The IEL Awards is back for its fourth year, recognising the very best employment and global mobility professionals from around the globe.

This year’s ceremony will be held on Thursday 19 November 2026 at Raffles London at The OWO.

This truly international awards ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding achievements of leading practitioners over the past 12 months. 

New and updated categories along with criteria for entry can be found below. 

Nominations are welcome from international, independent, and boutique law firms, as well as from in-house teams, barristers’ chambers, and individual lawyers. 

We also accept nominations made by firms on behalf of their clients and advocates, and from in-house teams on behalf of their external counsel.

Please email for a nomination form.

The closing date for nominations is Wednesday 2 September 2026. IEL’s experienced editorial team will review all nominations and publish a shortlist by Monday 21 September 2026.

For general enquiries relating to the submission process, please email John van der Luit-Drummond. For information on tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Nic O’Callaghan.

Further details about the Awards can be found on our Events page.

You can read about last year’s award ceremony, including details of the winners and highly commended, here. 

IN-HOUSE CATEGORIES 

In-house Employment Team of the Year

Open to in-house legal teams undertaking labour and employment work for multinational organisations. Nominations are welcome from legal teams that can demonstrate cutting-edge work and are offering added value to their organisations.

Global Mobility Team of the Year – In-house 

Open to in-house teams working across the full gamut of complex global mobility issues, including immigration, tax, social security, and risk assessment of relocating critical talent on short-term and long-term projects around the world.

International Employment Lawyer of the Year – In-house

Open to in-house lawyers at a global or regional management level, nominees should be able to demonstrate how their leadership has added value to their organisations and workforces, and provide evidence of work on critical disputes or advisory matters. 

In-house Leader of Tomorrow

Open to rising in-house stars that are recognised as leaders of tomorrow. Nominations are welcome from individuals below global or regional management level whose work on cutting-edge disputes or initiatives has benefited their organisations locally, regionally, or globally. Nominees should have no more than ten years’ legal expertise.

CHAMBERS CATEGORIES

Chambers of the Year

The award recognises the collective achievements of chambers with specialist employment and labour law advocates from around the globe. Nominees must demonstrate a breadth of expertise across related disciplines, with members instructed by leading law firms or in-house teams, and have worked on critical disputes, sensitive investigations, or complex advisory matters in the past 12 months.

Senior Counsel of the Year

The award recognises the advocacy, investigative, and advisory skills of leading independent senior advocates (King’s Counsel or equivalent) from around the globe. Nominees will have worked on high-profile, cutting-edge disputes, been instructed in sensitive workplace investigations, or acted on complex advisory matters in the past 12 months.

Junior Counsel of the Year

The award recognises the advocacy, investigative, and advisory skills of leading independent junior advocates from around the globe. Nominees will have worked on high-profile, cutting-edge disputes, been instructed in sensitive workplace investigations, or acted on complex advisory matters in the past 12 months.

PRIVATE PRACTICE CATEGORIES

Senior Executive Team of the Year

Open to private practice teams that can demonstrate market-leading advice to key senior staff on their rights and obligations when joining or exiting a business, or their professional discipline and duties of compliance when acting as leading figures within global organisations.

Rewards and Incentives Team of the Year

Open to private practice teams that can demonstrate cutting-edge advice designed to attract, retain, and motivate key employees instrumental in achieving business critical objectives, while also remaining compliant with a shifting regulatory landscape.

Labour Relations Management Team of the Year

Open to private practice teams that have assisted clients with responding to a resurgent labour movement, and demonstrated prowess in advice on collective bargaining, industrial actions, disputes, and regulatory enforcement in the past year.

Disputes Team of the Year

Open to private practice teams that have been involved in some of the biggest, most challenging, and unique litigation, class actions, or arbitrations brought against companies by executives, workers, or regulatory bodies in the past year.

Investigations Team of the Year

Open to private practice teams instructed to undertake sensitive internal probes and culture reviews for clients, covering issues including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, discrimination, human rights, supply chain, and labour abuses, health and safety violations, anti-competitive behaviour, regulatory concerns, and white-collar crime. 

Global Mobility Team of the Year – Tax *NEW*

This award recognises outstanding tax specialists and consultants that have demonstrated excellence in managing the complex tax aspects of international workforce mobility. Entries should highlight how teams have delivered practical, commercially focused solutions to support the movement of talent across jurisdictions while ensuring full compliance with local and international tax obligations. 

