Returning for a fourth year, the Wales Legal Awards will again be acknowledging excellence across the Welsh legal sector.
As well as recognising the best teams across the legal sphere, this year’s awards will acknowledge the contribution made by others within legal businesses through categories such as Excellence in Practice Management, Marketing and Business Development initiative of the year and legal personal assistant of the year.
Established in 2019 by Lux Family Law, the Wales Legal Awards celebrate the success of those teams practising in and providing services to the legal profession in Wales.
Gerard Elias QC, winner of the outstanding achievement award for 2022
The nominations are judged by an expert, independent panel of judges from across the sector, including representatives from The Law Society Gazette and Presidents of regional Law Societies in Wales.
Charlotte Leyshon, Founder of the Wales Legal Awards & Partner, Lux Family Law, said:
“We are thrilled to be celebrating the best of Welsh legal talent at the 2023 Wales Legal Awards. We know the impact that the legal profession is having on so many aspects of our lives in Wales every day and Welsh law firms are not only growing and diversifying their offering within but making a real difference to the practice of law as we have seen time and time again during previous awards”.
To celebrate the contribution of the legal profession to the business community and the Welsh economy of Wales, number of new categories have been established. These include the Start-up and Scale-up Advisory Team of the Year 2023, which recognises the vital role that the legal profession plays in supporting the Welsh entrepreneurial ecosystem and the Marketing and Business Development Award, which will showcase the successful marketing and business development by legal firms in Wales in promoting their brands and services.
Other categories include an overall award for the Welsh Legal Team of the Year, for Rising Star of the Year and a new category for Legal PA of the year, celebrating the efforts of those who contribute to the overall success of the legal firm by efficiently managing administrative tasks and providing excellent support. There will also be a special award that recognises one individual's outstanding contribution to the Welsh legal profession, an honour which has previously been awarded to Alan Meredith and Gerard Elias QC.
Chairman of the judging panel, Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, said,
“The legal profession in Wales has long been overlooked in terms of not only the contribution it makes to economic growth but also in supporting those entrepreneurial ventures that create wealth and prosperity across a range of sectors. I am delighted that we are not only recognising the excellent work of Welsh lawyers this year but also the contribution of everyone working in the legal sector through new awards such as marketing and business development and legal PA of the year.”
The new headline sponsor for the awards is Validient, a digital client onboarding and compliance management system servicing the legal and wider regulated market.
Ieuan Leigh, founder and CEO of Validient, said,
“Sponsoring the Wales Legal Awards allowed us to support the fantastic work that is going on around the Welsh legal landscape whilst also broadening our network to showcase the work we do here at Validient around compliance management. It is refreshing to be in a room with the entire Welsh legal eco-system all celebrating their own and each other's success ranging from team growth to legal technology innovation. We very much look forward to supporting the Wales Legal Awards in this year and in the future.”
Other sponsors include CPM21, Conscious, Howell’s School, SLD Wealth and Spindogs.
This year, the Wales Legal Awards are supporting CF Warriors, a small Welsh charity dedicated to helping children with cystic fibrosis, no matter where they are in the world, live a longer, happier and healthier life through its research funding and motivational Warrior Pack programmes.
Josh Llewellyn-Jones OBE, founder of CF Warriors, said,
“We are so grateful to the Wales Legal Awards for supporting CF Warriors at this year’s celebrations. It’s a great honour to be involved in such a prestigious event, and it will be a huge help to the charity as we look to help more children with cystic fibrosis live longer, happier and healthier lives.”
This year, there are 19 separate categories for the Wales Legal Awards as well as the overall team of the year.
1. Chambers of the Year
2. Niche Law Firm of the Year
3. Commercial Litigation Team of the Year
4. Corporate and Commercial Team of the Year
5. Employment Team of the Year
6. Family Team of the Year
7. Private Client Team of the Year
8. Public Law Team of the Year
9. Real Estate Team of the Year
10. In-House Team of the Year
11. Residential Conveyancing Team of the Year
12. Start-up and Scale-up Advisory Team of the Year
13. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award
14. Excellence in Legal Management
15. Innovation in Legal Services Award
16. Legal Personal Assistant of the Year
17. Marketing and Business Development Award
18. Professional Services Provider of the Year
19. Rising Star of the Year
20. Overall Team of the Year
There will also be an outstanding achievement award for an individual who has made a difference to the legal profession. The closing date is October 30th 2023 and to find out more about the Wales Legal Awards and to enter this year, go to www.waleslegalawards.com
