Please remember to log into the awards portal for the full questionnaire. The category descriptions here are a summary of the requirements, and they may be additional fields in the nomination form. In addition, there will be a Q&A for most categories that will be published if the nominee is selected. Please log into the awardsforce portal for the full questionnaire.
Confidential information may be admitted but they must be clearly marked, please note that we do not publish confidential information but that firms submit confidential information at their own discretion. Submissions with a large amount of confidential information might not be considered as competitive.
The ideal candidate will have made his or her mark on the profession, and in the law, with an achievement in the past year that goes beyond service to the client. Attorney must be a practicing lawyer in California. We will be awarding attorneys in various practice areas.
- Tech
- Life Sciences & Health Care
- Entertainment
- Emerging Issues or Industries
- Energy
- Regulatory
- Intellectual Property
- Antitrust
- Financial Services
- Securities
- White Collar/Investigations
Essay
Send a brief letter (up to 500 words) introducing the candidate, and explaining why the nominee made the greatest impact of all during the year.
Open to Attorneys at Law Firms of ANY Size in California
The Dealmaker of the Year awards highlight major transactions in California in areas other than real estate. Areas can include, but aren’t limited to, corporate, M&A, venture capital, bankruptcy, and tax. Quantity or dollar volume are not the only criteria. These dealmakers get repeat business for how they achieve their clients’ goals so that both sides sign on the dotted lines. To qualify, the bulk of the work nominated for recognition should be completed in 2024. A nomination essay of 300 to 500 words will be required.
We’re looking to honor leaders who have implemented major achievements in the last year, such as leading their firms to record revenue, spearheading large-scale office relocations, implementing new programs or technology and being at the forefront of significant pro bono matters, etc.
Essay (500-word limit): Write an essay of no more than 500 words describing why the nominee should be selected. Describe the accomplishments during the last year that qualify the nominee for an award in this category.
Who are the lawyers taking on the biggest names and issues in the entertainment industry? The ideal candidate will be leading the matters that are shaping the future of entertainment. Attorney must be a practicing lawyer in California.
Tell us in 800 words or less about initiatives led by your firm or company that had environmental, social and governance impact. We’re looking for initiatives with external impact, rather than internal initiatives within the organization. Explain how these initiatives represent the cutting-edge of ESG work.
Recognizing successful partnerships between legal industry players that advance women attorneys, lawyers of color and other underrepresented groups. Nominees can be individual firms or companies, or collaborative efforts among groups. We’re not just looking for initiatives, but rather looking for meaningful impact and concrete results in the legal community.
Tell us in 800 words or less about the diversity and inclusion initiative including the underlying problem that sparked the initiative, the goals and objectives, any outside partners who have participated, and any measurable outcomes. Explain how these successes have changed your business.
The ideal candidate is leading legal matters that are breaking new ground in IP law and shaping the world around us through their work to protect creativity and innovation in areas such as IP litigation, patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Nominees must be practicing lawyers in California.
This prestigious award is selected by our editorial staff. To be considered, firms must submit to at least three of these categories: Tech Industry Litigation Department of the Year, Tech Industry Advisory Team of the Year; Lawyers on the Fast Track; Distinguished Leaders; Lifetime Achievement; or Diversity Impact.
This year, we are tallying up awards for two firms in this category—one large firm and one from the mid-market (fewer than 200 attorneys firmwide). No additional essay is required to be considered for this category.
Lawyers on the Fast Track (under 40)
Open to Lawyers in California Under Age 40 by the Submission Deadline
Each year, we celebrate the next generation of legal leaders by honoring Lawyers on the Fast Track. The nominee must base his or her practice in California. Completed nomination forms will be evaluated by an impartial judging panel, made up of members of the California legal community. Those nominees receiving the highest composite scores from all the panelists will be our Lawyers on the Fast Track.
- Appellate
- Corporate
- General Litigation
- Insurance
- Intellectual Property
- Labor and Employment
- Personal Injury
- Products Liability/Mass Torts
- Restructuring/Bankruptcy
- Other Practice Area
Essay
Please submit a 300-500 word nomination essay on why this nominee deserves this recognition. You may copy/paste the essay here, or attach a Word or PDF file in the Attachments section. If you're attaching a file, please write "file upload" in this section.
Open to Anyone in the California legal community
The winner of the Lifetime Achievement award honors a person whose work over the course of a notable legal career has made a significant impact on the practice of law in California. Nominees may come from all corners of the legal profession, not only firm founders, but jurists, office holders or anyone else who has left a lasting imprint on the course of law in California. A nomination essay of 300 to 500 words will be required.
