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AWARD CATEGORIES

PRACTICE-BASED CATEGORY FOR LAW FIRMS

GENERAL RULES FOR ENTRY

Open to only specialist Nigerian Law firms who have excelled in the art of quality client representation. Criteria Entries for this award should focus on a single deal that sets new standards in the delivery of legal services in this practice area and demonstrates the firm’s market-leading position. Winners of this award category will operate at the cutting edge of legal practice. We will consider one standout example of work taken from a wide range of disciplines including

AVIATION TEAM OF THE YEAR

BANKING AND FINANCE TEAM OF THE YEAR

CAPITAL MARKET TEAM OF THE YEAR

CORPORATE & COMMERCIAL TEAM OF THE YEAR

ENERGY, POWER AND MINING TEAM OF THE YEAR

IMMIGRATION TEAM OF THE YEAR

INSOLVENCY TEAM OF THE YEAR

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TEAM OF THE YEAR

LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT TEAM OF THE YEAR

MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT TEAM OF THE YEAR

MERGERS AND ACQUISITION TEAM OF THE YEAR

OIL AND GAS TEAM OF THE YEAR

PRIVATE EQUITY TEAM OF THE YEAR

DISPUTE RESOLUTION TEAM OF THE YEAR

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION TEAM OF THE YEAR

SHIPPING & TRANSPORT TEAM OF THE YEAR

TELECOMMUNICATION & TECHNOLOGY TEAM OF THE YEAR

GENERAL CATEGORIES

CSR Law Firm of the year
Deal Maker of the Year
General Counsel of the Year
Law Firm of the year
Winner, ESQ Nigerian Law Students’ Essay Competition

EDITOR’S MERIT AWARDS

Business Icon of the Year
Legal Icon of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award
Role Model Award
Global Legal Icon-Female Category
Global Legal Icon-Male Category
Legislative Icon of the year
Life Time Achievement Award
Regulatory Body of the Year
Leadership and Good Governance in Africa-X2
Business Lawyer of the Year
Company Secretary of the Year

CORPORATE IN-HOUSE COUNSEL CATEGORY

This category is dedicated to the invaluable contributions of the corporate In-House lawyers to the development of Nigerian businesses. The section recognises not only legal contributions but also role in elevating the value of lawyers as indispensable partners to businesses.

Banking & Finance
Capital Market & Investment
Energy & Power
Information Technology
Infrastructure
Insurance
Manufacturing
Media & Entertainment
Oil & Gas
Shipping & Transport
Telecommunications
CSR
Tax
Real Estate & Construction
Public Legal
General Counsel of the Year
Corporate Resructuring
Corporate Governance
Fintech

YOUNG LAWYER OF THE YEAR

Recognising outstanding achievement young lawyers below partners level, This category will this year focus on the rising stars tipped for great things by their colleagues, peers and advisers.

CROSS BORDER TRANSACTION OF THE YEAR

Eligibility
Open to specialist Nigerian-based team.
NB. Law firms are restricted to one entry.

Entry Criteria
Entries for this award should focus on a single case that sets new standards in the delivery of legal services in this practice area and demonstrates the firm’s market-leading position. The judges will be looking for evidence of:

Where possible, the entry submission should highlight initiatives that best exemplify the team’s performance.

LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

The most outstanding law firms of the last 12 months make the shortlist in this, our most prestigious award. The Firm of the year will be the law firm which can clearly demonstrate growth in all areas of their business in the course of the year. The winner of this award will be determined solely by the Judges and winner will only be released at the Award dinner.

CRITERIA:

Judges will be looking for firms that have taken the market by storm and have achieved more than their direct competitors and peers. Achievements may include the successful development of new practice areas, expansion into new international or domestic markets, new client wins, the completion of a strategic merger or acquisition, improved financial performance, or a successful recruitment policy.

Judges will be more concerned with demonstrable evidence of growth in revenue, firm size, number of deals completed in the course of the year, employee retention, investment in training and capacity development, number of hours of pro bono work, support for the Nigerian Bar Association, Peer recognition, international ranking, merit based recruitment exercise, effective deployment of technology and client care.

One of the most important factor for determining a winner will be succession planning. The winning firm must be a true partnership and not a one man business coloured in the form of a partnership. All these must be clearly demonstrated in a 1000 word statement in support of the nomination.

INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR

Eligibility

Open to International law firms that have close nexus with the Nigeria. Entry Criteria Entries must convince the judges that they are not only leaders in their chosen markets, but that they have made significant progress over the past 12-18 months.

The judges will expect to see evidence of:

– Legal expertise and innovation

– Strategic vision – Business winning

– Client care – Employee development

– A commitment to diversity and corporate social responsibility

– Sustainable improvements in financial performance

The entry submission should highlight deals, cases, client wins and initiatives that best exemplify the firm’s performance.

