Note: These are descriptions of each category that will give you an idea of what each submission might entail. However, the descriptions do not include the full nomination form and questions. To view all nomination questions, please register for an account and log in. Click Start Entry and select your category to view all questions for that category.

The Appellate Hot List deadline is July 19. The deadline for all other categories is July 9.

The National Law Journal’s D.C. Rising Stars awards note the Washington, D.C. region’s 40 most promising lawyers age 40 and under as of July 9, 2021. Interested in submitting yourself or a colleague? Read on.

Geography:
To qualify for this awards program, lawyers must work in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Criteria:
We highlight lawyers who have wielded influence in their practice areas in the D.C. area and beyond. They should be innovators who: develop unique practice niches, secure wins for clients, cultivate robust books of business and demonstrate strong leadership qualities. Those qualities will be demonstrated by a combination of expertise in litigation or transactional work and significant community impact (displayed through sustained pro bono service and other public service.)

Deadline:
July 9, 2021.

To submit a nomination, please click here.

Submission Materials:
We ask that you provide the following:

  • Essay: An essay of no more than 500 words describing why the nominee should be selected. Please address these topics.
    • Describe the accomplishments during the last year that qualify the nominee for our list.
    • What makes the nominee stand out from his or her peers?
    • Describe how the nominee demonstrated leadership—in his or her practice, in the workplace and in the profession?
    • Describe how the nominee contributes to the community through pro bono legal services or other public service.
  • Biography: A 900-word biography of the nominee, including:
    • Employer and location of workplace
    • The nominee’s current employment title (as of May 4)
    • The nominee’s birthdate and age (as of May 4)
    • The nominee’s educational credentials
    • Legal work experience (including dates and employer names)
    • Other relevant information (awards, affiliations, significant publications)
  • Photo: A high-resolution color photo of the nominee. We cannot accept black-and-white photos or thumbnails.
  • References: Two brief reference notes from lawyers or clients who can speak to the nominee’s legal work and record of accomplishment. (350 words will suffice, but please don’t exceed 500 words for each note.)

The National Law Journal is seeking nominations for its annual special section, “Winning Litigators: Profiles of Successful Attorneys and Their Strategies.” Nominees should have at least one significant win in a jury or bench trial between Jan. 1, 2020, and June 1, 2021. “Significant” wins include prevailing when substantial damages were at stake, setting a legal precedent or overcoming an unfriendly jurisdiction.

The nomination deadline is July 9, 2021.

Please limit each submission to 800 words. Firms should not send more than two submissions for this contest, and each submission should focus on one litigator (or a maximum of two litigators, if they co-led the case/matter). Please provide two client references with phone and email for each submission.

The winners will be profiled in an upcoming issue of The National Law Journal, and honored at The National Law Journal awards dinner on November 5 in Washington, D.C. For more information on the awards event, please visit The National Law Journal Legal Awards site. If you have any questions, please contact Pearl Wu at pwu@alm.com.

The National Law Journal seeks nominations for the 2021 Pro Bono Hot List. This list recognizes law firms that have led the way on access to justice.

Winning past submissions have included pro bono work with a broad policy, social or financial impact; work that required great time and sacrifice from lawyers and/or work that, because of their clients’ unpopularity, exposed lawyers to criticism.

To apply:

  • Please include a brief overview of the firm’s pro bono history and highlights and detailed descriptions of key pro bono matters resolved between Jan. 1, 2020, and Jan. 15, 2021.
  • Within these descriptions, please name the lawyers involved and describe the extent of their involvement on matters compared with co-counsel. (Example: Our firm handled roughly 70% of the work on this matter. Our co-counsel handled about 30% of the work.) On matters involving co-counsel, please include their names. Also include the names of opposing counsel and the names and contact information for at least two pro bono clients.
  • Word limit: Please limit nominations to no more than 1,800 words. Supporting documents on matters (news clips, etc.) do not count toward the word limit, but we ask that you please limit these supplemental materials to three pages.
  • Deadline: July 9, 2021.
     

To submit a nomination for Pro Bono Hot List, please click here. You will need to register for an account to access the form. If you have any questions, please contact Pearl Wu at pwu@alm.com.

The National Law Journal is now accepting nominations for its Washington D.C. Litigation Departments of the Year competition. The Litigation Departments of the Year competition is open to any law firm with an office in the D.C. metro area.

Overview: The competition has two distinct categories:

  • A contest to award the top department in general litigation and
  • A contest to determine the top specialty practice groups.
  • Submit matters led by lawyers from the D.C. metro area. Cases may include those filed or tried in a D.C.-area court and/or those filed or tried outside of the D.C. area (as long as they are led by lawyers from the D.C. area.)
  • Please fill out separate submissions for the general litigation and specialty practice contests.
  • We plan to name winners in each category, but depending on the entrant pool, we may have multiple winners or runners-up in one group and none in another.
  • The submission deadline for both branches of this competition is July 9, 2021
     

Details on Submission Materials
For each contest, we are asking you to submit:

  • An overview essay explaining why your firm should win. 900 words maximum.
  • A list of cases with brief descriptions of their significance. 1500 words maximum.
  • A brief description of three upcoming matters at your firm. 600 words maximum.

Client Matter Listing
Please describe up to 8 litigation results that demonstrate your department’s excellence. 1500 words maximum.

