Nearly 150 individuals are today shortlisted for the Women and Diversity in Law Awards which will showcase the achievements of representatives from 125 legal businesses, in-house legal teams, suppliers and non-profits.

The diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) champions are competing across 32 categories to secure awards at the ceremony, which is hosted by The Global Legal Post and will take place at The Brewery in London on 13 March.

Showcase categories include Woman of the Year, Law Firm Leader, DE&I Champion, Mentor and Unsung Hero – among the individual categories – as well as DE&I Programme of the Year amongst the team categories.

The shortlist has been chosen from nearly 350 entries and features law firms including Addleshaw Goddard, BCLP, Clyde & Co, DLA Piper, Paul Hastings, Skadden and Taylor Wessing among many others. 

Chambers in the roster include 33 Bedford Row, Serjeants’ Inn, St Philips and Wilberforce while in-house individuals and teams have been fielded by companies including AB InBev, AXA, Nokia, Softbank and Vodafone.

The International Bar Association, whistleblowing charity Protect and the Charity Commission among the non-profits in the running for awards. 

The 2024 awards follow the success of the 2023 ceremony, which featured legendary diversity campaigner Baroness Floella Benjamin and was attended by some 400 finalists, awards judges and other representatives of the UK legal profession.

Individual winners included Reed Smith’s European managing partner Tamara Box and Natalie Sutherland, co-founder of the In/Fertility in the City initiative, while successful law firms included Browne Jacobson, CMS, Clifford Chance, FieldFisher, RPC and Travers Smith, with barristers’ sets Matrix Chambers and 4 Pump Court also among those recognised. 

For a second year, mental health charity LawCare is confirmed as the awards’ official charity, with its chief executive, Elizabeth Rimmer, joining the judging panel. 

The 30-strong roster of judges includes former Law Society president and recipient of law year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, I Stephanie Boyce; Sanjay Bhandari, chair of Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion charity; Lesley Wan, the recently appointed general counsel of UK banking startup All Africa Capital and founder of the Through the Looking Glass charity; and Uzma Hamid-Dizier, director of responsible business and inclusion at Slaughter and May.

Click here to read the shortlist and here to book a table. For sponsorship enquiries email [email protected].