LawCareers.Net Award winners inspire new generation of lawyers

On 24 May 2012 240 guests attended the ninth annual LawCareers.Net Training & Recruitment Awards (the TARAs). The awards, which recognised the best recruiters and trainers among law firms, were based on a large survey of over 2,300 trainee and newly qualified solicitors. This year saw the introduction of two new awards; the Best Training Principal award and the Law Lecturer of the Year award.

LawCareers.Net publisher Matthew Broadbent said: "Once again we are delighted to celebrate the achievements of the many employers who give their recruits the opportunity and support to excel. This year we have added awards for other key stakeholders in the process. Training principals are, formally, the leaders of the whole training experience so we have identified those who have provided genuine inspiration and leadership. We've also turned to law lecturers who supply not only the basic knowledge required, but also the spark that ignites a genuine love for the law that in turn fires a career in the profession."

The winners were:

WRIGLEYS SOLICITORS LLP
Best recruiter - Small firm

ALAN EDWARDS & CO
Best trainer - Small firm

NOCKOLDS LLP
Best recruiter - Medium regional firm

THOMSON SNELL & PASSMORE
Best trainer - Medium regional firm

RPC
Best recruiter - Medium City firm

FARRER & CO LLP
Best trainer - Medium City firm

SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER & FLOM (UK) LLP
Best recruiter - US firm in the City

KIRKLAND & ELLIS INTERNATIONAL LLP
Best trainer - US firm in the City

BURGES SALMON
Best recruiter - National/large regional firm

PANNONE LLP
Best trainer - National/large regional firm

SJ BERWIN
Best recruiter - Large City firm

BAKER & MCKENZIE
Best trainer - Large City firm

INCE & CO LLP
Best work placement scheme - City firm

OSBORNE CLARKE
Best work placement scheme - Regional firm

RICHARD WEBB - COBBETTS LLP
Best training principal (large trainee intake)

TABITHA CAVE - VEALE WASBROUGH VIZARDS
Best training principal (small trainee intake)

BAKER & MCKENZIE
Commendation for Diversity

ELIZA VARNEY - KEELE UNIVERSITY
Law Lecturer of the Year

The Commendation for Diversity, in association with BLD Foundation and Pathways to Law, was presented to Baker & McKenzie. Phil Moss, project manager for Pathways to Law, commented: "The excellent submissions for this year's Commendation for Diversity demonstrated how far law firms have embraced the need for greater diversity in the profession and highlighted the outstanding work being done to ensure opportunities exist for all." Debo Nwauzu, chair of BLD Foundation, stated: "The Diversity Award applicants have demonstrated through their policies and practices that diversity is a serious and necessary part of their companies, and are setting excellent examples for others to aspire to."

Here's the full list of nominees:

Best Recruiter - Small Firm
Atherton Godfrey
The Compensation Lawyers Ltd
Cozens-Hardy LLP
McHale & Company
Maples Teesdale LLP
Wrigleys Solicitors LLP

Best Trainer - Small Firm
Alan Edwards & Co
Atherton Godfrey
Hanne & Co
Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors LLP
Pothecary Witham Weld

Best Recruiter - Medium Regional Firm
Knights Solicitors LLP
Nockolds LLP
Stephens Scown
Stevens & Bolton LLP
TLT LLP
Trethowans LLP
Wiggin LLP

Best Trainer - Medium Regional Firm
Birkett Long LLP
Cripps Harries Hall LLP
EMW Law LLP
Henmans LLP
Mundays LLP
Thomas Eggar
Thomson Snell & Passmore

Best Recruiter - National/Large Regional Firm
Bond Pearce LLP
Burges Salmon
DLA Piper UK LLP
Mills & Reeve LLP
Osborne Clarke
Pinsent Masons LLP
Wragge & Co LLP

Best Trainer - National/ Large Regional Firm
Blake Lapthorn
Browne Jacobson LLP
Cobbetts LLP
Dickinson Dees LLP
Pannone LLP
Shoosmiths
Weightmans

Best Recruiter - Medium City Firm
Charles Russell LLP
Kennedys
Macfarlanes LLP
Penningtons Solicitors LLP
RPC
Travers Smith LLP

Best Trainer - Medium City Firm
Bristows
Collyer Bristow LLP
Farrer & Co LLP
Goodman Derrick LLP
Hodge Jones & Allen LLP
Ince & Co LLP
K&L Gates LLP
Russell-Cooke LLP

Best Recruiter - US Firm in the City
Covington & Burling LLP
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP
Vinson & Elkins RLLP
Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Best Trainer - US Firm in the City
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP
McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (Europe) LLP
Shearman & Sterling LLP

Best Recruiter - Large City Firm
Allen & Overy LLP
Ashurst LLP
Berwin Leighton Paisner
Clyde & Co LLP
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Nabarro LLP
SJ Berwin
Slaughter and May

Best Trainer - Large City Firm
Baker & McKenzie
Berwin Leighton Paisner
Bird & Bird
CMS Cameron McKenna LLP
Mayer Brown International LLP
Reed Smith
Taylor Wessing

Best Work Placement Scheme - Regional Firm
Dickinson Dees LLP
Eversheds LLP
Michelmores
Mills & Reeve LLP
Osborne Clarke
Tees Solicitors

Best Work Placement Scheme - City Firm
Edwards Wildman Palmer UK LLP
Ince & Co LLP
Latham & Watkins
Nabarro LLP
Simmons & Simmons LLP
Speechly Bircham LLP

Best Training Principal (small trainee intake)
Graham French - Alan Edwards & Co
Helen Clark - Edwards Wildman Palmer UK LLP
Richard Jones - Knights Solicitors LLP
Nicola Richards - Trethowans LLP
Tabitha Cave - Veale Wasbrough Vizards
Simon Baggs - Wiggin LLP

Best Training Principal (large trainee intake)
Richard Webb - Cobbetts LLP
Edward Miller - Field Fisher Waterhouse
John Hornby - Macfarlanes LLP
Justin Cornelius - Nabarro LLP
Andrea Cohen - Pannone LLP
Iain Scoon - Shearman & Sterling LLP

Law Lecturer of the Year
Anne Bottomley - University of Kent
Rodney Brazier - University of Manchester
Jeremy Horder - King’s College London
Siobhan McConnell - University of Northumbria
John Spencer - University of Cambridge
Eliza Varney - Keele University