224 Women In Law Awards Finalists, One Fortnight: Why Now Is The Moment To Say 'Well Done'
By Sue-Ella Prodonovich | October 2026
Key takeaways
The Australian Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards 2026 name 224 individual finalists across 26 categories, plus 25 firms in three group categories.
About 80% of individual finalists work in private practice.
It’s not unusual for professionals to feel awkward promoting their own award listing, so a word from colleagues and referrers helps mark the moment.
The fortnight before the 12 November gala is the best time to send congratulations, while every finalist shares the spotlight.
Australians have a complicated relationship with success. We cheer loudly for the cricket and quietly for our colleagues. The tall poppy still casts a long shadow, and the humble-brag sits awkwardly in a LinkedIn feed. So when a lawyer is named a finalist in a national award, she may share the news once, briefly, and then get back to work.
That modesty is understandable but it means the people around her can miss the moment. This year I’m one of the judges for the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards. The winners will be named at a gala at Crown Melbourne on Thursday 12 November.
Between now and then sits a short window, and you can put it to good use.
A finalist congratulation is a short message or phone call to someone shortlisted for an award, made before the result is known. It recognises the achievement of being named, whatever the outcome on the night. Also known as a ‘good onya’.
What the finalist list tells you
The 2026 finalist list names 224 individuals across 26 categories. Eleven are finalists in more than one category, and one appears in four. Another 25 firms are finalists in three group categories covering diversity and innovation. The individual finalists come from 172 organisations.
Not surprisingly, the list reads like a map of the profession…
At least 180 of the 224 individual finalists, about eight in ten, work in private practice
Twenty are finalists for Partner of the Year, split evenly between BigLaw and SME firms.
Ten are finalists for Sole Practitioner of the Year.
Forty finalist places go to HR, marketing, legal operations and legal support professionals, the people who keep firms running.
The balance work in-house, at universities, at the Bar, in government and in community legal services.
A long road from 1905
One category carries the name of Flos Greig. In 1905 she became the first woman to practise law in Australia. More than a century later, women make up 56% of Australian solicitors and 51% of those in private practice, according to the Law Society of NSW's 2024 National Profile of Solicitors.
Other corners of the professional services sector have further to travel. This week a working group of nine industry bodies, led by Chartered Accountants ANZ, called for action on the gender imbalance in insolvency. Just 70 of Australia's 660 registered liquidators are women. The group proposes an equitable briefing policy, asking government bodies to aim for 25% of insolvency appointments going to women. The Law Council's equitable briefing targets for women barristers were met for the first time this year, about a decade after the policy began.
Why recognition needs a network
My 2024 survey with Ladies Insolvency Professionals found 67% of respondents believed business development (BD) was harder for women than for men. Many described informal networks that leave women outside the conversations where work changes hands. Recognition travels through those same networks, and someone has to set it moving.
A finalist listing is a public endorsement from an independent panel. When colleagues and referrers acknowledge it, the news reaches the clients and contacts who matter to her practice. That is Business Development at its most generous.
Who should send a note
Colleagues. Partners, associates and business services teams who work alongside a finalist.
Referrers. Accountants, barristers, experts, lawyers and insolvency practitioners, and financial advisers who send her work, or receive it.
Service providers. Consultants, coaches, recruiters and others who have watched her practice grow.
You don’t need to know her well. A brief note from a referrer she met once can mean more than a dozen ‘likes’ on social media.
How to say ‘Good Onya’
Keep it short and free of ‘strings’. Leave out the pitch, the coffee request and the newsletter sign-up. The message is the gift. Send it by email, a handwritten card or a private LinkedIn message.
Write this week, before the envelopes open on Nov 12
After the gala, attention narrows to the winners but before it, every finalist shares the same stage. Scan the finalist list, pick, say, three people you know or know of, and send each a note this week. For the finalist, it may be the message she rereads on the night. If you would like to be in the room, you can book tickets for the 12 November gala.
Frequently asked questions
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Lawyers Weekly will announce the winners of the 2026 Women in Law Awards at a gala at Crown Melbourne on Thursday 12 November 2026.
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The finalist list names 224 individuals across 26 individual categories. A further 25 firms are finalists across three group categories: Diversity Law Firm of the Year, Boutique Diversity Law Firm of the Year and Innovator of the Year (Company).
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Yes. A short, specific note from a referrer, client contact or adviser is usually welcome. Keep it to a few lines and do not attach a request.
Want more?
If you'd like to know more about business development for women in professional services, email Sue-Ella or get in touch.
References and further reading
Sue-Ella's articles
Is Business Development More Difficult for Women?
Business Development for Women in Insolvency and Restructuring
Are Directories and Awards a Waste of Time? That depends…
External references
Chartered Accountants ANZ Peak bodies call for action on gender imbalance in insolvency profession. Media release, 28 October, 2026.
Law Council of Australia Equitable briefing targets met for first time, and more diversity work underway. Media release, 13 April, 2026.
Law Society of NSW (2025) 2024 National Profile of Solicitors. Urbis.
Lawyers Weekly (2026) Women in Law Awards 2026: finalists and judges.
Wilson I (2025) No, seriously, where are the women? Accountants Daily, 1 December.
About Sue-Ella
Sue-Ella is the Principal of Prodonovich Advisory, a business dedicated to helping professional services practices sharpen their business development practices.
She works mainly with law and accounting firms on Business Development strategy and support structures, leadership and professional-development programs, and designing client-listening initiatives.
She co-facilitates firm planning retreats and delivers public workshops such as Business Skills for Lawyers.
And through her BD45™ service, she assists individuals with their personal business-development plans.
Connect on LinkedIn or visit prodonovich.com.au
© Prodonovich Advisory. Please respect our copyright and the effort that went into producing this article. This article, and any portion of it, may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.