Global Mobility Team of the Year – Immigration *NEW*

This award recognises specialist immigration law firms that can demonstrate excellence in advising businesses and individuals on complex immigration matters across multiple jurisdictions. Entries should demonstrate how firms have delivered clear, practical, and commercially focused solutions to support the movement of talent internationally while ensuring strict compliance with local immigration requirements. 

Global Mobility Team of the Year – Private Practice

Open to leading full-service law firms that offer outstanding advice across the full gamut of complex global mobility issues, including employment, immigration, tax, and social security, involving the movement of critical talent on short-term and long-term projects around the world. Entries should be able to show a holistic approach to the global mobility challenges facing multinational clients.

Global Mobility Lawyer of the Year – Private Practice 

This award recognises the standout law firm partners whose work on cross-border relocations has brought real value to their clients. Submissions are welcome from across disciplines but should detail the work undertaken in the past year and how that work has assisted employers and their workers.

Global Mobility Leader of Tomorrow – Private Practice

Open to rising private practice stars that are recognised as the future leaders of the global mobility space. The shortlist will be made up of individuals below partner level whose cutting-edge work has benefited their clients. Nominees should have no more than ten years’ legal expertise.

Employment Deal Team of the Year *UPDATED*

Open to outstanding private practice teams that have played a pivotal role in managing the people aspects of high-value, complex mergers and acquisitions. Entries should demonstrate how the team supported successful transaction outcomes by anticipating and resolving employment issues, navigating cross-border or multi-jurisdictional challenges, and delivering pragmatic, commercially focused solutions under tight timelines.

Restructuring Team of the Year *NEW*

Open to outstanding private practice teams that have successfully advised on complex workplace restructurings. Entries should demonstrate how the team supported employers in navigating legal, commercial, and reputational challenges while delivering fair, compliant, and pragmatic outcomes. Particular attention will be given to the ability to multi-jurisdictional restructurings with minimal disruption to business continuity and workforce relations.

North American Law Firm of the Year

Open to leading private practice firms across Canada and the United States, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional support, advice on disputes, and investigations.

Latin American Law Firm of the Year

Open to leading private practice firms with a presence in the LatAm region, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice, disputes, and investigations.

European Law Firm of the Year

Open to leading private practice firms with a cross-border presence in Europe, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice disputes, and investigations.

Asia-Pacific Law Firm of the Year

Open to private practice firms with a presence in Asia and the Pacific region, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice, disputes, and investigations.

African Law Firm of the Year

Open to leading private practice firms with a presence in Africa, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice, disputes, and investigations.

Middle Eastern Law Firm of the Year

Open to leading private practice firms with a presence across the Middle East region, this award will look at the totality of work undertaken by the firm, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice, disputes, and investigations.

Independent Law Firm of the Year *UPDATED*

Open to outstanding employment and labour practices of full-service, independent firms. The award will look solely at the work undertaken in a particular country, from day-to-day HR support and compliance to transactional advice, disputes, and investigations. The award is not open to international firms.

Boutique Law Firm of the Year

Open to outstanding independent, employment boutiques that offer day-to-day advice, transactional support, or disputes expertise to multinational clients and their international counsel, or those that have a niche employment or labour practice. Submissions must demonstrate that the boutique works on significant matters and with an A-list client base.

International Employment Lawyer of the Year – Private Practice

This award recognises the standout law firm partners whose work on cross-border mandates has brought real value to their clients. Submissions are welcome from across disciplines but should detail the work undertaken in the past year – advisory, transactional, investigations, or disputes – and how that work has assisted employers.

Private Practice Leader of Tomorrow 

Open to rising private practice stars that are recognised as leaders of tomorrow. The shortlist will be made up of individuals below partner level whose work on cutting-edge advice, work on disputes, or new initiatives have benefited their clients locally, regionally, or globally. Nominees should have no more than ten years’ legal expertise.

International Employment Law Team of the Year – Private Practice

This flagship award recognises this year’s standout cross-border team. Teams must demonstrate a truly global practice, covering day-to-day employment and labour advice, bet-the-company transactional support, and cutting-edge disputes for an A-list client base.