FT Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers 2022 open for submissions
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Although the world is starting to recover from the pandemic, there is a clear need for businesses to build resilience before the next big crisis, whether that is another pandemic, geopolitical turbulence, or climate change.
Lawyers’ innovations are more important than ever to help build sustainable, long-term organisations.
The 2022 FT Innovative Lawyers Asia-Pacific report will explore the key trends and transformations taking place in the legal sector. We will use surveys on data and technology and the practice of law to supplement the research.
The accompanying FT Innovative Lawyers Asia-Pacific awards event will feature panels of industry leaders to explore how the profession is undergoing transformative change.
Submissions
Private practice categories
Law firms are invited to make a maximum of seven submissions across six categories. Submissions will be researched by the RSGI research team using benchmarks, interviews, surveys and other research. The overall ranking of the most innovative law firms in Asia-Pacific will be based on the aggregate score for each firm’s top ranked submissions, plus a score for the firm’s use of data and technology. Submitting firms will be asked to complete a short questionnaire about their use of technology and data, which will be shared with submitting firms after all submissions have been received. All surveys are confidential and answers will be anonymised.
Business of law: submissions are invited from law firms on any initiatives or projects relating to law firm strategy, management or operations. This could include new business, resourcing or delivery models, firm-wide digital or transformation programmes, new ways of working with clients, or other firm-wide business innovations. (One submission per firm)
Practice of law: submissions are invited from teams working in any legal practice with specific examples or case studies that demonstrate the changing practice of law. The submissions should show how lawyers have crossed professional sector boundaries, created new standards, delivered outstanding outcomes for clients or created new practice areas, with originality and impact. (Two submissions per firm)
Individual practitioners: submissions are invited for individual legal practitioners who are leading innovation within their firm and/or practice group. The submissions should show how the individual has changed the way legal work is done, how they have influenced their firms, industry, business or wider society, and how they are changing the way the firm works with its clients. Please note that individuals who have previously been profiled as individuals in an FT Innovative Lawyers report are not eligible for this category. (One individual per firm)
Individual leaders and change makers: submissions are invited for individual leaders and change makers. This could include but is not limited to managing and senior partners, chairs, chief executives, other C-suite leaders and departmental heads, and heads of innovation and transformation. They must show a record of innovation and impact within their organisations, whether through improving growth and financial performance, diversity and inclusion, changing culture and behaviours, or driving innovation or firm-wide transformation. Please note that individuals who have previously been profiled as innovative leaders or change makers in an FT Innovative Lawyers report are not eligible for this category. (One individual per firm)
People and skills: submissions are invited from law firms that describe ways in which working culture and practices have changed beyond the immediate response to the pandemic. Submissions are invited from law firms that are rethinking workplaces, how they work, or the way they recruit, train, engage and develop their staff. (One submission per firm)
Social justice, inclusion and diversity: submissions are invited that detail innovative ways in which firms are addressing challenges of social injustice or social inequality, including inclusion and diversity initiatives. (One submission per firm)
Corporate law department categories
In-house teams are invited to make one submission to each of the following four categories. Please also include contact details for the general counsel and a commercial reference who can be made available for interview.
Strategic and risk advice: this includes where the general counsel and legal function have partnered with the business to give commercial and strategic advice that has significantly enhanced the organisation, including accelerating growth, increasing trust and transparency, or pre-empting problems and securing the business from threats. (One submission per company)
Legal operations: ways in which legal operations have been transformed or enhanced, particularly through better processes or an improved use of technology and data. (One submission per company)
People and skills: ways in which working culture and practices have changed beyond the immediate response to the pandemic, including rethinking workplaces, how people work, or the way the business recruits, trains, engages and progresses its staff. This can relate specifically to the legal team, or the role the legal team is playing in helping the business adapt to new ways of working. (One submission per company)
ESG, social justice, and inclusion and diversity: submissions are invited that detail innovative ways in which legal teams are helping their businesses and industries meet environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals. Submissions are also invited on initiatives to address challenges of social injustice or social inequality, or inclusion and diversity. (One submission per company)
How the report and the awards are assessed
The report will feature a selection of the submissions received, along with articles based on surveys and other qualitative research methods. The submission deadline is January 20, 2022. The research process will run from January to March. The report will be published with the Financial Times newspaper on Friday May 13, 2022 and an awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 12, 2022.
There is no cost for submitting entries but the project will be subject to the terms and conditions outlined in detail below.
The research partner for the FT Innovative Lawyers programme is RSGI, a specialist research and consulting company with decades of experience analysing the legal industry.
How to submit entries
All submissions must be made via the online submissions form at https://ftinnovativelawyers.highq.com/. To register an account to access the forms, please email ftresearch@rsgi.co to request login details.
Submission format
All private practice law firm submissions must provide the following details and address the criteria set out below. Please note that word limits are enforced in the online entry forms.