  • This list can and should include results obtained pre-trial, at trial or on appeal. It may include pro bono cases. Client matter results must have occurred between Jan. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2020.
  • Please rank your top 5 client matters in terms of importance. By importance, we mean both significance of the result for your client and contribution made by your lawyers. Note: You can rank all the cases if you like, but ranking is only required for the top 5.
  • Each result must have been achieved by lawyers while they were members of your firm based in your D.C. office. Do not include results achieved by lateral hires while they were working for another firm.
  • For each client matter result, please include the names of: 1) clients, 2) lead partners and 3) opposing counsel, as well as contact information for at least two clients per matter.
  • Descriptions of results should include specific dollar amounts where relevant, but should focus on why the result demonstrates the excellence of your department.
  • For each case, please include a case number and jurisdiction.
  • DO NOT SUBMIT CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: All information submitted will be considered on-the-record and included in the evaluation process.
  • If your client was represented by more than one firm, please specify your firm’s leadership role and estimate what percentage of client matter work your firm completed versus co-counsel.
  • In your submission, please include a firm contact to whom we may contact with questions.


Essay
Make the case for why your firm should win! 900 words maximum

  • Tell us why you should win. Factors we’re looking for are the importance and difficulty of the matters handled; the quality of opposing counsel; ingenuity and diligence.


Upcoming Matters
Include a brief description of three upcoming matters for your firm. 600 words maximum

Firm Stats and Client References
We’ll also request additional information on:

  • The size of your firm’s litigation department in D.C. and firmwide as of Dec. 31, 2020. (Please specify number of partners, associates and others).
  • The percentage of your entire firm represented by the litigation department in terms of lawyers.
  • Describe your firm’s biggest litigation loss in the past two years, with names of opposing counsel.


Questions?
Please contact Pearl Wu at Manager, Recognition Desk, Editorial at pwu@alm.com.

The specialty contest will award departments focused in each of five areas:

  1. Intellectual Property
  2. Products Liability/Mass Torts
  3. Labor and Employment
  4. Insurance and
  5. White Collar Defense
     

You may compete in more than one category. Note: Separate submissions will be expected for each.

Describe up to 5 litigation results that demonstrate your department’s excellence in this specialty. 1500 words maximum.

  • This list should include both trial and appellate work.
  • The results must have occurred between Jan. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2020.
  • Each result must have been achieved by lawyers while they were members of your firm based in your D.C. office. Do not include results achieved by lateral hires when they were working for a different firm.
  • For each result, please include the names of clients, lead partners and opposing counsel, as well as contact information for all involved whenever possible.
  • Descriptions of results should include specific dollar amounts where relevant, but should focus on why the result demonstrates the excellence of your department.
  • For each case, please include a case number and jurisdiction.
  • PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: All information submitted will be considered on-the-record and included in the evaluation process.
  • Note: If your client was represented by more than one firm, please specify your firm’s role.
  • In your submission, please name someone at your firm whom we may contact with questions.

Please submit additional information on:

  • The size of your firm’s litigation department in D.C. and firmwide as of Dec. 31, 2020. Please specify number of partners, associates and others.
  • The percentage of your entire firm represented by the litigation department in terms of lawyers.
  • Three to four client references per specialty practice area, including phone numbers or e-mail addresses.
  • Describe your firm’s biggest litigation loss in the past two years, with names of opposing counsel.
  • A brief description of three upcoming matters for your firm. 600 words maximum.
     

Write an essay explaining why your firm should be a finalist in this specialty area.

  • Essay should be no longer than 900 words.
  • Tell us why you should win. Factors we’re looking for include importance and difficulty of the matters handled; the quality of opposing counsel; ingenuity and diligence.


Questions?
Please contact Pearl Wu at Manager, Recognition Desk, Editorial at pwu@alm.com.

The National Law Journal is seeking nominations for our Lifetime Achievement Award. This award will honor an attorney’s career-long accomplishments and impact on the national legal community. Honorees will be recognized at the NLJ awards dinner in November in Washington, D.C.

Deadline for entries is July 9, 2021. Please contact Pearl Wu at pwu@alm.com if you have any questions.

Requirements

  • In a brief description (400 words or less), please summarize why you think this nominee deserves this award.
  • Please include a brief resume/bio (limit: 2 pages) of the nominee's career highlights.
  • Please include the names of two references, including one that is not in the nominee's law firm or company, who can speak to the candidate's impact.

This award recognizes chief legal officers who, through their effective leadership, had significant accomplishments in 2020. As just a few examples, such accomplishments may include growing the legal department’s head count or expanding the scope of its duties; significantly reducing legal spend or successfully completing a major undertaking such as a corporate merger or acquisition. We’re looking for dynamic leaders who have partnered with their companies and with their outside counsel to find ways to add value and to transform their legal departments from cost centers to business units. Nomination will require a 300-500 word nomination. Full nomination questions will be available on awards portal.

This award recognizes firms that have guided clients through government proceedings in Washington, D.C. This includes responding to federal investigations or enforcement actions launched by agencies such as the Department of Justice or the Securities and Exchange Commission, or preparing a client to provide testimony to Congress on a topic lawmakers are considering taking action on.

Appellate Hot List highlights law firms that have handled exemplary appellate matters. Potential nominees must be able to point to at least one significant appellate win since January 2020 and possess an impressive appellate track record overall. A “significant win” means prevailing before the U.S. Supreme Court, a federal appeals court, or a state court of last resort when an important legal principle was at stake or the stakes were high, financially or otherwise.

Nominations should include:
A short description of the firm’s overall appellate track record (800 words maximum) and the specific case or cases to be considered for the 2021 submission (5 pages maximum.) Please include an explanation of the firm’s contribution to particular cases (i.e. presented oral arguments, drafted briefs, contributed amici arguments cited by the court) relative to significant co-counsel; and a list of the principal attorneys on a case, with their contact information included.