Centenary awards
AWARD CATEGORIES
Best use of IT
Excellence in risk management
Excellence in practice standards
Best marketing campaign
Best pro bono endeavour
Lifetime achievement in company/commercial work
Lifetime achievement in private client work
In-house lifetime achievement
Lifetime achievement in human rights work
Most significant contribution to the law/legal profession in 2002/2003
The Gazette Centenary Awards seek to recognise the contribution of individuals, law firms and in-house legal departments.
Entries are sought from firms, companies, in-house teams and individuals that can illustrate a significant contribution to the profession.
How entries will be judged
All entries will be judged by panels of respected key players in the legal profession, including the president, vice president and deputy-vice president of the Law Society, the Law Society's chief executive, the chief executive of the Bar Council and the secretary-general of the Institute of Legal Executives.
Other judges will include, the director of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, the chairman of the Law Society's practice management section, the director of the Professional Marketing Forum, and the director of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, as well as the director of the Law Society's representation and law reform directorate, its commercial services directorate, and the Editor of the Gazette.
Shortlists will be developed and will be publicised in the Gazette in the run-up to the awards, which will take place on the evening of 12 November at a ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, Hyde Park, London.
All judges will review entries objectively and against the judging criteria.
It should be noted that the judges' decision is final and that no correspondence will be entered into.
How to enter
Decide on which award category or categories you wish to enter and contact Claire Baumforth, tel: 020 7316 5608; e-mail: gazetteawards@lawsociety.org.uk for a nomination pack.
Closing date
The closing date for the awards is 11 August 2003.
All entries must be received in full by 5pm on this date.
Late entries will not be considered.
Confidentiality
All details of the shortlisted finalists and winners will appear in the Gazette.
Therefore, if you wish to keep information confidential, you should mark this clearly against the information supplied.
Awards presentation
The Gazette Centenary Awards dinner will take place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, Hyde Park, London, in the Nine Kings suite on 12 November 2003.
For additional information on the awards presentation, or to book a table, contact us on, tel: 020 7316 5608; e-mail: gazetteawards@lawsociety.org.uk.
Tackling risk and heading off potential negligence claims
Excellence in risk management, sponsored by PYV Professional Indemnity
This award will go to the firm that exhibits processes and systems that best reduce risk and in so doing become more efficient and protected from negligence claims.
The areas under consideration will include: general file management; adherence to deadlines, archive management, business continuity plans and retainer letters.
PYV
PYV Professional Indemnity is one of the leading providers of professional indemnity insurance to the legal profession.
Based in the City of London, PYV provides straightforward and independent information and advice.
From 1 September 2000, the way that professional indemnity insurance was provided to solicitors in England and Wales changed significantly.
At the time PYV maintained that the changes represented good news for solicitors - more choice, lower premiums and a more efficient service.
Experience has proved it right.
On average, PYV's clients have benefited from a 40% saving on their premiums.
The PYV Group has extensive experience working in markets that are subject to close regulatory control.
The group provides tailored advice based on clients' individual needs.
The group's role extends beyond just the provision of insurance.
As an intermediary - a broker - the group works in the best interests of each of its clients.
As the PYV Group is not tied to any one insurer, it provides independent and unbiased advice.
The provision of straightforward information is an essential part of the group's service.
PYV - the risk managers - was formed to provide specialist professional indemnity insurance advice to the professions.
The PYV Group was founded in 1985 following the acquisition by Pointon York of Philip Vos and Partners.
The PYV Group has four subsidiary companies - Pointon York SIPP Solutions, PYV Professional Indemnity, Compliance Solutions and Insurance Solutions.
The PYV Group is listed on OFEX.
Praising standard bearers of good practice
Excellence in practice standards, sponsored by Barclays
This will award the best example of how a law firm or in-house legal department operates internally and externally.
The criteria for candidates includes being able to exhibit excellence and innovation in a range of areas, including induction processes for qualified and non-qualified staff, education and development policies and training programmes, the implementation of continuing professional development for qualified staff, career path structures for all staff, customer care and customer retention initiatives and even office ergonomics.
Barclays
Barclays is proud to sponsor the Gazette Centenary Awards, which celebrate excellence in the legal profession - a goal to which we are also committed.
