To whom should I address questions about NLJ Awards?
Please reach out to Pearl Wu at pwu@alm.com.
I’m having issues submitting a nomination on the portal. Whom can I contact?
Please reach out to Pearl Wu at pwu@alm.com.
Is there a preferred time to send in questions on awards?
Great question. Our advice is to send in your questions early, preferably not right before the deadline. You'll need to give us at least 72 hours for a response via the biweekly FAQ dispatch. But why? Although we produce many packages in a given year, we actually have a small staff. Typically, we receive a lot of inquiries, not only related to awards, but on breaking and other news on a daily basis. But please send us your questions and we'll get back to you regularly each Tuesday and Friday via the FAQs.
Is there any flexibility on the word length specified in the instructions?
Short answer: No. As Polonius said, "brevity is the soul of wit." :-)
Longer answer: We receive thousands of submissions for our special reports each year and we have a small staff that reviews them. In the interest of time and collective fairness, we ask everyone to abide by the rules stated in the respective calls for nominations, knowing that every firm has the same word count. For added incentive, adherence to the rules is also one factor in our selection process.
Do the client references need to be connected to the work we’re providing as the significant win?
Ideally, the client references would be connected to the matter being submitted. But the call for nominations does allow for any client references.
When will finalists be contacted for a particular award?
While we don't announce these dates ahead of time, we can share that finalists will always be contacted shortly before the publication date for a particular award. Thus, no need to check in to see if we are going to reach out to your particular firm. See, we've saved you an email! :-)
If I cannot attend as an honoree, when will I get my award?
If you are unable to attend the ceremony, you can send someone in your place to accept on your behalf but you must notify us in advance.
Will you tell us if we've won ahead of time?
No. Every firm or attorney, depending on the award, is a "finalist" until the moment of publication.
When do you publish each month?
We publish monthly in print on the 1st of each month and online a few days before that. We publish daily news content and contributed content on a rolling basis.
When does a particular NLJ special report run?
Please consult the NLJ editorial calendar. Publication dates are listed on the left. You can find it here: https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/editorial-calendar/
How many cases should we include for Appellate Hot List?
Good question. So, this award isn't primarily based on the number of cases a firm successfully handles but on the quality. We look at the complexity of matters, the impact of their resolution and where applicable, their precedential value, among factors. Because we like to give every firm the chance to put their best advocacy feet forward, we don't limit the number of cases a firm can submit. But, given the high number of submissions we receive, and our wish to give each firm careful consideration, we would strongly advise you to focus on your strongest appellate wins. Usually, we don't think it will be necessary for firms to exceed twelve cases. Many recent winners have sent in less.
We sent in a good submission for a particular contest. Why wasn't my firm selected?
We receive many excellent submissions from firms for all of our contests. Each special report winner is selected after a thorough review process. If you didn't win a certain contest, keep in mind that firm competition is stiff, and increasingly so. It doesn't mean that anything was necessarily wrong with your submission. We advise you to keep trying! If you don't win this year, you may win next year, or even this year, for a different special report.
We would like to submit work that includes someone who left the firm. Is this okay?
Yes. Please indicate the work that was completed while the attorney was at the firm. If the work that was handled by the departing attorney has been taken over by another attorney at the firm, indicate that. If there is a continuing matter that was previously handled by the attorney and that work has left with the departing attorney, indicate that as well. Important note: A likely winning submission won't depend entirely on an attorney that has departed the firm. You should be able to present other relevant matters handled and completed by attorneys that still remain with the firm.
Is the Appellate Hot List for private firms only?
The appellate hot list has historically honored law firms with leading appellate practices.
I’d like to submit a nomination for Trailblazers. Whom can I contact with questions?
Please contact Maria Stojanovic at mstojanovic@alm.com for more information on Trailblazers.
I’d like to find out more about a research survey (AmLaw 200, NLJ 500, Pro Bono Scorecard, etc.). How can I do that?
For research surveys (AmLaw 200, NLJ 500, Pro Bono Scorecard, etc.), please contact Diane Walton dwalton@alm.com. You can also sign up for research survey notifications here: https://alm.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3QSPZSPv0ZmMoGV
Do you have a list of ALM editorial contests this year?
Please see the 2024 awards calendar here.