The Lawyer European Awards 2024: The Winners

Italian firm Chiomenti took home the title of European Law Firm of the Year last night as The Lawyer celebrated Europe’s best and brightest at London’s Grosvenor House hotel.

Chiomenti was also named as the outstanding firm in its home jurisdiction, winning the title of Law Firm of the Year – Italy. The firm impressed judges who described it as “impressive, top tier and visionary”, commending it both for all-round growth as well as successful implementation of a coherent AI strategy.

A total of 27 awards were handed out over the course of the evening. Winners were named in a range of categories focused on particular jurisdictions, practice groups, initiatives as well as individual awards for the year’s outstanding general counsel or managing partner.

Ferring Pharmaceuticals general counsel Curt McDaniel walked away with the European General Counsel of the Year award for his ability to navigate an overhaul in legal service delivery while undergoing a significant generational change at the top of the business. Eversheds Sutherland’s Helen Thomas was named European Managing Partner of the Year with judges calling her “inspirational” in fostering pan-European collaboration across offices all while delivering solid revenue growth to boot.

A full list of all the winners, as well as those individuals and firms who were commended or shortlisted, can be found below.

Law Firm of the Year – Austria

WINNER
Binder Grösswang

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Wolf Theiss

SHORTLISTED
Fellner Wratzfeld & Partners

COMMENDED
Bpv Hügel
Cerha Hempel
Schönherr

Law Firm of the Year – Benelux

WINNER
GSK Stockmann

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

COMMENDED
AKD

SHORTLISTED
Eversheds Sutherland
Houthoff
Loyens & Loeff
Vandenbulke

Law Firm of the Year – Central Europe

WINNER
Wolf Theiss

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Kinstellar

COMMENDED
Schönherr

SHORTLISTED
Kopeć Zaborowski
Lakatos Köves & Partners
Penteris
PRK Partners
Rymarz Zdort Maruta

Law Firm of the Year – France

WINNER
August Debouzy

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Gide Loyrette Nouel

COMMENDED
Kirkland & Ellis

SHORTLISTED
Archers
Eversheds Sutherland
Jeantet
Reed Smith

Law Firm of the Year – Germany

WINNER
Luther

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Noerr

COMMENDED
GSK Stockmann

SHORTLISTED
Eversheds Sutherland
Gleiss Lutz
Gowling WLG
Latham & Watkins
Schalast

Law Firm of the Year – Iberia

WINNER
Garrigues

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira

COMMENDED
Abreu Advogados

SHORTLISTED
CS’Associados
ECIJA
Gómez-Acebo & Pombo
SRS Legal
Uría Menéndez

Law Firm of the Year – Italy

WINNER
Chiomenti

HIGHLY COMMENDED
BonelliErede

COMMENDED
Gianni & Origoni

SHORTLISTED
Grimaldi Alliance
Legance
Portolano Cavallo

Law Firm of the Year – Republic of Ireland

WINNER
Matheson

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Mason Hayes & Curran

COMMENDED
McCann Fitzgerald

SHORTLISTED
A&L Goodbody
Arthur Cox
Dentons
Dillon Eustace
Flynn O’Driscoll

Law Firm of the Year – Northern Europe

WINNER
Thommessen

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Ellex

COMMENDED
Castrén & Snellman

SHORTLISTED
Borenius
Cobalt
Sorainen
Wiersholm

Law Firm of the Year – South Eastern Europe

WINNER
Wolf Theiss

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii

COMMENDED
Gecić Law

SHORTLISTED
BOPE Bojanovic Partners
Kinstellar
Popescu & Asociatii

Law Firm of the Year – Switzerland

WINNER
Bär & Karrer

HIGHLY COMMENDED
LALIVE

COMMENDED
Homburger

SHORTLISTED
Homburger
Lenz & Staehelin
Niederer Kraft Frey
Schellenberg Wittmer
Walder Wyss