Legal practices have very specific needs, different to those of other businesses, which is why having a manager with a real understanding of the profession is vital for firms to succeed.
Working closely with the Law Society means that Barclays can keep its relationship managers' knowledge of legal issues current.
All of Barclays' 130 specialist solicitor-focused relationship managers across the country are accredited as consultants for the Society's LEXCEL standard.
Barclays is banker to 16 of the top 20 UK law firms and 28 of the top 80 US law firms in London, as well as being the only UK bank with a dedicated relationship director in New York, working with US firms with a European presence.
As well as expertise in helping manage clients' funds, ensuring practices stay within the requirements of the solicitors' accounts rules, Barclays has also broken new ground with its professional indemnity flexible funding loan.
This helps solicitors hit by increases in the cost of statutory indemnity insurance, helping manage the cash flow impact over time.
With one in four British businesses banking with Barclays, and an understanding of the vital contribution of solicitors to the UK economy, our partnership with the profession is an important one.
As such, we wish the Gazette a happy centenary and look forward to supporting the success of the profession into the future.
Question of image - the art of effective marketing
Best marketing campaign, sponsored by Countrywide Legal Indemnities
This prize will go to the most innovative, creative and inspiring marketing campaign conducted by a law firm or in-house legal department in the past 12 months.
The criteria is wide ranging, encompassing conventional advertising campaigns, sponsorship arrangements, brochures and Web sites.
And, in relation to in-house legal departments, it would include recruitment campaigns.
Countrywide Legal Indemnities
Countrywide Legal Indemnities is the UK's leading legal indemnity intermediary and specifically endorsed by the Law Society.
We have an extensive knowledge of the property market and issue thousands of indemnity policies every month, addressing problems associated with a wide variety of defects in property titles.
We were the first company to offer a genuine 24-hour quotation service coupled with an unrivalled all round service, competitive premiums and comprehensive policy cover.
This dynamic new approach literally transformed the legal indemnity market, bringing recognition from the Society, which, in 1997, asked us to establish and manage the defective title insurance scheme on its behalf.
Constantly researching the market place has enabled Countrywide to keep one step ahead of the competition.
By talking to our customers, we are able to respond quickly to new demands as they arise as well as ensuring that we continue to provide simple solutions to the numerous problems encountered on a daily basis.
We offer a choice of ways to arrange cover and thousands of conveyancers from every part of the UK regularly contact us for assistance with their legal indemnity requirements.
We are delighted to sponsor this year's award and would like to to wish all the nominees the best of luck.
Pro bono - recognising significant community contribution
Best pro bono endeavour, sponsored by Scottish Widows bank
This pro bono award will go to the law firm or in-house legal department that has made the most significant contribution to pro bono work during the past 12 months.
The criteria will involve showing a tangible benefit either to the local community - whether in the UK or abroad - or to the wider social good.
Examples include providing teams of lawyers to work at local advice centres, or the provision of legal advice to community social welfare groups.
Scottish Widows
Scottish Widows Bank celebrates its eighth anniversary this year having been launched in May 1995.
During this time our guiding principles have remained unchanged - to guarantee simplicity, flexibility, adaptability and quality to all our customers.
Scottish Widows Bank was the first lender to launch a mortgage specifically for professionals such as solicitors, accountants, doctors, and dentists, which allows borrowing up to 110%.
Our professional mortgage has been endorsed by the Law Society and we have worked with it over the past three years to bring an innovative product and enhanced terms together with a uniquely personal service to your profession.
The scheme was designed specifically to meet the needs of professional people and the high level of interest shown by your profession is testimony to the Society's ability to secure preferential terms on behalf of its members.
The professional mortgage has recently been enhanced to introduce an 'offsetting facility' where savings can be offset against the balance of a mortgage, reducing interest costs.
This was developed in line with feedback from our professional clients, including members of the Society.
If you are looking to move house or just thinking of re-mortgaging for a better deal then the following features may also be of interest to you:
- Consistently competitive interest rates;
- No mortgage indemnity premium to pay;
- Assistance with legal fees and property valuation costs, and;
- Optional mortgage reserve account allowing additional borrowing if required.
