Nominations for the 10th annual ALB China Law Awards are now open. With improved submission procedures, enhanced methodology and increased transparency, this year’s awards will reflect the overall progress of ALB China and its business. The eventual winners, to be announced at our grand gala event on March 28, 2013, will be chosen from amongst the names that you nominate. We look forward to your participation.
To generate more reliable, trustworthy and valuable results, we have made a series of revisions to our process. This year, you will find in our awards:
Revamped parametres: An eligible nominee must be, or officially affiliated to, a law firm, an in-house department, a bank, or an accountancy firm based in or having physical office in mainland China, except for the International Arbitration, Offshore and Hong Kong Law Firm categories. All deals must have a significant Chinese element. Additionally, the work must be completed, and the services provided must be within the period of Jan. 1, 2012 through Dec. 31, 2012.
Integrated judging panel: A 40 member-strong judging panel, consisting of in-house counsels, private practice lawyers and government officials will make the decisions together, unless they come across a specific deal or category that any of them have previously been involved in. In that case, this person will be disqualified from voting for the related award category.
New award categories: A couple of new categories have been introduced this year, including Energy & Resources Deal of the Year, to mark the most significant deal worth $1 billion or above, and Antitrust & Competition Law Firm of the Year to recognise the achievements of a firm that performed outstandingly in the antitrust and completion law practice.
Additionally, the award for the Dealmaker of the Year will be further specified and split into China and International divisions. In a single submission, only one lawyer from each firm will be accepted as a candidate for each division, so long as he or she is based in mainland China.
Amended criteria: Some criteria have been adjusted in consistency with business reality. For instance, the deals must reach a minimum financial size to qualify. For example, the Debt Market Deal of the Year must be no smaller than $1 billion, the Equity Market Deal of the Year must be worth at least $700 million, the M&A Deal of the Year must be worth atleast $1 billion, and TMT Deal of the Year must be no smaller than $700 million. These figures were determined by assessing previous deal values to set a threshold which would ensure that only the most significant and complex transactions are recognised.
For a full list of criteria and categories, please click here.
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