NATIONAL/REGIONAL FIRM OF THE YEAR

This award highlights the Nigerian-based national or regional firm (with headquarters outside Lagos and Abuja) that has made the most significant progress over the past year in advancing its strategy. Key factors taken into account will be evidence of effective leadership, impressive financial performance and increased market share across the firm’s major practice areas.

EDITOR’S AWARDS

GOVERNOR OF THE YEAR

Open to serving state Governors who are lawyers and who have made considerable contributions to legal development in Nigeria.

CRITERIA

A Conscientious service in the Public Sector

Completed projects which transformed the economy of the state and the governed

Adherence to the Rule of Law

Demonstrable contributions to justice sector development.

NB: nominations will be made by the editors of ESQ but final decision will be made by the judges.

LEGAL AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR (LEGISLATURE)

Open to serving members of the National or State Assemblies who are lawyers and who have made considerable contributions to legal development in Nigeria.

NB: nominations will be made by the editors of ESQ but final decision will be made by the judges.

Eligibility

This will be based on Bills sponsored in the House and the impact of such on the overall development of Business in Nigeria aswell as to the entrenchment of democratic ethos.

Criteria

The judges will be looking for evidence of:– Leadership qualities

- Legislative contributions

- Team work

- professionalism

- Bills sponsored and its impact on Businesses and the economy

- Media rating

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

This is a special class of award that will be given to an outstanding legal practitioner in Nigeria or of Nigerian decent who have achieved excellence and have tremendous contributions to the development of Business law globally. Candidates will be judged on their contributions to the legal profession, their accomplishments of note over the course of their career, as well as their overall leadership and influence on the Nigerian legal sector.

PRACTICE MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD

This category of Award is set up in recognition of the unique role played by non-lawyer managers in the effective management of modern law firms. Nominations will be called from practice managers within law firms.

Eligibility:

Nominees will be asked to outline their contribution to the management of the firm and their ability to assist in easing the processes and procedures undertaken by lawyers during day-to-day tasks, and any unique programs that they believe set their practice management capabilities apart from other law firms. Nominees will be judged on employee and employer buy-in, practical results and leadership.

Criteria

Brief CV of entrant; including achievements of note during their time with their current organisation
Outline of significant contribution(s) the entrant has made to the management of the firm, including demonstrable examples of the solid introduction of new processes and procedures relevant to the management of the law firm. Please include any relevant details on how such actions have assisted a lawyer’s day-to-day tasks, and why such programs are particularly unique
Reference from a key individual within the firm who can outline how their work has been influenced by the entrant

REGULATORY BODY OF THE YEAR

This is a special class of award that will be given to a Regulatory Body that has been most responsive to legal reforms and economic development in Nigeria.

The Judges will be looking out for proactivity, responsiveness and initiated reforms.

The winner must be an agency who in the estimation of lawyers is supporting business development in Nigeria.

Nomination will be open to all regulatory Agencies set up by the law in Nigeria.

BEST CSR INITIATIVE

Nomination will be open to all Nigerian law firms.

© 2024 ESQ Awards. All rights reserved | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY

Privacy Preference Center

Privacy Preferences

Privacy Policy

1. Scope and Contact

This Privacy Policy applies to personal data collected by ESQ Trainings Limited on websites (including mobile sites and apps) which link to this Privacy Policy. This includes data collected via registration forms, surveys, online learning tools, competition entries, at events (including awards), if you contact us (online, by post, telephone, or social media), and in the course of providing our services.

ESQ Trainings Limited organizes the Nigerian Legal Awards and publishes ESQ Legal Practice Magazine. When we mention "ESQ Trainings," "we," "us," or "our" in this Privacy Policy, we are referring to ESQ Trainings Limited, responsible for processing your personal data (being the “data controller”).

Your privacy is very important to us, and this Privacy Policy sets out how we will process your personal data and what rights you have in respect of your own personal data. We will securely store and process personal data which you have provided to us.

The aim of this Privacy Policy is to tell you how we will use any personal data we collect or you provide to us. Please read it carefully before you proceed.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your rights in respect of your personal data, please contact us at privacy@nigerianlegalawards.com. We have appointed a data protection officer who can be contacted at the same email address.

