Who are the most innovative law firms, legal departments, and legal technology companies in California? The Recorder is seeking nominations from lawyers who have handled cutting edge matters at the intersection of the law and technology.

The California Leaders in Tech Law and Innovation Awards will celebrate the recent achievements of lawyers whose work is focused on tech companies and issues with an eye toward those who are moving the profession forward through innovation. The awards will also continue The Recorder's tradition of honoring the Women Leaders in Tech Law, the go-to women attorneys in California's technology market. Nominees must primarily practice in California.

We are seeking nominations in the following categories:

Tech Litigation Department of the Year

Who are the litigators representing the innovators, entrepreneurs, technology companies, venture capital funds, and start-ups at the center of the California economy? Winners and finalists will be judged based on their four top results. Judging criteria include size and scope of the matters, the novelty of the issues at play, and the quality of advocacy.

Tech Deal Department of the Year – M&A

Recognizing the law firms who handle market-moving mergers and acquisitions, financings, and capital markets deals involving technology companies. Entries will be judged based on the size, scope, and sophistication of three representative deals handled by California-based lawyers.

Start-Up Firm/ Emerging Company Law Firm of the Year

Awards the firms who help clients in the start-up, pre-public and emerging company space navigate significant legal challenges to reach desired business outcomes—anything from securing funding for a significant expansion, to filing papers to go public, to fending off a significant litigation threat. Firms will be evaluated based on their top three start-up emerging company representations handled by California-based lawyers.

Most Innovative Public Company Legal Department of the Year

With an eye toward legal departments that contribute to product development and in-house innovation, this award will honor large company legal teams who have acted as problem solvers within their companies and contributed to the overall innovation culture within their respective companies.

Most Innovative Emerging Company Legal Department of the Year

This award will honor in-house legal teams who have acted as problem solvers within pre-IPO companies based in California and contributed to the overall innovation culture.

Most Innovative Legal Operations Team of the Year

Highlighting the contributions of legal operations both in-house and within law firms, this award will honor those contributing to continued efforts to bring business discipline and technological innovation to the legal industry.

Innovators of the Year

Recognizing individual practitioners who are tackling legal problems creatively. Seeking nominees from law firms, in-house legal departments, the public sector, non-profits, and academia.

Alternative Legal Service Provider of the Year

Recognizing legal service providers outside the realm of traditional law firms for contributions working with technology companies.

Innovations in Pro Bono

Recognizing the firms and in-house legal departments who either through collaboration or use of technology are making an impact in the community through pro bono representation.

Innovations in Diversity and Inclusion

Recognizing successful partnerships between legal industry players that advance women attorneys, lawyers of color and other underrepresented groups. Nominees can be individual firms or companies, or collaborative efforts among groups

Women Leaders in Tech Law

Who are the women lawyers handling game-changing, law-shaping, market moving work in and around the tech sector? We will continue our annual tradition of celebrating the Women Leaders in Tech Law focusing on the top women attorneys whose recent achievements have contributed to progress at technology companies and in the law.