Corporate Counsel Middle East Awards Corporate Team of the Year:

The call has gone out for leading law firms and in-house legal departments to enter the Middle East Legal Awards.

The awards – formerly known as the Corporate Counsel Middle East Awards – will take place at the Ritz-Carlton in Dubai on 11 May and are jointly hosted by Legal Week and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Middle East chapter.

Last year's ceremony, which was attended by nearly 400 lawyers, saw Clifford Chance recognised as International Law Firm of the Year, Hadef & Partners scoop Middle East Law Firm of the Year (Large Practice) and PepsiCo's regional general counsel, Dean Sheehan, named General Counsel of the Year. A team from Galadari (pictured above) secured Corporate Team of the Year.

This year's awards feature several new categories, including Legal Department of the Year (Government Department, Agency or Public Body), Senior Corporate Counsel of the Year and Junior Corporate Counsel of the Year. The submission deadline is 23 March.

The judging panel will comprise senior members of the in-house legal community alongside other senior legal figures. Last year's panel was chaired by ACC Middle East president Elias Hayek, vice-president, legal, of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; and included Cherine Ghali, general counsel of Dubai Group; Harold Koster, director of the University of Dubai's College of Law; and Duncan Wood, senior legal officer in the government of Dubai's Legal Affairs Department.

Click here to view all the categories, criteria and instructions on how to enter.