FT Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers 2026 open for submissions

The 2026 FT Modern Legal professionals Asia-Pacific report, by which we discover the important thing developments within the authorized sector, is open for submissions. We’re looking for entries that element case research of progressive work, in each the observe and the enterprise of regulation, from regulation corporations and in-house authorized groups.     Essentially the most progressive submissions might be shortlisted for the accompanying FT Modern Legal professionals Asia-Pacific awards occasion, which might be held on Thursday, Might 14 on the Asia Society in Hong Kong. The shortlisted submissions might be featured within the FT Modern Legal professionals report, printed in print and on-line on Friday, Might 15.    Submissions    Personal observe classes     Legislation corporations are invited to make a most of eight submissions throughout seven classes, not together with the FT regulation agency index. Submissions might be assessed by the FT’s analysis accomplice, RSGI, utilizing benchmarks, interviews, surveys and different analysis.      The three highest-scoring submissions throughout all of the classes will comprise the agency’s innovation rating within the total FT regulation agency index. The FT regulation agency index will even be based mostly on scores for a agency’s use of knowledge and expertise, social affect and folks methods. These latter scores might be based mostly on solutions to the regulation agency index questionnaire.     Apply of regulation: submissions are invited from groups working in any authorized observe, with a particular instance or case examine that demonstrates the altering observe of regulation. The submissions ought to present how legal professionals have bridged skilled disciplines, created new requirements, delivered excellent outcomes for shoppers or created new observe areas, with originality and affect. Every agency could make a complete of two observe of regulation submissions, in any of the next classes: power, initiatives and infrastructure; expertise; healthcare and life sciences; cyber safety and information safety; sustainability; financing and personal capital; disputes and disaster administration. (Two submissions per agency)     Data and information: submissions are invited from regulation corporations on any initiatives or initiatives relating to make use of of data and information. This might embody inner initiatives designed to institutionalise data or facilitate the usage of expertise, corresponding to generative AI. It might equally contain complementing authorized recommendation or growing it right into a product. (One submission per agency)     Enterprise of regulation: submissions are invited from regulation corporations on initiatives that relate to the transformation of the agency. Every agency could make one submission, in any of the next classes: digital authorized merchandise; operational transformation; new enterprise fashions. (One submission per agency)      Individuals and abilities: submissions are invited from regulation corporations which can be rethinking workplaces, how they work, or the best way they recruit, interact and develop their employees. It might embody the methods regulation corporations are growing new abilities and material experience, new pay and reward fashions, or how the agency is leveraging a wider vary {of professional} capabilities. (One submission per agency)     Accountable enterprise: submissions are invited that element progressive methods by which corporations are having an affect in addressing challenges of local weather change, social injustice, or social inequality. (One submission per agency)      Particular person practitioner: submissions are invited for particular person authorized practitioners who’re innovators inside their agency or observe. The submissions ought to present how the person has modified the best way authorized work is finished, how they’ve influenced their corporations, trade, enterprise or wider society, and the way they’re altering the best way the agency works with shoppers. Please be aware that people who’ve already been profiled as people in a earlier FT Modern Legal professionals report will not be eligible for this class. (One particular person per agency)      Intrapreneur: submissions are invited for people who’ve acted as change makers inside their agency. They will embody, however will not be restricted to, senior leaders (however not managing companions) and departmental heads, and heads of innovation and transformation. We’re keen on intrapreneurs who’ve helped their corporations to alter tradition, behaviours, processes, and tailored them to be extra related to their folks and shoppers. Please be aware that people who’ve beforehand been profiled as progressive intrapreneurs, change makers or leaders in a earlier FT Modern Legal professionals report will not be eligible for this class. (One particular person per agency) FT regulation agency index: taking part corporations might be requested to answer a questionnaire masking use of knowledge and expertise, folks and expertise and social duty insurance policies. These responses might be scored and benchmarked in opposition to different regulation corporations to assist calculate the agency’s place within the total FT regulation agency index.  