Award Process

If you work for a law firm that advises on transactional work relevant to our award categories, you can participate in the award by completing the entry form.

Firms can submit one entry form for each practice area category. To view award categories, click here.

The entry form asks for basic information on the structure and focus of the practice, recent changes to the team, and up to 20 highlight deals per practice area. In the 2022 research cycle, highlight deals should be mandates which the firm has done substantial work on since January 1, 2022, or which closed after this date.

Firms can provide an unlimited number of client referees in support of submissions. All referees provided by the initial submission deadline will be contacted by e-mail, mobile or office visit, to ask for feedback on firms’ and lawyers’ work.

 

Firm ranking / lawyer rating methodology

Our Award process is judged based on three key criteria:

1. Transactional evidence

In each research cycle we ask firms to provide transactional highlights from a designated period.

Transactional evidence is the decisive factor we use to determine a category winner. For a firm to nominate in a category, it must a have track record of advising on transactional work relevant to the award category. The same applies to the nomination of rising stars; lawyers must have been working on significant deals in some capacity to be nominated.

Primarily firms submit deals to us via the nomination form. Our research team also monitors daily deal news and updates to complement this.

We also analyse statistical evidence of transaction values and volumes produced by external publications.

2. Client feedback

We contact client referees as part of our Client Survey to get their opinions on both the firms and lawyers they use.

Client feedback is used in support of transactional evidence when determining a category winner. What this means is good feedback alone will not ensure a firm or lawyer wins a category – A firm or individual must be experienced in advising on significant transactional work.

When you submit you must provide referees for all the lawyers at the firm you feel should be nominated in the rising star category. A lawyer working on significant deals who receives a reasonable amount of good client feedback is more likely to be nominated in the rising star category.

Increasing response rates of referees:

Below are some tips that we have found help increase the number of referees who respond to our survey.

  • Confirm that your referees are happy for us to contact them before you provide their details to us.
  • Only provide referees the firm has advised on work relevant to the category nominated for.
  • Only provide referees the firm has advised on relevant work since January 2022.
  • Notify your referees when we will be contacting them. We email all firms in advance of contacting their referees with provide precise details about the email the referees they will receive – please pass this information on to your referees.

3. Peer feedback

During each research cycle we conduct an online Lawyer Survey of lawyers to get their thoughts and feedback on the firms and lawyers in their markets. All partners, general counsels and senior lawyers active in work relevant research to categories nominated for.

We conduct a significant number of phone and face-to-face interviews with practitioners, where we ask for feedback on firms, in-house legal departments and discuss trends. By discussing market trends we are able to gain a better understanding of what the most significant deals in the market have been recently, which helps us assess work submitted to us.

Peer feedback can be particularly useful for individual ratings as lawyers are well placed to recognize the leaders in their own practice areas.

Peer feedback is secondary to client feedback and we only take this type of feedback into account where it is supported by deal evidence.

 

All entries must adhere to these basic requirements and rules:

  • All entries must conform to the set format; kindly ensure you answer all questions for the category you are entering for. ESQ Legal Award judges are very busy yet detailed people and will appreciate simplicity and precision in every entry.
  • All entries must contain the following basic information: the category entered for, information about the firm or company being nominated, at least five referees with their names, emails and mobile numbers (in the case of individual entrants), and a word document detailing why the nominee deserves to win the award. Click here for Publishers advice on how to make your entry count
  • If you are nominating a third party, please provide as much information as possible. Contact details for the nominee are extremely important.
    •  All individual entrants are required to provide up to 5 referees (including their contact details) for their entry. To ensure the credibility of the nomination, the ESQ Research team will be contacting the referees supplied to gather background information about all entries.
    • All entries must focus on cases, matters or transactions carried out in Nigeria.

Please note: In the event that your entry is shortlisted, all entry form details e.g. Entry title/Name of deal as completed in the online entry process will be used on Awards collateral (e.g. Website, Awards graphics, Awards Supplement, and in the event that your entry wins the trophy).