Every year professional bodies and legal publishers hand out awards recognising women in the law, from rising-star prizes for junior lawyers to lifetime achievement honours for people whose careers have shaped a firm or a field. Firms announce them proudly. Clients and young lawyers are entitled to ask what they mean.
Different kinds of award
- Bar association honours. The American Bar Association's Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, first given in 1991, is chosen by an ABA commission and recognises lawyers who have achieved professional excellence and paved the way for other women. Similar awards are given by national and local bar bodies in many countries.
- Publisher awards. Legal magazines and directories run award programmes, often with categories such as deal of the year, team of the year and lifetime achievement. Some are judged by independent panels; others rely heavily on nominations submitted by firms.
- Firm and client awards. Some recognitions are given by clients or industry groups, for example in intellectual property or insurance law.
What to look for
A meaningful award usually has a published process, judges whose names are known, criteria that go beyond self-nomination, and no requirement to pay to enter or attend. Awards that charge entry fees or require the purchase of a table at a dinner are not necessarily worthless, but they are marketing as much as recognition.
Why career awards matter
Lifetime and career awards for women lawyers are partly a corrective. For much of the 20th century women were excluded from many firms and bar associations, and those who got in often did so without recognition. Honouring a whole career makes visible the people who opened doors, and gives younger lawyers examples to follow.
They also highlight a persistent gap. Women have been at least half of law graduates for years in many countries, but are still under-represented among senior partners and judges. Our article on Black women in the federal judiciary looks at one part of that picture.