2022 Categories and Entry Form

LexisNexis is delighted to announce that entries are now open for the Qatar Business Law Forum Awards 2022 - 7th Edition. There are 4 in-house categories and 11 private practice categories available to enter. All winners will be announced at the prestigious awards ceremony and dinner at the Grand Hyatt Doha on Wednesday, 12 October 2022.

Submit your entry to qatarbusinesslawforum@lexisnexis.fr by 11:59PM on Monday, 12 September 2022 in one or more of the following categories:

In House Categories

General Counsel of the Year

Legal Counsel of the Year

Legal Department of the Year

Legal Compliance Officer of the Year

Private Practice Categories

International Law Firm of the Year

Qatar Law Firm of the Year

ADR Team of the Year

Banking & Finance Team of the Year

Corporate & Commercial Team of the Year

Commercial Litigation Team of the Year

Employment Team of the Year

IP & TMT Team of the Year

Property & Construction Team of the Year

Sports Law Team of the Year

Note that there is a strict limit of 1000 words for all entries.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS 11:59 PM ON MONDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2022.

Space is limited, book your seat or table for the Qatar Business Law Forum Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony 2022 here.

IN-HOUSE AWARDS

1. General Counsel of the Year

Open to Qatar-based General Counsel, Associate General Counsel, Heads of Legal, and Legal Directors.

Please include the following information:

  • Briefly describe your company and outline the areas of responsibility of the legal department (include business units and regions).
  • How many lawyers are you responsible for?
  • How has your leadership allowed your department to excel across the spectrum of in-house responsibilities over the past 12 months? Be sure to give concrete examples of how you have helped your company achieve its strategic objectives, for example:
    • management of a particular legal matter;
    • training initiatives and employee development;
    • team expansion.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • Legal expertise and innovation
  • Teamwork
  • Client satisfaction
  • Employee development
  • Efficiency
  • Overall contribution to the success of the business.

2. Legal Counsel of the Year

Open to Qatar-based in-house legal counsel.

Please include the following information:

  • Briefly describe your company and outline the areas of responsibility of the legal department (include business units and regions).
  • How you have contributed to your department exceling across the spectrum of in-house responsibilities over the past 12 months. Be sure to give concrete examples of how you have helped your company achieve its strategic objectives. This could be your handling of a legal issue, case or transaction, a contribution to training, or another way you have helped create a more efficient and effective legal department.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • Legal expertise and innovation
  • Teamwork
  • Client satisfaction
  • Efficiency
  • Overall contribution to the success of the business.

3. Legal Compliance Officer of the Year NEW CATEGORY!

Open to Qatar-based Heads of Compliance and Compliance Officers

Please include the following information:

  • Briefly describe your company and outline the areas of responsibility of your department.
  • How have you contributed to your department exceling across the spectrum of compliance responsibilities over the past 12 months? Be sure to give concrete examples of how you have helped your company achieve its objectives. This could include:
    • implementing compliance measures;
    • handling of a particular compliance matter;
    • training initiatives in compliance;
    • team expansion.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • compliance expertise and innovation;
  • teamwork;
  • company satisfaction;
  • efficiency; and
  • overall contribution to the success of the business.

4. Legal Department of the Year

Open to Qatar-based in-house legal departments.

Please include the following information:

  • Briefly describe your company and outline the areas of responsibility of the legal department (include business units and regions).
  • How many lawyers does the department employ and how is the team structured?
  • How has your department excelled across the full spectrum of in-house responsibilities over the past 12 months? Be sure to give concrete examples of how your legal department has helped your company achieve its strategic objectives, for example:
    • handling of a particular legal matter;
    • employee training;
    • team expansion.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • legal expertise and innovation;
  • strategic vision,
  • teamwork;
  • client satisfaction;
  • employee development;
  • efficiency;
  • overall contribution to the success of the business.

PRIVATE PRACTICE AWARDS

NOTE: Candidates may submit an entry in only one of the following categories: International Law Firm of the Year and Qatar Law Firm of the Year.

1. International Law Firm of the Year

Open to non-Qatari-owned law firms with an office in Qatar. The entry should highlight developments in the firm’s Qatar office over the past 12 months, including deals, cases, business winnings, continuing legal education, legal recruitment, office expansion and any other initiative or success that exemplifies the firm's performance.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • strategic vision;
  • legal expertise and innovation;
  • business winnings;
  • client care (including measures relating to efficiency and cost effectiveness of service delivery)
  • a successful recruitment and retention strategy;
  • employee training and development.

2. Qatar Law Firm of the Year

Open to Qatari law firmsThe entry should highlight developments in the firm over the past 12 months, including deals, cases, client wins, continuing legal education, legal recruitment, office expansion and any other initiative or success that exemplifies the firm's performance.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • strategic vision;
  • legal expertise and innovation;
  • business winnings;
  • client care (including measures relating to efficiency & cost effectiveness of service delivery);
  • a successful recruitment and retention strategy; and
  • employee training and development.