2. What Personal Data Do We Collect?

You do not have to give us any personal data to browse our websites. However, if you wish to register on our websites or mobile apps, subscribe to a service, book places at events, request further information, contact us, complete any surveys, provide feedback on our services, participate in any online learning tools, enter competitions, register for a course, or provide content for our events or inclusion on our websites (e.g., blogs or other online forums), we will collect certain data, including personal data. The data we collect may include:

- Title, name, address, business phone number(s), email address, and gender;
- Employment details, such as your current role and responsibilities, experience, seniority, salary, and education;
- Information about your organization and the industry that you work in;
- Areas of interest which you have notified us about, as well as what we can infer from your engagement with our products and services;
- Your CV;
- Your marketing preferences;
- Your newsletter preferences;
- Your job alert preferences;
- Data collected from social networking sites;
- Information regarding materials that you might be interested in (for example, information regarding materials we share on our networking platforms);
- Chat history (for example, any comments you make via the chat feature on our networking platforms); and
- Any other information that you submit to us, including any information that you share on our networking platforms (for example, opinions or career updates you may post about, any information you provide when you comment on a post, or your profile picture).

We may receive the above information directly from you (for example, when you register for an event or join one of our networking platforms) or from your colleague or corporate contact who registers for a subscription, course, network, or event on your behalf. We may also receive personal data about you from third parties with whom we have a contractual relationship, for example, our networking platform providers when you sign up for one of our networking platforms.

Please note that not all of the information we request is mandatory to provide you with our services. For example, you are not required to provide any optional information when setting up a profile on one of our networking platforms.

When you choose for your LinkedIn information to be used to auto-populate your profile on our networking platform, we will receive personal data about you from LinkedIn.

3. How Will Your Personal Data Be Used and Shared?

In accordance with data protection legislation, we will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis for doing so. These bases are: (i) where it is necessary for the performance of a contract we have with you; (ii) where you have provided your consent; (iii) where it is necessary for us to comply with a legal obligation that we are subject to; or (iv) where it is in our (or a third party’s) legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms.

Specifically, we will process your personal data for the following purposes and lawful bases:

- Providing Products and Services: To provide the products and services you (or the company you work for) have ordered or signed-up to (necessary for a contract or, where your company contracts with us, our legitimate interests in fulfilling our contract with the company you work for).
- Event Registration and Administration: To register you for events and administer those events, including informing the venues of any dietary or access requirements you may have told us about (necessary for a contract and necessary to comply with our legal obligations).
- Networking Platforms: To invite you to join our networking platforms and administer your membership (our legitimate interests in operating the network, including the development of our brand).
- Customer Service: To provide customer services and administer our websites and mobile apps, such as access controls (legitimate interests of us and our customers to ensure good quality service and security).
- Marketing and Communication: To notify you of key information in relation to your subscription, course, network you have joined, or any events you are attending, including via notifications on our networking platforms (necessary for a contract and legitimate interests of our customers to ensure they are up to date with necessary information).
- Identity Verification and Purchases: To verify your identity and details of your purchase (necessary to comply with our legal obligations).
- Analytics and Improvement: To gather information to form statistical and trend analysis, monitor user demographics, and improve our products, services, events, and marketing practices (legitimate interests of us to better understand our users and improve our offerings).
- Feedback and Surveys: To seek your feedback and send you surveys to help us improve our services (legitimate interests of us to ensure customer satisfaction and improve our services).
- Security and Compliance: To monitor and analyze the use of any account to prevent, investigate, and/or report fraud, terrorism, misrepresentation, security incidents, or crime (legitimate interests of us and our users for security).

4. Cookies

We use cookies to collect information about you online. Please read our [Cookie Policy]() for further information on the cookies we use and how you can enable/disable them.

5. Your Rights

You have the right to:

- Access your personal data.
- Request correction of your personal data.
- Request erasure of your personal data.
- Object to processing of your personal data.
- Request restriction of processing your personal data.
- Request transfer of your personal data.
- Withdraw consent.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your rights in respect of your personal data, please contact us at privacy@nigerianlegalawards.com.

6. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on our website. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

7. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

ESQ Trainings Limited
Email: privacy@nigerianlegalawards.com
Address: 22 Dr Omon Ebhomenye St, off Awudu Ekpekha Boulevard Street, off Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos 106104, Lagos

Marketing Communications

Our Own Marketing: We may occasionally contact you via email, SMS, telephone, or post to inform you about our products and services, including offerings from all our brands. This communication is based on our legitimate interests to promote our services and those of our customers, keeping you updated on relevant promotions, events, and subscriptions related to your profession and job role.

From the Brand You Registered With: We will use your personal data to send you marketing information about products, services, and events from the specific brand whose website or event you registered with.

From Other Brands Within Our Business: We may also send you marketing information about products, services, and events from other brands within our business that we believe may interest you.

Promoting Content and Events: We contact existing customers and business professionals who might be interested in our content and events, as well as those of our clients and sponsors. This includes individuals whose details were provided to us by third-party data providers. This practice is based on our legitimate interests to maximize engagement with our content and events.

Opting-Out: You can opt-out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time. If you wish to stop receiving such communications or change the communication channels we use, click the unsubscribe link in any email you receive or email your preferences to preferences@centaurmedia.com.

