (subject to the nominees’ consent).
Nominations for the 2021 ACT Law Awards close at 5pm on Monday 26 July.