QLS Awards
Frequently Asked Questions
Only peer nominations are accepted and self-nominations are not accepted. Each award has a guiding set of criteria that outlines who is eligible and not eligible to be nominated for an award. We strongly recommend reviewing the award criteria before starting your nomination.
Award nominations are only accepted via our online platform and only take a few minutes. Nominees then have the opportunity to accept or decline the nomination before they complete the other required components e.g. responses to the criteria and their CV. It will take nominees approximately 30-60 minutes to complete one award nomination.
As the nominator, you only require the name and contact information of the nominee to start the nomination process. Nominees then have the opportunity to accept or decline the nomination before they complete the other required components including:
- a high resolution headshot
- a short biography approximately one paragraph
- Nominee’s Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Responses to the criteria
- one letter from a referee (excluding First Nation's Student of the Year where two referees are required including one referee from the community).
All nominations are lodged via the QLS online platform.
Queensland Law Society (QLS) takes great pride in its award program. The awards were established to celebrate the good work of the profession, and how it is impacting not only the legal sector but Queensland communities more broadly.
The awards program is a unique opportunity only open to QLS members with the exception of the First Nation Student, Pride in Law and Pro Bono Team categories. There is no cost to submit a nomination.
Yes. All nominees must hold a QLS membership with the exception of the First Nation Student, Pride in Law and Pro Bono Team categories. Each award has a guiding set of criteria. The criteria specifies who is eligible to be nominated for an award. We encourage nominators to review award criteria before completing a nomination.
Each award has a guiding set of criteria. The criteria specifies who is eligible to be nominated for an award. In most cases, a nominee will need to hold a practising certificate. We encourage nominators to review award criteria before completing a nomination.
Queensland Law Society (QLS) undertakes a rigorous and independent judging process for each award category. Each completed award nomination first enters a 'health check', which is undertaken by specific QLS staff. The health check determines if the nomination meets fundamental eligibility criteria like QLS membership. Once the health check is complete, the nomination moves into judging. During the judging process, an independent panel of judges review and score each nomination against the award criteria. Candidates are shortlisted once the judging process concludes.
Each award has its own independent judging panel. The judging panels comprise experienced and highly-regarded members of the legal profession. Judges are experts in their category areas and bring a wealth of knowledge to the judging process.