Company regulation division classes     In-house authorized groups are invited to make as much as 4 submissions, in any of the next classes. Please additionally embody contact particulars for the chief authorized officer and a referee from one other member of the C-suite who may be out there for interview.     Industrial and strategic companions: submissions are invited from authorized groups which have helped ship extra worth throughout the enterprise or to the enterprise’s exterior clients. Examples could embody: enabling enterprise development or transformation; the redesign of authorized processes to enhance buyer expertise. New services: submissions are invited from authorized groups which have helped devise new merchandise, providers or income streams for the enterprise.  Operational transformation: Submissions are invited from authorized groups which have launched new processes or new methods of working to enhance how they function. Examples could relate to the administration and operations of the authorized operate and generative AI use all through the operate. Digital options: Submissions are invited from authorized groups which have adopted or developed new digital instruments within the division, or digitised a particular course of, together with use of generative AI.  Outdoors counsel administration: submissions are invited from authorized groups which have launched approaches to higher handle work allocation and collaboration with exterior authorized advisers.  Individuals and abilities: submissions are invited from authorized groups which can be constructing abilities and capabilities in new methods. We’re keen on new approaches to working in groups and interesting people. Examples could relate to the authorized group, or the function the authorized group is taking part in in serving to the enterprise to adapt.  Sustainability and accountable enterprise: submissions are invited from authorized groups which can be serving to their companies and industries to satisfy sustainability targets. Examples might also cowl authorized groups’ initiatives to deal with challenges of social injustice, social inequality, or inclusion and variety.  How the report and the awards are assessed    The report will characteristic descriptions of a choice of the submissions obtained together with articles. The submission deadline is January 22, 2026. The analysis course of will run from February to March. The report might be printed with the Monetary Instances newspaper on Friday, Might 15, and an awards ceremony might be held on Thursday, Might 14.     There isn’t a value for submitting entries however the venture might be topic to the phrases and situations outlined intimately under.     The analysis accomplice for the FT Modern Legal professionals programme is RSGI, a analysis and intelligence company with many years of expertise analysing the authorized trade.      Methods to submit entries    All submissions should be made through the web submissions kind at https://ftinnovativelawyers.highq.com/ To register an account to entry the kinds, please fill out this way. You possibly can e mail ftresearch@rsgi.co with any queries.      Submission format     All personal observe regulation agency submissions should present the next particulars and tackle the standards set out under. Please be aware that phrase limits are enforced within the on-line entry kinds.      The problem: What industrial downside or enterprise challenge is being solved? (75 phrase restrict)      Description of the innovation: A short description of the person, group or initiative. (75 phrase restrict)Originality: why is the person, group or initiative progressive? Which parts are most authentic? (200 phrase restrict)      Management: what function did the legal professionals, agency, particular person or authorized division play? For which facets of the answer, strategy or implementation had been the legal professionals accountable? How did you arrive on the particular strategy or resolution that was lastly adopted? (200 phrase restrict)      Influence: what was the affect of the innovation for the shopper, agency or key stakeholders? How can its success be measured? The place did the legal professionals ship essentially the most worth? Please embody laborious proof. (200 phrase restrict)      References: all submissions should embody contact particulars for at the least one inner and at the least one shopper, or different exterior, reference, who may be contacted to debate the main points of the innovation on a confidential foundation.     Guidelines for submitting  Time interval: the 2026 rating will assess improvements instituted from July 1, 2024 onwards. Please be aware that entries shortlisted for the 2025 awards is not going to be eligible.    Submissions should be not than 750 phrases in whole, written in English and reply every of the questions on the entry kind.      