submissions

Overview

Submissions are now open for the 2026 Innovative Lawyers Europe Awards, the deadline is 6 April. Read the information below to find out about the categories we have taken submissions for in the past. These are subject to change.

Winning submissions are announced at our in-person awards ceremony in September and all winning submissions and a selection of shortlisted submissions are featured in the FT Innovative Lawyers Europe Special Report (released the day after the awards).

How to submit entries

All submissions must be made via the online submissions form at https://ftinnovativelawyers.highq.com/ft/LoginRequiredPage.action. To register an account to access the forms, please email ftresearch@rsgi.co to request login details.

Categories - Private practice

 Law firms are invited to make a maximum of eight submissions across seven categories, not including the FT law firm index. Submissions will be assessed by the FT’s research partner, RSGI, using benchmarks, interviews, surveys and other research.

The three highest-scoring submissions across all the categories will comprise the firm’s innovation score in the overall FT law firm index. The FT law firm index will also be based on scores for a firm’s use of data and technology, social impact and people strategies. These latter scores will be based on answers to the law firm index questionnaire. 

Practice of law: submissions are invited from teams working in any legal practice, with a specific example or case study that demonstrates the changing practice of law. The submissions should show how lawyers have bridged professional disciplines, created new standards, delivered outstanding outcomes for clients or created new practice areas, with originality and impact. Each firm can make a total of two practice of law submissions, in any of the following categories: energy, projects and infrastructure; technology; healthcare and life sciences; cyber security and data protection; sustainability and ESG (environmental, social, and governance); financing and private capital; disputes and crisis management. (Two submissions per firm) 

Business of law: submissions are invited from law firms on initiatives that relate to the transformation of the firm. Each firm can make one submission, in any of the following categories: digital legal products; operational transformation; new business models. (One submission per firm) 

Knowledge and data: submissions are invited from law firms on any initiatives or projects relating to use of knowledge and data. This could include internal projects designed to institutionalise knowledge or facilitate the use of technology, such as generative AI. It could equally involve complementing legal advice or developing it into a product. (One submission per firm) 

People and skills: submissions are invited from law firms that are rethinking workplaces, how they work, or the way they recruit, engage and develop their staff. It could include the ways law firms are developing new skills and subject matter expertise, new pay and reward models, or how the firm is leveraging a wider range of professional capabilities. (One submission per firm) 

Responsible business: submissions are invited that detail innovative ways in which firms are having an impact in addressing challenges of climate change, social injustice, or social inequality, including diversity and inclusion initiatives. (One submission per firm) 

Individual practitioner: submissions are invited for individual legal practitioners who are innovators within their firm or practice. The submissions should show how the individual has changed the way legal work is done, how they have influenced their firms, industry, business or wider society, and how they are changing the way the firm works with clients. Please note that individuals who have already been profiled as individuals in a previous FT Innovative Lawyers report are not eligible for this category. (One individual per firm)      

Intrapreneur: submissions are invited for individuals who have acted as change makers within their firm. They can include, but are not limited to, senior leaders and departmental heads, and heads of innovation and transformation. We are interested in intrapreneurs who have helped their firms to change culture, behaviours, processes, and adapted them to be more relevant to their people and clients. Please note that individuals who have previously been profiled as innovative intrapreneurs, change makers or leaders in a previous FT Innovative Lawyers report are not eligible for this category. (One individual per firm) 

FT law firm index: Participating firms will be asked to respond to a questionnaire covering use of data and technology, people and talent, and social responsibility policies. These responses will be scored and benchmarked against other law firms to calculate the firm’s position in the overall law firm index.

Categories - Corporate law departments

In-house teams are invited to make up to four submissions in total, in the following four categories. Please also include contact details for the general counsel and  a referee from another member of the C-suite who can be made available for interview.

Commercial and strategic partners: submissions are invited from legal teams that have helped deliver more value within the business or to the business’s external customers. Examples may include: enabling business growth or transformation; the redesign of legal processes to improve customer experience. 

New products and services: submissions are invited from legal teams that have helped devise new products, services or revenue streams for the business.  

Operational transformation: Submissions are invited from legal teams that have introduced new processes or new ways of working to improve how they operate. Examples may relate to the management and operations of the legal function and generative AI use throughout the function. 

Digital solutions: Submissions are invited from legal teams that have adopted or developed new digital tools in the department, or digitised a specific process, including use of generative AI.  

Outside counsel management: submissions are invited from legal teams that have introduced approaches to better manage work allocation and collaboration with outside legal advisers.  

People and skills: submissions are invited from legal teams that are building skills and capabilities in new ways. We are interested in new approaches to working in teams and engaging individuals. Examples may relate to the legal team, or the role the legal team is playing in helping the business to adapt. 

Sustainability and responsible business: submissions are invited from legal teams that are helping their businesses and industries to meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. Examples may also cover legal teams’ initiatives to address challenges of social injustice, social inequality, or inclusion and diversity. 

Read our past reports

Visit www.ft.com/innovative-lawyers to see our past reports for all regions, and get an idea of the kinds of submissions that are successful. These reports have all shortlisted submissions and additional articles related to the research carried out for the report by the experts at RSGI and our own research team.

How to submit entries

All submissions must be made via the online submissions form at https://ftinnovativelawyers.highq.com/ft/LoginRequiredPage.action. To register an account to access the forms, please email ftresearch@rsgi.co to request login details.

Submission format

All private practice law firm submissions must provide the following details and address the criteria set out below. Please note that word limits are enforced in the online entry forms. 

The challenge: What commercial problem or business issue is being solved? (75 word limit)

Description of the innovation: A brief description of the individual, team or initiative. (75 word limit)

Originality: why is the individual, team or initiative innovative? Which elements are most original? (200 word limit)

Leadership: what role did the lawyers, firm, individual or legal department play? For which aspects of the solution, approach or implementation were the lawyers responsible? How did you arrive at the specific approach or solution that was finally adopted? (200 word limit)

Impact: what was the impact of the innovation for the client, firm or key stakeholders? How can its success be measured? Where did the lawyers deliver the most value? Please include hard evidence. (200 word limit)

References: all submissions must include contact details for at least one internal and at least one client, or other external, reference, who can be contacted to discuss the details of the innovation on a confidential basis.

Rules for submitting

Time period: the 2026 ranking will assess innovations instituted from January 1, 2025 onwards. Submissions must be no longer than 750 words in total, written in English and answer each of the questions on the entry form.

Assessment of submissions

Submissions will be fully researched and will be assessed on their own merits. The RSGI research team also uses independent experts in the assessment process. Entries will be judged against other submissions in each category. Innovations and innovators will be scored for their originality, leadership and impact out of a total of 30 points.  

Client references are a critical part of the assessment process. Contact details for internal and client or external referees must be included on every submission. 

All submissions are assessed by RSGI, which uses a process of interviews with clients, submitting lawyers and experts. The submissions are then scored against a bespoke ranking methodology, devised for the FT, to assess innovation in law firms.  

The rankings will be based primarily on submissions received but will also include fresh research, surveys and other qualitative research methods to uncover legal innovation in the region.  

Assessment criteria will be based on local norms and benchmarks of innovation. 

Contact details

For research/submission questions please contact RSGI at ftresearch@rsgi.co.

Please find the conditions of entry here.

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