Nominations open for the Family Law Awards 2012

Following the success of the inaugural Family Law Awards last October, Jordan Publishing is pleased to announce the return of the event this year. The awards ceremony will be held on 10 October 2012 at the prestigious London Hilton hotel on Park Lane, Mayfair.

The number of awards available to win this year has almost doubled from 8 to 15. There are now three award categories for barristers and solicitors respectively to reflect their seniority: partner, associate, and young solicitors, and; QC, junior, and young barristers. We have also added another three awards: International Family Lawyer of the Year, Family Law Legal Executive of the Year, and Family Pro Bono Lawyer of the year. Nominations are now being accepted through the Family Law Awards website. The deadline for submitting a nomination is Midnight Friday 4 May 2012.

This year the Family Law Awards is proud to be supporting two community organisations: The National Pro Bono Centre and a kidspace.  Trustees from the National Pro Bono Centre will be judging the award for the Family Pro Bono Lawyer. Following Family Law in Partnership LLP and 4 Paper Buildings being named Family Law Firm of the Year and Family Law Chambers of the Year last year, they came together with Jordan Publishing to support the launch of a kidspace,  a social enterprise which provides a support service for children who are experiencing family breakdown.

The awards were set up to highlight the important work done by family lawyers whilst bringing the whole profession together for an enjoyable evening. Last year the event proved to be so popular that additional seating had to be brought in on the night to accommodate all those who wanted to attend.  This year the ceremony will be a larger event held in the ball room of the Hilton on Park Lane and guests will be able to book tables. To book a place or reserve a table, visit www.familylawawards.com.

The shortlist and winners will be chosen by a judging panel made up of the heads of the three family law practitioners' associations, ie the Family Law Bar Association, Resolution and the Association of Lawyers for Children, along with Family Law editors and publishing executives.

So that the whole profession has an opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of their peers, four of the awards will be voted for by the family law community (Innovative Family Lawyer, ADR Practitioner, Legal Executive, and Readers' Commentary awards). Voting for these awards will commence on Thursday 2 August 2012.

Full list of awards:                   

• Family Law Firm of the Year- Sponsored by 4 Paper Buildings
• Family Law Chambers of the Year
• Family Law Partner of the Year
• Family Law Associate Solicitor of the Year - Sponsored by 1 Garden Court
• Family Law Young Solicitor of the Year - Sponsored by 14 Grays Inn Square
• Family Law QC of the Year
• Family Law Junior Barrister of the Year
• Family Law Young Barrister of the Year
• International Family Lawyer of the Year
• Most Innovative Family Lawyer of the Year - Sponsored by PKF
• Family Law ADR Practitioner of the Year
• Family Law Legal Executive of the Year
• Family Law Readers' Commentary Award
• Family Pro Bono Lawyer of the year
• Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Family Law - Sponsored by Coram Chambers

Join the conversation about the awards on Twitter use the hashtag: #familylawawards.

For information on sponsorsing the Family Law Awards, please visit  www.familylawawards.com/Sponsor-the-Awards.