The award recognises the outstanding contribution, commitment and professionalism of an Accredited Specialist in the Queensland legal profession.

Nominees will be Accredited Specialists who have a demonstrated commitment and contribution to the QLS community of Accredited Specialists through leadership, education to the legal profession, and promotion and awareness of the Specialist Accreditation brand.

The award will be open to those whose accreditation is aligned with the speciality areas of accreditation for that year. In 2020, the award is open to Accredited Specialists in:

• Personal Injuries
• Criminal Law
• Business Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Workplace Relations Law
• Immigration Law.

The Outstanding Accredited Specialist Award will be presented to the winner at the Specialist Accreditation Christmas Breakfast with the Chief Justice.

Note: Due to impact of COVID-19, Queensland Law Society did not offer all of the above programs for the 2020 accreditation year.

Eligibility for individuals

Eligible

Nominee must be nominated (no self-nominations) and:

• be an individual (organisations can nominate an individual)
• hold a current practising certificate issued by QLS
• be a full member of QLS
• be a current Accredited Specialist, for at least three years, in at least one of the six areas of:
• Personal Injuries
• Criminal Law
• Business Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Workplace Relations Law
• Immigration Law.
• be Queensland-based or demonstrate the impact their contribution has made to the Specialist Accreditation Scheme in Queensland.
• Nominees must be of good character.
• Nominations are reviewed by the judging panel and the Society's Regulation and Professional Development departments and the QLS Ethics and Practice Centre.
• The due diligence will include (but is not limited to) a review of the nominee's disciplinary history.
• The nominee has not previously won this award.

• Judging panel members.
• Members of the Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist Board or Committees
• Queensland Law Society Council members or employees.
• Teams or firms. This award is open to individuals only.

Award criteria

Leadership (10 marks) (500 word limit)

The nominee has shown outstanding leadership and high achievement in their area of accreditation.

Contribution (10 marks) (500 word limit)

The nominee has significantly made a personal and professional contribution in their area of accreditation.

Education (10 marks) (500 word limit)

The nominee has significantly contributed to the education of the legal profession within their area of accreditation. This may include publishing papers, mentoring, presenting at conferences and other speaking engagements.

Awareness (10 marks) (500 word limit)

The nominee has demonstrated a proactive commitment to building the Specialist Accreditation brand and added to the perception of the Scheme within the legal profession in Queensland.