Keeping good company - honouring lifetime achievement
Lifetime achievement in company/commercial work, sponsored by Legal Opportunities
The criteria for this award is an ability to exhibit a career-long important impact on this area of work - whether that be in commercial dispute resolution, non-contentious deal making, or towards the growth and furtherance of the practice of English commercial law and legal business either domestically or around the world.
Legal Opportunities
Legal Opportunities is delighted to be sponsoring the award for Lifetime Achievement in Company/Commercial work and to congratulate the Gazette in its centenary year.
2003 is our own 30th anniversary and we are proud to celebrate the continued relationship we have enjoyed with the Gazette throughout the last 30 years.
Established in 1973 with a focus on recruiting lawyers for regional law firms, Legal Opportunities has consistently maintained its focus on the regions.
Over the years we have developed an unrivalled knowledge and understanding of our clients and the regions and markets in which they operate.
Our success in recruiting lawyers throughout the UK is derived from the quality of individual relationships we have built and maintained.
Many of the lawyers we advised early in their careers have come back to us for advice throughout their working lives, both as candidates and as clients now seeking advice recruiting for their own firms.
Our specialist teams focus on the south-east, East Anglia, the south-west, the midlands and the north of England and are always keen to hear from lawyers interested in regional practice, whether seeking an immediate move or long-term career advice.
Supporting the success of lawyers in private client work
Lifetime achievement in private client work, sponsored by Title Research
This award will go to an individual lawyer who will be recognised for years of exemplary achievement in any area of private client work, including personal injury, family, residential property, trusts and probate, and media handling.
The winner will have to demonstrate a history of innovative thinking and analysis, landmark cases, and generally high standards of client care.
Title Research
Long-established in the fields of tracing missing beneficiaries and succession-based legal matters, Title Research is widely regarded as the first port of call for probate practitioners seeking practical solutions to such matters.
From identifying and finding a single beneficiary to reconstructing the deceased's paternal and maternal family trees, Title Research helps hundreds of trust and estate practitioners close their problem files every year.
Uniquely in our business, we are accredited Investors in People and have achieved both the BS EN 9001-2000 total quality standard and the BS 7799-2:1999 standard for the secure management of information.
This robust attitude to risk management has led the Law Society to endorse our full range of services.
As a Society-authorised external CPD provider, we have addressed numerous private client and probate departments throughout England and Wales on the pitfalls of estate administration.
Private client work is an increasingly technical discipline, requiring practitioners to be expert in the intricacies of artful lifetime tax planning, the establishment and administration of trusts and the administration of estates, to name a few.
Add to this the enormous growth in trust and estate related litigation, in cases as diverse as White v Jones, X v Woolcombe Yonge, Re Eversden and the Jemma Trust case, and it is clear that solicitors offering a private client service today face challenging times.
Title Research is delighted to be sponsoring the 2003 Gazette awards category 'Lifetime achievement in private client work' and congratulates the Gazette on its first 100 years.
IT, in-house and human rights awards up for grabs
Best use of information technology
This will go to the law firm or the in-house legal department that in the past year has exhibited the best use of information technology to enhance its processes and systems.
The benefits of the innovative use of technology could be either back office-based, that is, it can have a primarily administrative benefit, or it can be directly client facing.
Candidates should be able to exhibit a significant and measurable benefit to the firm and to the firm's clients.
Lifetime achievement in human rights work
This award will be presented to an individual lawyer who has made an outstanding impact on the human rights field during a career in the law.
That impact could have been made either through specific, landmark court cases that have individually or collectively advanced human rights case law or through wider public awareness campaigns.
The criteria include an ability to show career-long commitment to the advancement of human rights and to the development of human rights legislation/ common law in the UK.
Lifetime achievement award for in-house work
This award will be open to individuals in any section of employed practice, whether commerce and industry, state prosecution, local or Westminster government.
The winner will be able to demonstrate over a career innovative and creative approaches to dealing with employers and outside providers of legal services.
Most significant contribution to the law/legal profession in 2002/2003
This will go to the an individual from any of the three branches of the legal profession - solicitor, barrister or legal executive - or a member of the judiciary or a government minister who has made a hugely significant and positive impact on either the law itself or on legal practice.
This could be in relation to a high-profile groundbreaking case, to a campaign for a change in the law, or to a development in the way lawyers practise.
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