Raft of nominations for Womble Bond Dickinson at The Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards

International law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has been shortlisted for five awards at The Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards. WBD is nominated for two Firm of the Year awards including ESG and Diversity and Inclusion and three of the firm's lawyers have also been shortlisted as leaders in their field.

In its second year, The Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse awards recognise the breadth of legal talent across the North, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber by celebrating the achievements from the past year.

Having won ESG Firm of the Year at last year's inaugural ceremony, WBD has once again been recognised for its work in ESG.

The firm is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2030 and procures renewable energy in five of its eight UK offices, with nearly 80% of the energy used across the UK coming from renewable sources. As part of our work under the 'social' sphere, WBD launched a new network – women's career development, marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week for the first time, received the Gold Award and ranked in the Top 100 Employers 2023 for Stonewall, ranked 11^th in the Social Mobility Employer Index and achieved accreditation to the Mansfield Rule, a principle which promotes diversity in law firm leadership with 30% of 70% of our recruitment, promotion, governance committees and pitch attendees to be from under-represented groups (gender, race, disability and sexuality). In the governance landscape WBD achieved re-certifications for ISO27001, ISO9001 and Cyber Essentials Plus, and improved its EcoVadis rating score, retaining the Gold Medal and ranking in the top two per cent of companies globally. These are just a few of the ESG initiatives the firm has undertaken in the last 12 months.

WBD's nomination in the Diversity and Inclusion category is based on the firmwide initiatives to foster a diverse and inclusive culture to attract and retain the very best people and for widening access to the legal profession through apprenticeships. With its deep-rooted #BeYourself campaign, WBD actively encourages its people to be their real selves, embracing individuality and differences to unlock potential.

In addition, three WBD lawyers are nominated for leading individual awards in recognition for their work advising clients on complex and high-profile matters. The shortlisted individuals are:

• Lawyer of the Year – Emma Moody
• Private Client Lawyer of the Year – Helen Tavroges
• Public Sector Rising Star of the Year – Peter Cantwell

Nigel Emmerson, Partner and Head of WBD's Newcastle office, commented:

"These nominations reflect a very successful year for our firm and demonstrate our commitment to the North East and Yorkshire regions as well as the fantastic clients we work with.

We're also really proud to see further recognition for our firm when it comes to driving the ESG and Diversity and Inclusion agendas and we will keep engaging with our people, clients and suppliers to build on the progress already made."

The winners will be announced on Wednesday 13 March at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.