About the Awards is a series of Q&As with our editors across ALM Media's publications that aims to give readers and potential nominees insight into our judging process for awards related to ALM Recognition Events. We hope this will guide you as you draft your submissions, and we welcome any additional questions you may have.

This week, we'll be discussing our annual Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards with Legaltech News Technology Desk Editor Rhys Dipshan, who will be leading the judging across all categories.

For more information about the 2025 Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards contest, please visit the awards site and the official Call for Nominations. Deadline for submissions is December 2, 2024. You can also view other upcoming ALM contest submission deadlines and sign up for marketing notifications here.

Rhys, can you tell us more about yourself and your legal and journalism background?

Sure, I joined ALM Media in 2016 as a legal technology reporter. Before that I had worked in various B2B news publications and publishing companies. By the end 2018, I was promoted to senior editor of the legal technology desk at ALM. 

How long have you been one of the judges for this contest?

I've judged these awards for as long as we've had them. It's amazing to see how the industry is maturing through these submissions. Not only are we getting more submissions than ever before, but the types of innovations law firms, legal departments, and legal technology providers are taking are bolder and more far reaching. It's clear that the industry is shaking off its resistance to technology. 

Are there any new categories this year?

New categories this year include the Monica Bay Women of Legal Tech Award, Best Tech Training Program Implementation, and Significant Advancement in Technology.

For In-House Legal Departments, we also have the new category Community Impact Through Technology.

In the Providers category, we've expanded the category into two different nominations, with one subcategory for Contract, Document and Project Management, and the other subcategory for E-Discovery and Litigation.

Who should be interested in submitting nominations for this contest?

Any law firms, legal department, legal technology company, legal service provider or— individual legal professional or legal technologist—that is innovating in unique and groundbreaking ways.

Who is judging this contest?

ALM's editorial staff and an external judging panel.

What kind of nominations are you looking for as a judge?

We're looking for innovators who push the envelope, who are bold and take risks, and / or who have achieved significant and specific change in their organization, practice area, or field. What's more, these innovators should be paving the way forward and in doing so, defining the future of legal innovation. 

If anyone has questions about the nominations, please join us on a video call with Rhys Dipshan and Pearl Wu on Thursday, November 14, at 3pm EST by signing up here.  We'll be going over the nominations process and answering any questions you may have.

As a reminder, The deadline for submissions for Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law 2025 awards is December 2, 2024.

For more information about Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards and other Recognition Events awards, please contact Recognition Events desk manager Pearl Wu at [email protected].