With the entry deadlines for the British Legal Awards and the African Legal Awards looming, John Malpas offers six top tips for awards success

The British Legal Awards (BLA) judges are usually fastidious in the observance of their duties.

But on one occasion a few years ago one of the judges pitched up for the judging without even having looked at the entries in the mistaken belief that that he would have time to peruse them on the day. Thinking on his feet, he quipped that at this late stage of his career he wasn't going to end the habit of a lifetime and arrive at a board meeting having actually read the papers.

There is always one exception that proves the rule as the judges invariably do study the entries carefully, often burning through the midnight oil in the process as they juggle with their busy schedules.

Given that well over half the BLA judges are general counsel of leading companies, this presents law firms with the opportunity to tell a select group of clients or prospective clients how well they are doing. Conversely, if they submit ill-thought out entries they may end up damaging a valued relationship. With the deadlines for entry to the BLA and the African Legal Awards less than a month away, here are Legal Week's top tips for awards success.

It is a serious business

For the reasons set out above, if you're not going to take the process of entering awards seriously, then leave them well alone. Boilerplate entries obviously modelled on directory submissions where the only variation is the name of the awards entered – and sometimes even that detail is overlooked – will simply irritate the judges.

Be selective

Choose the categories you enter carefully. It seems obvious, but it is worth noting that some categories attract more entries than others. Last year, the BLA's Law Firm Innovation Award was the most popular category attracting nearly 40 entries. The most popular practice area categories were M&A Team of the Year, Banking, Finance or Restructuring Team of the Year and Litigation & Regulatory Team of the Year.

Competition is obviously a good thing and the steady rise in the number of entries for the BLA has no doubt helped raise the standard of the shortlisted entries, a phenomenon several judges remarked upon last year. That doesn't mean you shouldn't enter the most hard-fought categories, just that you need to enter the fray with your eyes open, aware that you will need to have an exceptional entry to succeed. Conversely, it will surely pay off to scrutinise some of the less mainstream categories to see whether they play to particular strengths within your firm or legal department.

"Awards are a good way for firms to win recognition in new markets when they are up against established players," says Paul Jaffa, of Myddleton Communications. "But firms have to be strategic in their approach. They should choose credible awards and they should choose the categories to enter carefully so that they are playing to their strengths rather than massaging internal egos."

Follow the criteria

As Alasdair Douglas (pictured), chairman of the BLA judges, puts it: "Read the exam question". In other words, study the criteria and make sure the entry addresses all the points. For awards run by Legal Week, the judges are given a score sheet that lists the criteria and invites them to mark each entry against them. The final decision is made by the judges when they meet, but the exercise helps ensure all the judges approach the process in a consistent manner. "If you haven't addressed all the criteria, it is very easy for the judges to set your entry aside however good aspects of it are," warns Douglas.

Be different

Take care to explain what is unique, unusual or exceptional about your entry. Judges will invariably be drawn to anything in your entry that is out of the ordinary. It might help to imagine the judges reading through your entry at midnight on the evening before the judging day and think of ways to catch their attention. And it is no good burying the interesting bits half-way through the entry as you may have lost them by that stage.

If you are writing about a deal, perhaps start your narrative at the most interesting part or begin with a bold statement that underlines just how important it was. "Judges are looking for something unique and unusual about your entry," says Douglas. "If it is a deal and it is one company buying another company then that isn't particularly interesting; if it is the largest deal of its kind, that is quite interesting; but if it is the first time something has ever been done, then that is very interesting."

Remember the clients

"Quite a large number of the judges are in-house lawyers and they are particularly keen to see how a particular transaction has helped the client," observes Douglas. Former BLA judges chairman Bill Knight made the same point in a video he recorded with Legal Week in 2009: "We'd like to know what it did for the client. It may have been a wonderful transaction from a legal point of view but did the client achieve its aims?" Client references in the form of a quote from a general counsel or chief executive are also a common ingredient of successful entries.

Write in plain English and avoid jargon

Entries are not short stories, so there are no prizes for flowery language. However, no law firm or legal department can succeed without being able to communicate effectively and this should be reflected in the quality of the submission itself. Lay out can also help. For example, sub-headings that speak to the criteria will reinforce the message that the entry has been well-structured. It is not part of the entry criteria for entries to be well designed. But submissions from law firms that have not been sent to a design department are becoming increasingly rare.

The deadline for entries to the African Legal Awards is 31 August and the deadline for British Legal Awards entries is 6 September.

• Click here for all the details on entering The British Legal Awards, booking a table or sponsorship enquiries.
• Click here for information about the African Legal Awards
• Click here to watch Bill Knight's interview with Legal Week on how to submit effective awards entries