Allen & Overy (A&O), Dentons and RPC are among the firms competing to be named Law Firm of the Year at this year's British Legal Awards.

Also shortlisted in the flagship category for the awards, which take place at Old Billingsgate Market in the City of London on 25 November, are Signature Litigation, Stephenson Harwood, Taylor Wessing and Watson Farley & Williams.

The shortlist, which is unveiled today, will see a host of leading law firms, legal departments and individuals competing across a wide range of categories, including eight focused on practice areas.

A&O's nomination for Law Firm of the Year comes after a strong set of financial results, with the firm outpacing most of its magic circle rivals with a 3.8% rise in revenue and an 8% hike in profit per equity partner, despite the impact of adverse currency fluctuations. Strategic moves include the launch of an office in South Africa, making it the first magic circle firm to set up shop in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dentons – which is also shortlisted for London Office of the Year – secures its nomination following its landmark combination with China's largest firm Dacheng to create the largest law firm in the world by lawyer headcount.

Meanwhile, Ashurst, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Clifford Chance are among the finalists fighting it out to be named M&A Team of the Year. In the highly competitive banking, finance and restructuring category sees Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, White & Case and Macfarlanes among the contenders.

Firms lining up alongside Dentons in the London Office of the Year category include Cooley – whose ambitions for the City were underlined by its 55-lawyer office launch in January – and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, which has made a string of high profile partner hires in London, including last month's capture of Herbert Smith Freehills capital markets head Steve Thierbach.

The in-house awards see Michael Ellis, of Abercrombie & Kent, Roger James, of Viacom – which purchased Channel 5 for £450m last year – and Harry Willits, of Gala Coral Group, among the candidates battling it out to be named General Counsel of the Year.

The awards, which are hosted by Legal Week, will be decided by an independent judging panel, overseen by Alasdair Douglas, chairman of the City of London Law Society.

This year's judges include BAE Systems group general counsel Philip Bramwell; John Heaps, chairman of the Yorkshire Building Society; Kirsty Cooper, group general counsel and company secretary of Aviva; 3i GC and company secretary, Kevin Dunn; and former Legal Counsel of the Year winner Lesley Wan, of Lloyds Banking Group.

Major winners last year included Macfarlanes, which was named Law Firm of the Year, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which triumphed in the M&A category, and DWF, which walked away with the Law Firm Innovation Award.

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