Entries have opened for the British Legal Awards 2015 with a record number of submissions expected, as the UK's leading law firms prepare for their strongest set of financial results since the economic crash.

The awards, which will take place at Old Billingsgate Market on 25 November, are hosted by Legal Week with the support of the City of London Law Society (CLLS), which chooses the Lifetime Achievement Award and whose chairman, Alasdair Douglas, presides over the independent judging panel.

Last year's winners included Macfarlanes, which was named Law Firm of the Year, Mishcon de Reya managing partner Kevin Gold, who received the Editor's Award – Law Firm Leader of the Year – and Brodies, which won the UK Law Firm of the Year honour.

There are 28 contested awards, including eight practice prizes covering M&A, banking, litigation, regulation, property, commercial, TMT and private client; and a series of awards designed to reflect the wider contribution law firms and legal departments make to the community, including Diversity Initiative of the Year, which in 2014 went to Aspiring Solicitors, and CSR Initiative of the Year, whose 2014 winner was DLA Piper.

There are also several awards reserved for in-house lawyers including General Counsel of the Year, Legal Department of the Year and the In-House Innovation Award, while the Client Partner of the Year gong will go to the partner who receives the most recommendations from general counsel respondents to the 2015 Legal Week Intelligence Client Satisfaction Survey. 

As has become customary, the evening will culminate with the CLLS Lifetime Achievement Award. Past recipients include former Solicitors' Regulation Authority board chair Charles Plant and Dame Janet Gaymer, former senior partner at Simmons & Simmons, who won the inaugural achievement award in 2006 and now sits on the judging panel.

Judges already confirmed for this year's awards include Philip Bramwell, group GC of BAE Systems, Oonagh Harpur, a non-executive director at HM Treasury Solicitor's Department, and Liz Walker, GC of BT Global Services.

The official charity for the awards is War Child.