The challenge: What commercial problem or business issue is being solved? (75 word limit)
Description of the innovation: A brief description of the individual, team or initiative. (75 word limit)
Originality: Why is the individual, team or initiative innovative? Which elements are most original? (200 word limit)
Leadership: What role did the lawyers, firm, individual or legal department play? For which aspects of the solution, approach or implementation were the lawyers responsible? How did you arrive at the specific approach or solution that was finally adopted? (200 word limit)
Impact: What was the impact of the innovation for the client, firm or key stakeholders? How can its success be measured? Where did the lawyers deliver the most value? Please include hard evidence. (200 word limit)
References: All submissions must include contact details for at least one internal and at least one client or other external reference who can be contacted to discuss the details of the innovation on a confidential basis.
Rules for submitting
Time period: the 2022 ranking will assess innovations instituted from January 1, 2021 onwards. Submissions must be no longer than 750 words in total, written in English and answer each of the questions on the entry form.
Assessment of submissions
Submissions will be fully researched and will be assessed on their own merits. The RSGI research team also uses independent experts in the assessment process. Entries will be judged against other submissions in each category.
Innovations and innovators will be scored for their originality, leadership and impact out of a total of 30 points.
Client references are a critical part of the assessment process. Contact details for internal and client or external referees must be included on every submission. All submissions are assessed by RSGI, which uses a process of interviews with clients, submitting lawyers and experts. The submissions are then scored against a bespoke ranking methodology, devised for the FT to assess innovation in law firms.
The rankings will be based primarily on submissions received but will also include fresh research, surveys and other qualitative research methods to uncover legal innovation in the region.
Assessment criteria will be based on local norms and benchmarks of innovation.
Awards and report schedule
January 20 — deadline for submissions
March — awards shortlists revealed
May 12 — awards event
May 13 — report publication on FT.com and with the Financial Times newspaper
Contact details
For research/submission questions please contact RSGI at ftresearch@rsgi.co.
For editorial inquiries please contact Harriet Arnold at the FT at harriet.arnold@ft.com (please put FTILAP in the subject field).
For advertising opportunities or other research sponsorship opportunities please contact Robert Grange, global franchise development director and head of special reports at the FT, robert.grange@ft.com or +44 (0) 207873 4418; or Alex Roszkowski, account manager, legal, at the FT, at alex.roszkowski@ft.com, +44 (0) 7481 606760.
For inquiries about the awards event, please contact katie.jacobs@ft.com.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
There is no fee for entering submissions to FT Asia-Pacific innovative Lawyers 2022.
The researchers reserve the right to move entries from one category to another if they feel it appropriate. The researchers’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The FT and RSGI accept no responsibility for the loss or damage of material submitted.
The FT reserves the right to publish the names of the firm or lawyers contained in the shortlist of outstanding entries, details and description of all entries and details of winners. All entrants grant the FT a perpetual, non-exclusive licence to publish details and descriptions of entries as referred to, and also agree to participate in publicity reasonably requested by the FT regarding their entry. The FT acknowledges that copyright in all entries remains vested with the entrants.
If you are shortlisted for, or win, an award, then the FT may at its discretion allow you to use the relevant FT Innovative Lawyers logo on your marketing materials. You acknowledge that FT is the owner of the logo and all related goodwill and agree that your use of the logo must be in accordance with any applicable FT branding guidelines in force from time to time or any instructions from the FT, that you will not use it as part of a composite mark or logo, and you will not use it in a manner which causes or is likely to cause confusion or a misleading association between your business and the FT, or damage to FT’s goodwill or reputation, or to the validity of any FT trademark. FT may terminate your right to use the logo at any time.
Please do not include any confidential information in your entry that you do not wish to enter the public domain because the FT is unable to guarantee that such information will not be published as set out above. Any inclusion of confidential information in an entry is at the entrant’s sole risk and responsibility and in knowledge of the FT’s request not to do so.
The FT reserves the right to cancel, postpone or suspend FT Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers 2022 at any time and to exclude any entries which it considers are inappropriate or do not comply with these terms and conditions. False or deceptive entries will render the entrant ineligible and such entries will be discarded.
The FT and RSGI cannot accept responsibility for, or liability arising from, entrants taking part in the awards. To the fullest extent permissible by law, the FT and RSGI exclude liability for all loss, damage or claim arising as a result of your entry to FT Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers 2022.
These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law. Disputes arising in connection with the awards shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
By submitting an entry, entrants will be deemed to have read, understood and agreed to these terms and conditions on behalf of their firm or organisation.
The submitter warrants that it has obtained all necessary consents required under applicable data protection and privacy laws to allow the sharing of any personal data contained in the submission with the FT. Contact information will only be used for the purposes of assessing each submission and will be processed in accordance with our privacy policy.
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