Nominees can enter as mentor separately, or can enter as a pair (both mentor and mentee) in a nomination.
Mentor Essay
Tell us 800 words or less the impact that this mentor has made on attorneys at the start of their careers, and in the legal profession. Describe their mentorship approach.
Mentee Essay (Optional)
Tell us in 500 words or less the impact that this mentor has made on your career.
Open to Anyone in California with 1-3 years of experience as an attorney
This award honors an individual in their first years as an attorney who has shown exceptional potential, work ethic, and legal acumen. We’re looking to recognize newly qualified lawyers who have made a major impact on their businesses, demonstrating the qualities necessary for them to quickly climb the career ladder. Nominations should demonstrate examples of leadership potential, initiative, contributions to the community, and any notable talents. A nomination essay of 300 to 500 words will be required.
These are the leaders of California offices who seem to do it all—they balance their caseloads with management of their firm’s day-to-day affairs while keeping an eye on the firm’s long-term strategic vision. To be considered for the honor, these outstanding leaders must be based in California.
Essay: Tell us in 500 words or less why the nominee deserves to win in this category.
The ideal candidate is not just handling the biggest real estate deals and matters but also represents clients that embody the future of real estate. Attorney must be a practicing lawyer in California.
Essay: Tell us in 500 words or less why the nominee deserves to win in this category.
Open to law firms of all sizes and locations, but only submit for consideration engagements in which the lead or co-lead partner is based in California. Contest period is Jan. 1, 2024 through current date; submit only those matters in which the client’s objective was achieved in that time frame. We will ask for you to answer the following questions:
- Identify up to three matters that best demonstrate the breadth, depth, scope and success of the firm’s corporate practice. (1200 word limit total) Briefly describe the nature of the assignment, including the name of the client, why the matter was challenging, why it was important to the client, and what your firm did that went beyond the ordinary (200-400 words each matter).
- Identify the one or two partners who led the matter and their location.
- Provide the name and contact info for a client representative.
- Tell us why your practice stands above its peers — what is it that your most loyal clients like most about you? (100 words max)
Open to litigation departments and lawyers from law firms of all sizes and locations, but only those matters where the lead or co-lead partner is based in California can be submitted for consideration. Submit only those matters where the client’s objective was substantially achieved between Jan. 1, 2024 and the current date.
- Antitrust Law
- Privacy/Cybersecurity
- Class Actions/Mass Torts
- Commercial Litigation
- Securities
- Employment/Labor
- Environmental Litigation
- Environmental, Social, and Governance
- Investigations/White Collar Defense
- Intellectual Property
- State/Local Government Enforcement Litigation
Identify the client (you can designate this confidential and it won't be published) and any in- house lawyers who played a pivotal role in the matter. Identify the one or two partners who led the matter and their location.
Essay:
- Briefly describe the nature of the assignment, including why it was challenging, how you achieved the results you did, and what your firm did that went beyond the ordinary (200 words max).
For those firms/companies who have revolutionized their business to stay one step ahead of the current and future forces shaping the legal industry. Tell us in 800 words or less about how your organization has transformed your business in recent years in response to world events or changing demands from clients and talent. This could include new business opportunities, workplace/compensation models or other cultural changes. This award is for law firms who buck tradition and take risks to predict evolutions in the delivery of legal services.
Who are the women lawyers handling game-changing, law-shaping, market moving work in and around the tech sector? We will continue our annual tradition of celebrating the Women Leaders in Tech Law focusing on the top women attorneys whose recent achievements have contributed to progress at technology companies and in the law. We’re interested in honoring lawyers who are go-to attorneys for Big Tech or the next groundbreaking tech startups. Women Leaders in Tech Law help forge pathways for all women attorneys in the tech industry.
Requirements include an essay plus a color headshot of the nominee. There is also a Q&A that will be published if the nominee is selected.
- Litigation
- Intellectual Property
- Regulatory
- Corporate/Transactions
Essay (800-word limit):
- Tell us what makes the nominee stand out as a leader in tech law. Include specific examples of engagements, outcomes and achievements. Include links to news coverage or other information that will support the nomination.
- What is this nominee’s single biggest achievement in tech law from January 1, 2024 to the current date?
- Tell us what makes the nominee stand out as a leader in tech law on new and emerging legal issues, industries or technologies. Help us understand why the legal issue is novel and why the industry or technology might be disruptive.