The winners will be selected by a panel of 20 judges, including Law Council of Australia president Duncan McConnel, Australian Law Reform Commission president Rosalind Croucher and Victorian Women Lawyers convenor Kirsten Adams.

The response from the profession was such that Lawyers Weekly launched an additional two categories to cater to barristers and special counsel wanting a piece of the award action.

The winners will be announced at a black tie gala dinner at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne on 27 November – tickets available now.

The finalists for the Women in Law Awards 2015 are:

Academic of the Year

Jodie O’Leary, Bond University, Qld

Cathryn Nolan, RMIT University, VIC

Dr Marilyn Krawitz, University of Notre Dame, WA

Dr Allison Silink, University of Technology, NSW

Barrister of the Year – presented by FTI Consulting

Renee Enbom

Elizabeth Cheeseman SC

Fiona McLeod SC

Claire Howell

Boutique Diversity Law Firm of the Year

Hive Legal

RACS

LegalVision

JHK Legal

Freedman and Gopalan

Dealmaker of the Year

Kylie Lane, Ashurst

Elspeth Arnold, Ashurst

Evie Bruce, King & Wood Mallesons

Claire Rogers, King & Wood Mallesons

Yuen-Yee Cho, King & Wood Mallesons

Diversity Law Firm of the Year – presented by FTI Consulting

King & Wood Mallesons

DLA Piper

Herbert Smith Freehills

Baker & McKenzie

Clayton Utz

Corrs Chambers Westgarth

Advent Balance

Executive of the Year

Mary Padbury, Ashurst

Kate Jordan, Clayton Utz

Jodie Baker, Hive Legal

Sue Kench, King & Wood Mallesons

Michelle Dixon, Maddocks

Angela Skandarajah, Minter Ellison

Andrea Michaels, NDA Law

Louise Shelton, Squire Patton Boggs

Mary Digiglio, Swaab Attorneys

General Counsel of the Year – presented by ACC

Claire Bibby, Brookfield

Kylie McPherson, Diageo

Kim Morison, Ernst and Young

Bridget Powell, HSBC Bank

Carmel Mulhern, Telstra Corporation

Vanessa Bourne, University of Wollongong

In-house Lawyer of the Year – presented by DLA Piper

Christine Ng, Airservices Australia

Kimberly Statham, Carnival Australia

Courtenay Zajicek, Majors Group Australasia

Sue Laver, Telstra Legal Services

Law Student of the Year

Ashleigh Barnes, University of Technology

Cassandra Seery, Deakin University

Lynette Dong, Monash University

Tareena Martin, University of Adelaide

Katherine Warner, University of Adelaide

Marie Iskander, University of New South Wales

Jenna Mercer, University of New South Wales

Hannah Reid, University of Technology, NSW

Taylor Macdonald, Western Sydney University

Parrys Raines, University of Wollongong

Marketing Communications Professional of the Year

Anita Bennett, AdventBalance

Sharon Thompson, Ashurst

Lauren Scott, Clayton Utz

Kate Piper, Corrs Chambers Westgarth

Alexandra Jones, LegalVision

Kate Arnold, People + Culture Strategies

Tracey Whyte, Piper Alderman

Mentor of the Year

Katie Wrigley, RACS

Joanna Brand, Billabong International Limited

Clarissa Rayward, Brisbane Family Law Centre

Catherine Osborne, Curwoods Lawyers

Melinda Upton, DLA Piper

Jane Hider, DLA Piper

Nicole Maxwell, HWL Ebsworth

Michaela Bartonkova, Maurice Blackburn

Samantha Daly, McCullough Robertson

Fiona McLeod SC, Victorian Bar

Partner of the Year – presented by e.law International

Kylie Lane, Ashurst

Elspeth Arnold, Ashurst

Jo Daniels, Baker & McKenzie

Nikki Robinson, Clayton Utz

Frances Williams, Corrs Chambers Westgarth

Sonia Apikian, Gadens

Colleen Platford, Gilbert + Tobin

Elizabeth Macknay, Herbert Smith Freehills

Amanda Davidson OAM, Holman Fenwick Willan

Sharon Henrick, King & Wood Mallesons

Sandra Steele, K&L Gates

Katrina Rathie, King & Wood Mallesons

Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year – presented by ACC

Justine Autour, Colin Biggers & Paisley

Talya Faigenbaum, Faigenbaum Family Lawyers

Rebecca Gilsenan, Maurice Blackburn

Kathryn Booth, Maurice Blackburn

Kylie Groves, Squire Patton Boggs

Emily Hawcroft and Caitlin Davies, Minter Ellison

Leanne Collingburn, Norton Rose Fulbright

Heidi Nash-Smith, Wotton + Kearney

Kathryn McMillan QC

Bronwyn Hartigan QC

Senior Associate of the Year – presented by e.law International

Alyssa Phillips, Ashurst

Alison Kennedy, Clayton Utz

Kristina Botsis, Corrs Chambers Westgarth

Lalitha Visuasam, Hall & Wilcox

Angela Chung, King & Wood Mallesons

Elizabeth Hundt Russell, King & Wood Mallesons

Melissa Sinopoli, Macdonnells Law

Jessica Reid, Maddocks

Vavaa Mawuli, Maurice Blackburn

Daria McLachlan, Sparke Helmore

Rachel Dawson, Herbert Smith Freehills

Vanessa Baic, K&L Gates

Sole Practitioner of the Year

Kate Ashmor, Ashmor Legal

Sara Hatcher, Focus Legal

Anny Slater, Slaters Intellectual Property Lawyers

Special Counsel of the Year

Samantha Shields, Baker & McKenzie

Jennifer Harris, Clayton Utz

Sanushka Seomangal, HWL Ebsworth

Belinda Montgomery, K&L Gates

Jodylee Bartal, Lander & Rogers

Bettina Sheeran, Maddocks

Kiri Purdy, Minter Ellison

Claire Forster, Norton Rose Fulbright

Tina McAulay, Pragma Legal

Ros Wicks, Turks Legal

Thought Leader of the Year – presented by Leo Cussen

Kate Ashmor, Ashmor Legal Pty Ltd

Clarissa Rayward, Brisbane Family Law Centre

Sarah Lynch, BucketOrange Magazine

Shae McCartney and Claire Smith, Clayton Utz

Elspeth Hensler, Francis Burt Chambers

Katie Miller, Law Institute of Victoria

Megan Lawton, Law Society Northern Territory

Mirabella Stammers, Legally Yours Pty Ltd

Fiona McLeod SC, Victorian Bar

Young Gun of the Year – presented by Leo Cussen

Samantha Robson, Ashurst

Isobelle Watts, Clayton Utz

Libby Radjenovic, DibbsBarker

Georgia Wall, Gadens

Amelia Morgan, Herbert Smith Freehills

Debra Ellis, Herbert Smith Freehills

Kristen Hammond, Holman Webb

Verity Scandrett, Sparke Helmore

Elizabeth Aitken, TressCox Lawyers

Emma Smallwood, Women's Legal Service