Award Categories and Criteria

• Reached completion between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019
• Judged on its NZ aspects according to four criteria – size, complexity, breadth and innovation

The winner of this category will automatically progress to become a finalist in New Zealand Deal of the Year.

• Reached completion between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019
• Judged on its NZ aspects according to four criteria – size, complexity, breadth and innovation

The winner of this category will automatically progress to become a finalist in New Zealand Deal of the Year.

• Reached completion between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019
• Judged on the international work carried out by NZ firms, according to four criteria – size, complexity, breadth and innovation

The winner of this category will automatically progress to become a finalist in New Zealand Deal of the Year.

• Reached completion between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019
• Judged on its NZ aspects according to four criteria – size, complexity, breadth and innovation

The winner of this category will automatically progress to become a finalist in New Zealand Deal of the Year.

• Has a deal value not exceeding US$100m
• Reached completion between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019
• Judged on its NZ aspects according to four criteria – size, complexity, breadth and innovation

The winner of this category will automatically progress to become a finalist in New Zealand Deal of the Year.

The winners of the Capital Markets, and Consumer, Media and Tech and International and M&A deal categories will automatically become finalists for New Zealand Deal of the Year.

Deals nominated for New Zealand Deal of the Year that do not also fall into any of these other categories will be assessed and may be added to this list of finalists, to be scored in the same way as other deals by the panel of judges.

• Is a qualified lawyer not exceeding 35 years of age as at 31 March 2019
• Is permanently employed within the in-house legal function of an organisation operating in New Zealand
• Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of their work between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is a qualified lawyer permanently employed within the in-house legal function of an organisation operating in New Zealand
• Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of their work between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

The winner of this category will become a finalist in the Australian Brokerage of the Year category.

• Is an in-house legal team in a banking, insurance or financial services organisation operating in New Zealand
• Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of its work between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is an in-house legal team in a non-financial-services organisation operating in New Zealand
• Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of its work between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

In-house teams that do not qualify for the Financial Services In House Team should be nominated in this category.

• Derives at least 50% of its revenue from employment law matters
• Judged on expertise demonstrated between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Derives at least 50% of its revenue from litigation and dispute resolution matters
• Judged on expertise demonstrated between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Derives at least 50% of its revenue from intellectual property law matters
• Judged on expertise demonstrated between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Derives at least 50% of its revenue from property and construction law matters
• Judged on expertise demonstrated between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Derives at least 50% of its revenue from insurance law matters
• Judged on expertise demonstrated between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Derives at least 50% of its revenue from a single practice area
• Judged on expertise demonstrated between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

Firms that do not qualify for the specialist firm categories (Employment Law, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Property & Construction and Insurance) should be nominated in this category

• Is a law firm employing no more than 50 lawyers on a full-time basis as at 31 March 2019
• Judged on performance between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 across aspects such as employee engagement and retention, diversity and inclusion, remuneration and benefits, training and development, leadership, reward and recognition and work-life balance

• Is a law firm employing between 51 and 100 lawyers on a full-time basis as at 31 March 2019
• Judged on performance between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 across aspects such as employee engagement and retention, diversity and inclusion, remuneration and benefits, training and development, leadership, reward and recognition and work-life balance

• Is a law firm employing more than 100 lawyers on a full-time basis as at 31 March 2019
• Judged on performance between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 across aspects such as employee engagement and retention, diversity and inclusion, remuneration and benefits, training and development, leadership, reward and recognition and work-life balance

• Is a member of Resolution Institute (formerly LEADR) or AMINZ, or both
• Judged on his/her achievements and performance between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is a qualified lawyer not exceeding 35 years of age as at 31 March 2019
• Is permanently employed within a law firm in NZ
• Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of their work between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is a managing partner, CEO or similar of a NZ law firm with no more than 100 lawyers employed on a full-time basis as at 31 March 2019
• Judged on his/her achievements and performance during the period 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is a managing partner, CEO or similar of a NZ law firm with more than 100 lawyers employed on a full-time basis as at 31 March 2019
• Judged on his/her achievements and performance between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is a practice group or team, within a law firm that employs more than 100 lawyers on a full-time basis
• Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of its deal involvement between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is a practice group or team, within a law firm that employs no more than 100 lawyers on a full-time basis
• Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of its deal involvement between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is a law firm headquartered outside the central business districts of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
• Judged on expertise across a range of practice areas between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is a law firm of 6-24 partners
• Judged on expertise across a range of practice areas between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019

• Is a law firm of 25+ partners
• Judged on expertise across a range of practice areas between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019