This year’s awards, which will take place on Friday September 11th and will feature a total of forty eight finalists from 29 different legal firms from across Wales.
Teams from some of the best Welsh legal businesses will be competing for awards in seventeen different categories including criminal law, conveyancing, corporate and commercial, litigation and employment.
Charlotte Leyshon of Lux Family Law and the founder of the awards, said:
“I have been delighted at the response to the awards by the legal profession in Wales, despite the difficulties faced by many firms during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We understand that it has been a challenging time for the legal sector in Wales recently. Law firms and their staff have had to diversify, embrace remote working and create innovative responses to enable them to continue to provide clients with the best service possible. Given this, we are delighted that so many firms have entered this year and we look forward to celebrating achievements of the legal sector across the length and breadth of Wales.
“The awards will help to rally the sector at this challenging time and, more importantly, showcase the extraordinary talent, inventiveness, diversity and success in the sector that have been amplified by Welsh legal businesses over the last three months”.
To recognise the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the Welsh legal sector, the awards have launched a new category recognising ‘Innovation in response to Covid-19’. This acknowledges those firms that have excelled in supporting clients during the pandemic and crafted new ways to continue working while safeguarding employees, clients and suppliers, successfully diversified or changed their approach to reflect the impact of the crisis and harnessed the power of technology and committed to ensuring a long-term vision for its use and value in the business in the long-term.
Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, chairman of the awards judging panel, said:
“At this difficult time for all businesses, the main ethos of the Wales Legal Awards – to celebrate excellence and support the legal sector in Wales – has been more important than ever. This year’s shortlisted entries across all the categories demonstrate again the outstanding commitment, creativity and true grit on display from law firms in supporting their clients and employees during these most extraordinary times.”
This year’s awards are sponsored by number of organisations including Yolk Recruitment, Bartholomew Hawkins, GlobalX, Grant Stephens Family Law, Linenhall Chambers, Mrs Bucket, SLD Wealth Management and Stowe Family Law.
Dale Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Yolk Recruitment, the overall sponsors for the awards, said:
“It’s a pleasure to again be the headline sponsors for the most anticipated and respected awards ceremony representing the Welsh legal sector. Despite the devastating impact of recent events, the organisers of the awards have been profound in their desire to enable those individuals and companies that form the setup of the awards to still receive the recognition they so rightly deserve.”
The finalists for the 2020 Wales Legal Awards are:
Boutique Firm of the Year
- Altra Law
- Loosemores
- Newfields
Commercial Litigation Team of the Year
- Acuity Law
- Blake Morgan
- Geldards
Corporate & Commercial Team of the Year
- Acuity Law
- Blake Morgan
CSR Team of the Year
- Altra Law
- Watkins & Gunn
Employment Team of the Year
- Acuity Law
- NWSSP Legal & Risk Services
- Redkite Solicitors
Family Team of the Year
- Hopkins Law
- Watkins & Gunn
In-House Team of the Year
- Admiral Group PLC
- NWSSP Legal & Risk Services
- WRU
Innovation in Response to Covid-19
- Agri Advisor Legal Ltd
- JCP Solicitors
- NWSSP Legal & Risk Services
- Redkite Solicitors
Law Firm of the Year
- Acuity Law
- Agri Advisor Legal Ltd
- RDP Law
Personal Injury Team of the Year
- Mooneerams
- NWSSP Legal & Risk Services
- Redkite Solicitors
Private Client team of the Year
- CJCH
- JCP Solicitors
- NewLaw
Public Law Team of the Year
- Duncan Lewis Solicitors
- Harding Evans Solicitors
- Watkins & Gunn
Real Estate Team of the Year
- Acuity Law
- Blake Morgan
Regulatory & White Collar Crime Team of the Year
- Richard Nelson LLP
- Radcliffes Le Brasseur
Residential Conveyancing Team of the Year
- Harding Evans Solicitors
- HCB Solicitors
- Hek Jones Solicitors
Rising Star of the Year
- Manon Williams, Agri Advisor Legal Ltd
- Alexis Thomas, CJCH
- Molly Fensome-Lush, Clarke Willmott LLP
Services Professional Team of the Year
- BARBRI Altior
- Brewin Dolphin
- Stokes Case Management
- Zest Recruitment and Legal Consultancy Ltd
The Welsh Legal Awards and full details on how to enter can be found at www.waleslegalawards.com.
For further details of how to get involved in the awards, contact Emma Waddingham (Emma@emmawaddingham.com)
