Australian Law Awards 2026: winners announced

Winners of the Australian Law Awards 2026 were announced at a black-tie gala at The Star, Sydney on Thursday 30 July. A record 1,206 submissions produced 330 finalists across 36 categories — 22 individual and 14 group. LawUno is principal partner of the program.

The category structure has widened well beyond the traditional partner-and-firm axis. Academics, company secretaries, dealmakers, Indigenous leaders, litigators, senior associates, sole practitioners and rising stars all now have their own categories, and the judging criteria weigh growth, business development, diversity, leadership, innovation and contribution to the sector alongside conventional measures of practice success.

Winners:

Individual

Academic of the Year — Kathy Reeves, University of Southern Queensland
Barrister of the Year — Darren Mort, Victorian Bar
Dealmaker of the Year — Tony Damian, Ashurst Perkins Coie
General Counsel of the Year — Katrin O'Sullivan, The Fred Hollows Foundation
Government Lawyer of the Year — Ming Li, Australian Transport Safety Bureau
In-House Lawyer of the Year — Simon Burnett, Westpac Banking Corporation
Indigenous Leader of the Year — Duane Keighran, Keighran Legal + Advisory
Innovator of the Year (Individual) — Mona Chiha, JurisTechne
Law Student of the Year — Raahat Shaik, University of New South Wales
Legal Operations or Support Professional of the Year — Chrissie McCann, Bartier Perry
Litigator of the Year — Patrick Mead, Carter Newell
Managing Partner of the Year — Perry Wood, Australian Migration Lawyers
Mediator/Arbitrator of the Year — Amrit Kaur, Clear Conflict Resolution
Mentor of the Year — Donna Bartlett, Deloitte Australia
Partner of the Year — Rebecca Maslen-Stannage, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
Property Lawyer of the Year — Stephanie Martyn, Southern Waters Legal
Regional/Suburban Lawyer of the Year — Liam Loader, Conditsis Lawyers
Rising Star of the Year (In-House) — Jasmine Wang, Oceana Funds
Rising Star of the Year (Private Practice) — Giorgia Wilson, Evans & Wislang
Senior Associate of the Year — Claudia Brennan, Adero Law
Sole Practitioner of the Year — Trish Ryan, Sydney Legal Consulting
Special Counsel of the Year — Ole Mitrevski, Massons

Group

Banking and Finance Team of the Year — Gadens Lawyers
Boutique Law Firm of the Year — BlackBay Lawyers
Commercial Team of the Year — Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
Dispute Resolution and/or Litigation Team of the Year — Carter Newell
Government Team of the Year — SPA Australia
In-House Team of the Year — Nine Entertainment Co
Innovator of the Year (Company) — Indonesian Community of Lawyers in Australia
Insurance Team of the Year — Moray & Agnew
Law Firm of the Year — Hall & Wilcox
Pro Bono Program of the Year — Hicksons | Hunt & Hunt | Holman Webb
Property Team of the Year — Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Regional/Suburban Law Firm of the Year — Thornton + King
Transaction Team of the Year — Ashurst Perkins Coie
Workplace Relations and Employment Team of the Year — Maddocks

Excellence Award — Darren Mort, Victorian Bar