Brussels Team of the Year

WINNER
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

COMMENDED
Loyens & Loeff

SHORTLISTED
Latham & Watkins
Alber & Geiger
Osborne Clarke

European Corporate Team of the Year

WINNER
Aequo

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Matheson

COMMENDED
Jones Day

SHORTLISTED
Bird & Bird
BonelliErede
Dentons
Morgan Lewis
Noerr

European Finance Team of the Year

WINNER
Rymarz Zdort Maruta

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Aequo

COMMENDED
Integrites

SHORTLISTED
Arthur Cox
Gecić Law
SRS Legal

European In-house Team of the Year

WINNER
UBS

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Grupo Visbeira

COMMENDED
Ferring Pharmaceuticals

SHORTLISTED
Fidelidade
Guavapay
Inchcape
Personio
VEON

European Litigation Team of the Year

WINNER
Kochański & Partners

HIGHLY COMMENDED
BonelliErede

COMMENDED
Latham & Watkins

SHORTLISTED
Aequo
Gecić Law
Integrites
Sayenko Kharenko
Zamfirescu Racoti Vasile & Partners

European Specialist Firm of the Year

WINNER
Kopeć Zaborowski

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Littler

COMMENDED
ECIJA

SHORTLISTED
Brucher Thieltgen & Partners
Dillon Eustace
MFW Fiałek
Sagardoy Abogados
Vandenbulke

Best Transformation Initiative

WINNER
ECIJA (GenAI Service)

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Noerr

COMMENDED
Mondelez Europe

SHORTLISTED
A&L Goodbody
ECIJA (AI Governance/One Platform)
iManage and Womble Bond Dickinson (Joint entry)
Vialto Partners

Most Impactful ESG Initiative

WINNER
Everlegal

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Sayenko Kharenko

COMMENDED
Abreu Advogados

SHORTLISTED
Aequo
ECIJA
Eversheds Sutherland
Schalast

European Managing Partner of the Year

WINNER
Helen Thomas, Eversheds Sutherland

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Philippe Bärtsch, Schellenberg Wittmer

COMMENDED
Hugo Ecija, ECIJA

SHORTLISTED
Nicolas Thieltgen, Brucher Thieltgen & Partners
Denis Van den Bulke, Vandenbulke

European General Counsel of the Year

WINNER
Curt McDaniel, Ferring Pharmaceuticals

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Omiyinka Doris, VEON

COMMENDED
Isabel Fernandes, Grupo Visabeira

SHORTLISTED
Eduard Alia, Guavapay
John Beckett, Hunter Douglas Europe
Isabel Lage, Fidelidade
Ingrid Sollerer, Sandoz

Global Network of the Year

WINNER
Interlaw

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Multilaw

COMMENDED
Ius Laboris

SHORTLISTED
Grimaldi Alliance
International Lawyers Network
TerraLex

Offshore Firm of the Year

WINNER
Ogier

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Marshall Diel & Myers

COMMENDED
Carey Olsen

SHORTLISTED
Harneys
Lennox Paton

Best client service initiative

WINNER
A&L Goodbody

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Osborne Clarke

COMMENDED
Matheson

SHORTLISTED
Abreu Advogados
Aequo
Axon Partners
ECIJA
SRS Legal

Best pro bono initiative

WINNER
Sidley Austin

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Houthoff

COMMENDED
Aequo

SHORTLISTED
A&L Goodbody
Arthur Cox
Asters
Fragomen
Matheson

Best client service initiative

WINNER
A&L Goodbody

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Osborne Clarke

COMMENDED
Matheson

SHORTLISTED
Abreu Advogados
Aequo
Axon Partners
ECIJA
SRS Legal

Law firm of the year: Ukraine

WINNER
Aequo

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Everlegal

COMMENDED
Integrites

SHORTLISTED
Asters
Axon Partners
Kinstellar
LCF Law Group
Sayenko Kharenko

European Law Firm of the Year

WINNER
Chiomenti

HIGHLY COMMENDED
August Debouzy

COMMENDED
Wolf Theiss

SHORTLISTED
Aequo
Bär & Karrer
Binder Grösswang
Garrigues
GSK Stockmann
Luther
Matheson
Thommessen