Third-Party Marketing: With your consent or under specific circumstances, we may share your registration information (name, job title, contact details) with third parties for marketing purposes.

Other Ways We Use and Share Your Personal Data

Group Companies: We may share your personal data with other companies within the Centaur Media group for the purposes mentioned above, which aligns with our legitimate interests for internal efficiencies.

Events: If you attend one of our events, we may share your name, job title, and company with other attendees, potentially via event apps, social media, or event guides. For some events, like awards and round tables, this information sharing is a fundamental part of the event and is based on legitimate interests. For virtual events, we may use third-party service providers to facilitate the event, sharing your information as needed for event administration.

Awards: If you enter one of our awards and are shortlisted, your name and organization details will be included in related award materials. This sharing is based on legitimate interests to allow visibility of contenders to other entrants and attendees.

Event Sponsors: We may share your registration and attendance information with event sponsors who may contact you for marketing purposes. This sharing is based on legitimate interests to attract suitable sponsors and facilitate business-to-business communications.

Event Marketing: We may share your job title and company with potential attendees of future events for marketing purposes. If you attend seminars or presentations hosted by third parties at our events, we may share your registration information with the hosts, who may contact you about their products and services.

Event Consent: If you agree to share your details with sponsors or exhibitors at events, such as by scanning your event badge, we will share your information with those parties who may then contact you.

Event Filming and Photography: We may use films, photographs, broadcasts, or recordings of events for internal purposes, marketing, editorial content, and to show potential sponsors. This use is based on legitimate interests for training, promotional, and content enhancement purposes.

Sponsored Webinars and Whitepapers: When you sign up for sponsored content, your sign-up details are shared with the sponsor, who may contact you. This sharing supports our legitimate interests in offering premium content for free and facilitating business relationships. If you prefer not to share your details, we usually offer alternative ways to access the content.

Networking Platforms: Your profile on our networking platforms will be visible to other members unless you change your settings. Information you provide in posts or comments will also be visible to other members.

Hivebrite: We use Hivebrite for the Mini MBA Alumni Network. Any personal data provided when using this platform is shared with Hivebrite. Refer to Hivebrite’s privacy notice for their data usage policies.

Job Sites: When you apply for a job through our websites, we share your application with the respective recruiter/employer. If you consent to make your CV and contact details available to all recruiters on our job websites, we will share this information accordingly.

Corporate Subscriptions: If your employer has a corporate subscription, we may share your usage information with them. This sharing is based on legitimate interests to help employers understand how their staff are using purchased resources.

Service Providers: We use third-party service providers for website hosting, maintenance, call center operations, event management, and customer relationship management. These providers may process your personal data, but we control and are responsible for their use of your data, ensuring they adhere to our instructions and contractual obligations.

Aggregate Information: We may use aggregated information for website administration, trend analysis, demographic studies, and fraud detection. This information is usually anonymized.

Online Advertising: We may share some of your information with advertisers and ad networks to deliver targeted advertising. This activity may involve cookies and other technologies, and we will seek your consent for their use.

Surveys: Survey responses are generally aggregated and anonymized for research. If you provide identifiable information in your responses, we may be able to identify you. Your email address, if provided for prize entry, will be used only for prize administration.

Administration of Justice: We may be required by law to disclose personal data in certain situations, such as legal claims or administration of justice.

Other Uses: We process personal data from individuals featured in our publications and products, and use publicly available sources to research prospective customers for marketing purposes.

Sale of the Business: In the event of a business sale or integration, your details will be disclosed to advisors and new owners, based on legitimate interests related to the transaction.

Fraud Prevention and Automated Decision-Making: Third-party payment service providers may check payment details to prevent fraud. Automated decisions based on card validity may occur, and you can request further investigation if you are denied service.

Transfer Outside Nigeria, Africa, UK and EEA: We may transfer personal data to countries outside the UK and EEA, including the USA and India, for storage and event purposes. Adequate safeguard measures will be in place for these transfers.

Links to Other Websites: Our site may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for their privacy policies or practices.

Security: We implement technical and organizational measures to secure your data, but cannot guarantee complete security against unauthorized access.

Your Rights: You have various rights regarding your personal data, including access, rectification, erasure, objection to processing, and more. These rights can be exercised by contacting us at customerdata@centaurmedia.com. California residents have additional rights under state law.

Updating Your Data: You can review, correct, update, or change your personal data by contacting us or through your online account settings.

Retention: We retain your data for up to seven years following the end of our services or last contact, with possible extensions for legal obligations.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy: We will update this Privacy Policy as needed and take reasonable steps to notify you of significant changes.

Contact Us: For any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at awards@nigerianlegalawards.com.

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