The deadline for all third-party nominations for the Irish Law Awards has now been extended to Wednesday, 1 September, the same day as self-nominations.

The full list of categories can be found here.

Nomination submissions should not exceed 1,000 words, the organisers say, and should remain category-specific, detailing precise and concise reasons why the firm of solicitors, individual solicitor, or team of solicitors or lawyers or service provider, should receive the relevant award.

If, in the opinion of the judges, there are not sufficient entries in a specific category, the judges may withdraw that category from the awards.

Judges’ decisions are final. The awards ceremony will take place on 26 November, at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin 4.

All nominations submitted for the postponed 2020 awards will also be valid, and judged this year.

2021 categories

• International Law Firm (Ireland) of the Year,
• Law Firm Website of the Year,
• BID Manager of the Year,
• Corporate/ Commercial Law Team/Lawyer of the Year,
• Criminal Law Firm/Lawyer of the Year,
• Diversity and Inclusion Law Firm of the Year,
• Employment Law Firm/Lawyer of the Year (regional and national),
• Excellence and Innovation in Client Service (regional and national),
• Excellence in Marketing and Communications,
• Family Law Firm/Team/Lawyer of the Year (regional and national),
• In-House (Non-Civil Service/Public Sector) Legal Team/Lawyer of the Year,
• Irish Language Practitioner of The Year,
• Lawyer of The Year (regional and national),
• Law Book of the Year,
• Law Firm Innovation Award,
• Law Firm of the Year (regional and national),
• Law School of The Year,
• Law Student of the Year,
• Legal Executive of the Year,
• Lifetime Achievement Award,
• Litigation Law Firm/Lawyer of the Year (regional and national),
• Personal Injury/Medical Negligence Law Firm/Lawyer of the Year,
• Property Law Firm Team/Lawyer of the Year (regional and national),
• Probate Law Firm/Team/Lawyer of the Year,
• Pro Bono/Community Law Firm/Lawyer of The Year,
• Public Sector in House Legal Team/Lawyer of the Year,
• Service Provider to the Legal Profession,
• Sole Practitioner of the Year Award (regional and national),
• Sole Principal of the Year (regional and national),
• Special Merit Award,
• Aviation Leasing Lawyer/Legal Team of the Year,
• Technology Media & Telecommunications Law Firm / Team / Lawyer of the Year,
• Sports Lawyer of the Year.

Judges 

The judging panel includes:

• Richard Hammond SC (partner Hammond Good, Mallow, County Cork),
• Christopher Callan (solicitor and partner, Callan Tansey Solicitors),
• Bart Daly (Frontier Legal Research Ltd),
• Arran Dowling-Hussey (barrister, arbitrator, adjudicator and mediator),
• Jo Fitzpatrick BCL Dip PT (principal at JP Fitzpatrick and Company Solicitors),
• Stuart Gilhooly SC (past president Law Society),
• Eamonn Kennedy (former director of legal affairs, RTÉ, now legal counsel IBEC),
• Martin Lawlor (general practitioner and managing partner of Coghlan Kelly, New Ross),
• Rosemarie Loftus (joint managing partner, Bourke, Carrigg & Loftus, Co Mayo),
• Conor MacGuill (Conor MacGuill Solicitors, Dundalk, Co Louth),
• Sonia McEntee (practising solicitor and principal of Sonia McEntee Solicitors),
• Brian McMullin (solicitor and principal, Brian J McMullin Solicitors),
• Henry Murdoch (barrister and writer),
• Anne Neary (solicitor and management consultant),
• Kevin O’Higgins (principal, Kevin O’Higgins Solicitors, past president Law Society),
• Michael V O’Mahony (solicitor and Notary Public, past president Law Society),
• Adrian Shanley (partner, Shanley Solicitors),
• Gemma Stack (solicitor),
• Keith Walsh SC (principal, Keith Walsh Solicitors).