3. ADR Team of the Year

Entries for this award should focus on a single ADR case (whether ultimately litigated or settled) within the past 12 months demonstrating the firm’s market-leading position. The entry should summarise the case's key features, explain its significance, and outline the team’s role.

Please include the following information:

  • A brief summary of the facts of the case and the question at issue.
  • Your team’s role on the case. Include details of team members and lead lawyer. Explain how your team excelled in legal expertise and innovation, project management skills, advocacy skills, and teamwork.
  • How the case was resolved.
  • The value your team brought to the table. What difference did the team make?

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • legal expertise and innovation;
  • case management skills;
  • advocacy skills;
  • teamwork;
  • client satisfaction.
  • Case management skills
  • Teamwork
  • Client satisfaction

4. Banking & Finance Team of the Year

Entries for this award should focus on a single piece of work in the field of banking & finance law within the past 12 months. The entry should summarise the key features of what was involved, explain its significance and outline the team’s role.

Please include the following information:

  • A brief description of the transaction.
  • Why the transaction was important.
  • Your team’s role on the deal. Include details of team members and lead lawyer and explain why your team excelled in legal expertise and innovation, project management skills, and teamwork.
  • The value your team brought to the table. What difference did your team make?

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • legal expertise and innovation;
  • project management skills;
  • teamwork;
  • client satisfaction.

5. Commercial Litigation Team of the Year

Entries for this award should focus on a single case (whether ultimately litigated or settled) within the past 12 months demonstrating the firm’s market-leading position. The entry should summarise the case's key features, explain its significance and outline the team’s role.

Please include the following information:

  • A brief summary of the facts of the case and the question at issue.
  • Your team’s role on the case. Include details of team members and lead lawyer and explain how your team excelled in legal expertise and innovation, project management skills, advocacy, and teamwork.
  • How the case was resolved and its legal significance.
  • The value your team brought to the table. What difference did the team make?

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • Legal expertise and innovation
  • Case management skills
  • Advocacy skills
  • Teamwork
  • Client satisfaction.

6. Corporate and Commercial Team of the Year 

Entries for this award should focus on a single piece of work in the field of corporate or commercial law within the past 12 months. The entry should summarise the key features of what was involved, explain its significance, and outline the team’s role.

Please include the following information:

  • A brief description of the transaction.
  • Why the transaction was important.
  • Your team’s role on the deal. Include details of team members and lead lawyer and explain how your team excelled in legal expertise and innovation, project management skills, and teamwork.
  • The value your team brought to the table. What difference did the team make?

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • Legal expertise and innovation
  • Project management skills
  • Teamwork
  • Client satisfaction.

7. Employment Team of the Year

Entries for this award should focus on a single employment case or issue within the past 12 months and demonstrating the firm’s market-leading position. The entry should summarise the case or issue’s key features, explain its significance and outline the team’s role.

Please include the following information:

  • A brief summary of the facts of the case or the issue and why it was important.
  • Your team’s role. Include details of team members and lead lawyer and explain how your team excelled against in legal expertise and innovation, project management skills and teamwork.
  • The value your team brought to the table. What difference did the team make?

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • Legal expertise and innovation
  • Project management skills
  • Teamwork
  • Advocacy skills
  • Client satisfaction and value for money.

8. Intellectual Property, Technology, Media & Telecommunications Team of the Year

Entries for this award should focus on a single transaction, issue or legal question in the area of IP or Technology, Media and Telecommunications within the past 12 months and demonstrating the firm’s market-leading position in this area. The entry should summarise the key features of the transaction, case or legal question, explain its significance, and outline the team’s role.

Please include the following information:

  • A brief description of the transaction, case or legal question.
  • Why the transaction, case or legal question was important.
  • Your team’s role on the transaction, case or resolution of the legal question. Include details of team members and lead lawyer and explain how your team excelled in legal expertise and innovation, project management skills, and teamwork.
  • The value your team brought to the table. What difference did the team make?

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • Legal expertise and innovation
  • Project management skills
  • Advocacy skills
  • Teamwork
  • Client satisfaction.

9. Property & Construction Team of the Year

Entries for this award should focus on a single property or construction transaction within the past 12 months and demonstrating the firm’s market-leading position in this area. The entry should summarise the deal’s key features, explain its significance and outline the team’s role.

Please include the following information:

  • A brief description of the transaction.
  • Why the transaction was important.
  • Your team’s role on the deal. Include details of team members and lead lawyer and explain how your team excelled in legal expertise and innovation, project management skills, and teamwork.
  • The value your team brought to the table. What difference did the team make?

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • Legal expertise and innovation
  • Project management skills
  • Teamwork
  • Client satisfaction

10. Sports Law Team of the Year

The winner of this category will have demonstrated market-leading sports law expertise through advice or advocacy in one or more regulatory, sponsorship, player contract, or other sports-law related cases or transactions over the past 12 months.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

  • Legal expertise and innovation
  • Project management skills
  • Teamwork
  • Client satisfaction and value for money