The annual Middle East Legal Awards once again attracted some of the region's biggest names in business law at a ceremony held in Dubai in April.

DLA Piper, Clyde & Co, Dentons and Pinsent Masons were among the top global firms clinching some of the 24 prizes up for grabs, with regional law practices Al Tamimi & Company and Tribonian Law Advisors also picking up awards.

There was recognition too for the in-house teams of satellite broadcaster OSN, Johnson Controls Middle East and the DIFC Academy of Law.

The awards – which were jointly hosted by Legal Week and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Middle East Chapter – took place at the Ritz-Carlton in Dubai on Thursday 19 April and were attended by 400 lawyers from across the region and beyond.

Those included leading in-house counsel such as SEDCO Holding's Dr Zaid Mahayni and Microsoft Gulf's Joanne Fischlin, who both collected awards on the night.

The event concluded with the ACC Middle East Achievement Award, this year handed to Mark Beer OBE, chief executive of Dubai International Financial Centre's Dispute Resolution Authority, who has been credited with helping develop Dubai's commercial court system.

Click on the links below for the full lowdown on the winning entries: