Categories Open for Nominations

ALM's Elite Trial Lawyers has recognized U.S. based law firms that have performed exemplary and cutting-edge work on behalf of plaintiffs since 2015. The 2023 program seeks nominations in the following areas of law:

  • Antitrust
  • Business Torts
  • Catastrophic Injury
  • Civil Rights
  • Class Action
  • Consumer Protection
  • Disability Rights
  • Discrimination (including Employment)
  • Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar
  • Employment Rights
  • Environmental Protection (including Energy and Sustainability)
  • Governmental Representation
  • Insurance
  • Mass Torts
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Pharmaceutical Litigation
  • Privacy/Data Breach
  • Products Liability
  • Securities Litigation / Shareholder Rights
  • Technology
  • Trial Strategy Innovation (demonstrate how your firm evolved an area of law, the way courts or companies operate or how cases are tried.)

Specialty Awards

The Keith Givens Visionary Award
This award honors a member of the bar who has shown extraordinary creativity in bringing the legal industry together, developing new opportunities for business growth, and supporting the professional development of attorneys across the country. 500 word essay.

Lifetime Achievement Award
This award honors members of the plaintiffs bar whose career and service have made an indelible mark on their community, their clients, and/or the practice or business of law. 500 word essay.

Rising Stars of the Plaintiffs Bar
We will honor a select group of young lawyers who are up-and-comers in the plaintiffs bar, already demonstrating their litigation prowess, service to the community, and/or impact on their firm. 300 word essay.

Diversity Initiative Award
This award will honor the plaintiffs firm that demonstrates a concerted and successful effort to promote diversity within its organization or the profession at large. Clear examples, an explanation of the strategy or program, and any supporting data should be included in the submission. 500 word essay.
 

Plaintiff Law Firm of the Year

Desciption
This award will honor the plaintiffs firm that demonstrates a concerted and successful effort to promote diversity within its organization or the profession at large. Clear examples, an explanation of the strategy or program, and any supporting data should be included in the submission. 500 word essay.

Materials required
A document briefly describing why the firm had such a successful year (no more than 500 words for the essay portion). Also include up to 3-6 examples of client matters (across any practice area) that demonstrate the firm’s prowess in its service offerings and ability to handle its clients’ most serious issues. Explain why the matters were so impactful. Additionally, include evidence of how the firm made strides in an area not related to their practice (see award description above). Any data to support the submission criteria is encouraged. Please log into the awards portal to view all questions.

 

Enter here

If you start your nominations now you will receive notifications so you don't forget the deadline! You can also go in just to check out the form and complete at a later date (as long as it's submitted before the deadline).

Criteria

Potential nominees should have scored at least one significant plaintiffs win between January 1, 2022 and January 1, 2023, and possess an impressive track record of wins within the past three to five years. A “significant win” means prevailing in a bench or jury trial or in a major settlement in which the stakes are high—for example, a substantial amount of money is on the line or the outcome could affect litigation strategy or the results in similar cases nationally.

To be eligible for this list, firms should devote at least 50% of their litigation resources to plaintiffs work.

Among the criteria that we may use to evaluate firms and/or lawyers:
  • Performance in significant cases, including key rulings, victories at trial, and settlements
  • Verdict dollar amount, size of punitive damages penalties, cash settlements
  • Complexity of procedure and substantive law
  • Duration of case, and/or number of class members
  • Willingness to take on large cases and to persevere in the face of adversity
  • Volume of cases handled in a particular time period (sum of accumulated verdicts or settlements)
  • The novelty of claim, cause of action, or theory of recovery
  • Impact – litigation results that changed a government, business practice (for instance, the way that credit card fees are handled; or the pricing structure in a particular industry)
  • Feedback or acknowledgment from the bench
  • Firm size in relation to impact or recovery amount
  • Each result must reflect achievements by lawyers practicing at your firm; do not submit wins by lateral hires while at their old firms.
  • Please do not submit appellate victories. They do not count for this survey.
  • Unless otherwise marked, all information submitted will be considered on-the-record.
*Some critical notes to consider:
  • Confidential information: All information submitted will be considered on the record and included in our selection process. Please, do not submit confidential information, including client names or client matters.
  • How does ETL differ from Winning Litigators: Unlike National Law Journal's Winning Litigators, Elite Trial Lawyers exclusively spotlights plaintiffs lawyers’ achievements.


If you have a case you would like to submit, but it does not fit within any of the categories, please contact Pearl Wu.

Enter Here

If you start your nominations now you will receive notifications so you don't forget the deadline! You can also go in just to check out the form and complete at a later date (as long as it's submitted before the deadline).