British Legal Awards raises bar with elite judging panel

After years of paying out hefty legal bills, a group of senior business figures are finally getting the chance to deliver their verdict on the collective performance of the UK's top business lawyers.

Sir Martin Sorrell (pictured left), the chief executive of WPP, Guy Dawson, founding partner of investment banking boutique Tricorn Partners, and Jeremy Hand, the vice chairman of the British Venture Capital Association, are among a high-profile panel of business leaders who have agreed to run the rule over UK law as judges for the British Legal Awards.

Joining them are several former lawyers who have taken on senior business roles, including three former law firm leaders: Anthony Salz (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer), Jonathan Goldstein (Olswang) and Bill Knight (Simmons & Simmons), as well as former Linklaters partner Sir Robert Finch, who is now chairman of FTSE 100 property company Liberty International.

The British Legal Awards set out to combine the transparency and authority of the Legal Week Awards - which they will replace - with an independent and rigorous judging process.

A key part of this equation is a heavyweight judging panel with the credentials to cast a discerning eye over the achievements of the leading law firms, teams and individuals.

Legal Week aims to achieve this by bringing the ultimate clients - leading business figures - together with the people whose job it is to get the best out their companies' external legal advisers, general counsel.

Among the leading general counsel who have agreed to join the panel are Barclays' Mark Harding (pictured right), Terry Miller of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, Richard Bennett of HSBC and Sue Woodman of Alchemy Partners.

The 24 awards categories are divided into individual, team and firm awards. Top awards include international firm of the year, managing partner of the year and M&A team of the year. The deadline for entries is 5 September and awards will take place at Old Billingsgate Market in London on 28 November.

Visit the British Legal Awards website