Senior editorial members review current categories and emerging issues to ensure the categories we are selecting honor the most meaningful and industry-leading issues and work. Our awards are aimed at honoring the best the profession has to offer and those individuals and organizations who are taking the industry to the next level. We give great attention to our categories in order to meet those goals. We also set requirements for detailed data, metrics and examples that will help us ensure entrants are proving they meet those ideals.

 

ALM works to ensure its recognition awards honor the absolute best the profession has to offer, and the only way to do that is to ensure we are receiving submissions from all relevant nominees across an array of backgrounds, jurisdictions and organization type. We work with affinity bar groups and other associations to assure as broad a swath of the industry is aware of and participating in these recognitions.

 

Our global newsroom draws from decades of coverage of the market from which the submissions come. Senior leaders across our newsroom judge the entries, with those with the most relevant substantive expertise and knowledge of the geographic region coming together to review the submissions. Judges will discuss and debate entries and conduct external research where necessary to confirm information and create a complete picture of the work being judged. For certain awards, the judges will interview the finalists and call upon clients to verify information.

 

Certain categories and awards are assisted in their judging by an external panel of experts outside of ALM. These experts are knowledgeable in the field but also not in any way directly competing with the work being judged. We insist all judges announce any conflicts and exclude themselves from categories where they feel bias may occur.

 

Out of hundreds of submissions, a small percentage are selected as finalists and even fewer, of course, as winners. Our winners are honored at an awards ceremony meant to not only highlight their achievements but offer advice and inspiration to the next generation of leaders.