Evaluation of submissions  Submissions might be totally researched and might be assessed on their very own deserves. The RSGI analysis group additionally makes use of unbiased specialists within the evaluation course of. Entries might be judged in opposition to different submissions in every class. Improvements and innovators might be scored for his or her originality, management and affect out of a complete of 30 factors.      Consumer references are a important a part of the evaluation course of. Contact particulars for inner and shopper or exterior referees should be included on each submission.     All submissions are assessed by RSGI, which makes use of a technique of interviews with shoppers, submitting legal professionals and specialists. The submissions are then scored in opposition to a bespoke rating methodology, devised for the FT, to evaluate innovation in regulation corporations.     The rankings might be based mostly totally on submissions obtained however will even embody contemporary analysis, surveys and different qualitative analysis strategies to uncover authorized innovation within the area.      Evaluation standards might be based mostly on native norms and benchmarks of innovation.     Awards and report schedule   January 22 — deadline for submissions      April — awards shortlists revealed      Might 14 — awards occasion     Might 15 — report publication on FT.com and with the Monetary Instances newspaper      Contact particulars  For analysis/submission questions please contact RSGI at ftresearch@rsgi.co   For editorial inquiries please contact Harriet Arnold on the FT at harriet.arnold@ft.com (please put FTILAP within the topic discipline).    For promoting alternatives or different analysis sponsorship alternatives please contact Alex Roszkowski, account director, head of authorized on the FT, at alex.roszkowski@ft.com, +44 (0) 7481 606760.      For inquiries concerning the awards occasion, please contact lewis.finch@ft.com.     Essential data There isn’t a price for coming into submissions to FT Modern Legal professionals Asia-Pacific 2026.   The researchers reserve the best to maneuver entries from one class to a different in the event that they really feel it acceptable. The researchers’ selections are last and no correspondence might be entered into.  The FT and RSGI settle for no duty for the loss or harm of fabric submitted. The FT reserves the best to publish the names of the agency or legal professionals contained within the shortlist of excellent entries, particulars and outline of all entries and particulars of winners. All entrants grant the FT a perpetual, non-exclusive licence to publish particulars and descriptions of entries as referred to, and in addition conform to take part in publicity moderately requested by the FT concerning their entry. The FT acknowledges that copyright in all entries stays vested with the entrants.  In case you are shortlisted for, or win, an award, then the FT could at its discretion permit you to use the related FT Modern Legal professionals brand in your advertising and marketing supplies. You acknowledge that FT is the proprietor of the emblem and all associated goodwill and agree that your use of the emblem should be in accordance with any relevant FT branding tips in pressure sometimes or any directions from the FT, that you’ll not use it as a part of a composite mark or brand, and you’ll not use it in a fashion which causes or is more likely to trigger confusion or a deceptive affiliation between your enterprise and the FT, or harm to FT’s goodwill or popularity, or to the validity of any FT trademark. FT could terminate your proper to make use of the emblem at any time.  Please don’t embody any confidential data in your entry that you don’t want to enter the general public area as a result of the FT is unable to ensure that such data is not going to be printed as set out above. Any inclusion of confidential data in an entry is on the entrant’s sole threat and duty and in data of the FT’s request not to take action.  The FT reserves the best to cancel, postpone or droop FT Modern Legal professionals Asia-Pacific 2026 at any time and to exclude any entries which it considers are inappropriate or don’t adjust to these phrases and situations. False or misleading entries will render the entrant ineligible and such entries might be discarded.  The FT and RSGI can not settle for duty for, or legal responsibility arising from, entrants participating within the awards. To the fullest extent permissible by regulation, the FT and RSGI exclude legal responsibility for all loss, harm or declare arising because of your entry to FT Modern Legal professionals Asia-Pacific 2026.  These phrases and situations shall be ruled by and construed in accordance with English regulation. Disputes arising in reference to the awards shall be topic to the unique jurisdiction of the English courts.  By submitting an entry, entrants might be deemed to have learn, understood and agreed to those phrases and situations on behalf of their agency or organisation.  The submitter warrants that it has obtained all needed consents required beneath relevant information safety and privateness legal guidelines to permit the sharing of any private information contained within the submission with the FT. Contact data will solely be used for the needs of assessing every submission and might be processed in accordance with our privateness coverage.