The annual International Employment Lawyer Awards recognises the very best private practice and in-house teams from around the globe. 

This truly international awards ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievements of leading lawyers across various categories during the past 12 months.

Nominations are welcome from international, national, and boutique law firms, as well as in-house teams, barristers’ chambers, and individual lawyers. We also accept nominations made by firms on behalf of their clients and advocates, and from in-house teams on behalf of their external counsel. Please email for a nomination form

Categories and criteria for entry can be found below.

Key dates:

Nominations open: Monday 10 June
Nominations close: Friday 6 September
Shortlist announced: Monday 23 September

You can read about last year's award ceremony, including details of the winners, here. 

IN-HOUSE CATEGORIES

Diversity & Inclusion Programme of the Year (In-house)

Open to employers/in-house teams, this award recognises the best new or ongoing programmes designed to create more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and just workplaces. Submissions can include, but are not limited to, policies that promote the inclusion and career progression of underrepresented or minority groups, pay equity and transparency plans, training and coaching resources, and work flexibility policies.

Employee Benefits Policy of the Year

Open to employers/in-house teams, this award recognises the best new or ongoing employee benefits policies including, but not limited to, reproductive healthcare, enhanced holiday leave, childcare accommodations, education and training opportunities, travel allowances, and remote or hybrid working policies.

Employee Wellbeing Initiative of the Year

Open to employers/in-house teams, this award recognises the best new or ongoing initiatives designed to improve the wellbeing of employees. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, mental health policies, financial wellbeing schemes, physical health initiatives, and other measures to improve work-life balance.

ESG Initiative of the Year

Open to employers/in-house teams, this award will recognise new or ongoing policies aimed at improving a company’s environmental, social, and governance impact. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, new procedures for supply chain and human rights due diligence, the creation of more sustainable workplaces, enhanced c-suite transparency, or the linking of executive compensation to ESG targets. 

International Employment Lawyer of the Year (In-house)

Open to in-house lawyers at a global or regional management level, nominees should be able to demonstrate how their leadership has added value to their organisations and workforces, and provide evidence of work on critical disputes or advisory matters. 

In-house Leader of Tomorrow

Open to rising in-house stars who are recognised as leaders of tomorrow. Nominations are welcome from individuals below global or regional management level, whose work on cutting-edge disputes or initiatives has benefited their organisations locally, regionally, or globally. Nominees should have no more than ten years’ legal expertise.

In-house Employment Team of the Year (NEW)

Open to in-house legal teams undertaking labour and employment work for multinational organisations. Nominations are welcome from legal teams that can demonstrate cutting-edge work and are offering added value to their organisations.

CHAMBERS CATEGORIES

Chambers of the Year

The award recognises the collective achievements of chambers with specialist employment and labour law advocates from around the globe. Nominees must demonstrate a breadth of expertise across related disciplines, with members instructed by leading law firms or in-house teams, and have worked on critical disputes, sensitive investigations, or complex advisory matters in the past 12 months.

Senior Counsel of the Year

The award recognises the advocacy, investigative, and advisory skills of leading independent senior advocates (King’s Counsel or equivalent) from around the globe. Nominees will have worked on high-profile, cutting-edge disputes, been instructed in sensitive workplace investigations, or acted on complex advisory matters in the past 12 months.

Junior Counsel of the Year

The award recognises the advocacy, investigative, and advisory skills of leading independent junior advocates from around the globe. Nominees will have worked on high-profile, cutting-edge disputes, been instructed in sensitive workplace investigations, or acted on complex advisory matters in the past 12 months.

LAW FIRM CATEGORIES

Senior Executive Team of the Year (NEW)  

Open to private practice teams that can demonstrate market-leading advice to key senior staff on their rights and obligations when joining or exiting a business, or their professional discipline and duties of compliance when acting as leading figures within global organisations.

Rewards and Incentives Team of the Year (NEW)

Open to private practice teams that can demonstrate cutting-edge advice designed to attract, retain, and motivate key employees instrumental in achieving business critical objectives, while also remaining compliant with a shifting regulatory landscape.

Labour Relations Management Team of the Year

Open to private practice teams that have assisted clients with responding to a resurgent labour movement, and demonstrated prowess in advice on collective bargaining, industrial actions, disputes, and regulatory enforcement in the past year.

Disputes Team of the Year

Open to private practice teams that have been involved in some of the biggest, most challenging, and unique litigation, class actions, or arbitrations brought against companies by executives, workers, or regulatory bodies in the past year.

Investigations Team of the Year

Open to private practice teams instructed to undertake sensitive internal probes and culture reviews for clients, covering issues including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, discrimination, human rights and labour abuses, health and safety violations, anti-competitive behaviour, regulatory concerns, and white-collar crime. 

Global Mobility Team of the Year (NEW)

Open to private practice teams working across the full gamut of complex global mobility issues, including immigration, employment tax, social security, and risk assessment of relocating critical talent on short- and long-term projects around the world.

Cross-border Transactional Team of the Year

Open to private practice teams instructed to provide employment and labour expertise to the largest and most complex transactional and restructuring mandates around the globe. From mergers, acquisitions, and spin-offs to bankruptcies and plant closings, teams must demonstrate how they impacted the success of a deal.

North American Law Firm of the Year

Open to private practice firms across Canada and the United States, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional support, advice on disputes, and investigations.

Latin American Law Firm of the Year

Open to private practice firms with a presence in the region, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice, disputes, and investigations.

European Law Firm of the Year

Open to private practice firms with a presence on the continent, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice disputes, and investigations.

Asia-Pacific Law Firm of the Year

Open to private practice firms with a presence in Asia and the Pacific, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice, disputes, and investigations.

African Law Firm of the Year

Open to private practice firms with a presence on the continent, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice, disputes, and investigations.

Middle Eastern Law Firm of the Year

Open to private practice firms with a presence in the region, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice, disputes, and investigations.

Boutique Law Firm of the Year

Open to independent law firms with a national focus that offer day-to-day advice, transactional support, or disputes expertise to international firms without a local presence, or those that have a niche practice. Submissions must demonstrate that the boutique works with the world’s premier law firms and their A-list client base.

Diversity & Inclusion Programme of the Year (Private practice) (NEW)

Open to law firms, this award recognises the best new or ongoing programmes designed to create more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and just legal sector workplaces. Submissions can include, but are not limited to, policies that promote the inclusion and career progression of underrepresented or minority groups, pay equity and transparency plans, training and coaching resources, and work flexibility policies.

International Employment Lawyer of the Year (Private practice)

This award recognises the standout law firm partners whose work on cross-border mandates has brought real value to their clients. Submissions are welcome from across disciplines but should detail the work undertaken in the past year – advisory, transactional, or disputes – and how that work has assisted employers.

Private Practice Leader of Tomorrow

Open to rising private practice stars who are recognised as leaders of tomorrow. The shortlist will be made up of individuals below partner level whose work on cutting-edge disputes or initiatives has benefited their clients locally, regionally, or globally. Nominees should have no more than ten years’ legal expertise.

International Employment Law Team of the Year

This flagship award recognises this year’s standout cross-border team. Teams must demonstrate a truly global practice, covering day-to-day employment and labour advice, bet-the-company transactional support, and cutting-edge disputes works for an A-list client base.