The British Legal Awards has opened for nominations with a call for entries from the U.K.'s leading law firms and legal departments.

The awards, which are hosted by Legal Week in association with the City of London Law Society, will be held on November 21 at The Ballroom in Southbank.

Applicants can enter 26 categories to be in with a chance to win an award for their achievements.

This year there are various new categories including the Women in Law Award, Rising Star Award, Alternative Service Provider of the Year and Dealmaker of the Year.

A panel of independent judges will decide on the winners for the categories, which include the hotly contested areas of International Law Firm of the Year, Legal Department of the Year (Commerce and Industry) and CSR/Diversity Initiative of the Year.

Last year, CMS was named Law Firm of the Year while Latham & Watkins picked up two awards  for International Law Firm of the Year and Private Equity Team of the Year.

The City of London Law Society Lifetime Achievement Award went to Janet Legrand QC, who stepped in as DLA Piper's interim senior partner and global co-chair after the departure of Juan Picon to Latham.

The deadline for submissions is August 15. Click here for more information about this year's ceremony.