The Women and Diversity in Law Awards 2025
Tuesday 18 March 2025, Hilton Bankside

We are excited to announce that we are now accepting nominations for the 2025 Women and Diversity in Law Awards, which will take place at Hilton Bankside on Tuesday 18 March. 

This is your chance to participate in a truly memorable awards ceremony, hosted by an inspirational celebrity and DE&I campaigner, when we will celebrate the achievements of the people helping to make the UK legal sector more diverse and inclusive.

We are also delighted to confirm that the official charity for the awards will be the legal mental health charity LawCare.

To cast our net as widely as possible, we are encouraging individuals and teams to nominate themselves and others across the range of categories.  Making a nomination could not be easier. Click here to view the categories and here for information on how to nominate. 

The awards are divided into three sections. In the first half, Outstanding Women Leaders and Outstanding Women Practitioners will be recognised. The second section addresses diversity more broadly, seeking to highlight the stand-out initiatives, businesses, not-for-profits and individuals across its different strands.  

The deadline for nominations is Thursday 12 September; nominees will then be invited to submit entries, for consideration by a judging panel made up of recognised experts, campaigners and leaders.  The judges include Deputy High Court Judge and former Linklaters partner Alexandra Marks, Sophie Breuil, head of diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging at CMS, Lesley Wan, general counsel & whistleblowing officer, All Africa Capital, and Herbert Smith Freehills’ CEO Jason D’Agostino.

Click here for a list of confirmed judges.

Some 350 finalists, awards judges and other representatives of the UK legal profession attended this year’s ceremony in March, which was hosted by award-winning actress Natalie Gumede. Among those honoured were Bar Council vice chair Barbara Mills KC, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and FieldFisher partner  Caron Heyes, who was named Woman of Year. Other law firm winners included Clifford Chance, Farrer & Co, RPC and Reed Smith while Aviva, Standard Chartered, the Law Society of England and Wales and the International Bar Association (IBA), among many other businesses and not-for-profits.