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    Nomination Criteria and Application Requirements

    Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards

    Award Purpose

    The award was established in 1991 to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of women lawyers. Each year, this award honors up to five outstanding women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence within their area of specialty and have actively paved the way to success for other women lawyers. These women demonstrate excellence in various professional settings and personify excellence on the national, regional, or local levels.

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    Criteria

    1. The individual achieved professional excellence in her field AND
    2. Influenced other women to pursue legal careers, OR
    3. Opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, OR
    4. Advanced opportunities for women within a practice area or segment of the profession.

    Nominees may be ABA members or nonmembers. Sitting members of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession may not be nominated.

    Nomination Application Requirements

    Updated April 2024

    Nominations  are open 
    Nominators may be asked to register for a SurveyMonkey account if they still need to register before gaining access to the application portal.

    A. Nominee's Resume - Include the nominee's resume or biography describing her background and contributions.

    B. Award Criteria Narrative - In no more than three typed pages, provide specific, concrete examples for criterion #1 and at least one of criteria numbers 2 through 4 below:

    1. The individual achieved professional excellence in her field AND
    2. Influenced other women to pursue legal careers, OR
    3. Opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, OR
    4. Advanced opportunities for women within a practice area or segment of the profession.

    C. Articles and Letters - To present a comprehensive picture of the nominee, please include (1) up to 10 news or magazine articles written by or about the candidate and (2) no more than 5 letters of support from individuals or organizations. The Commission relies on the entire nomination packet in selecting each year's honorees. The limitation on articles and letters of support will be observed; anything in excess of 5 letters or ten articles will not be considered. A letter of support can have a maximum of 5 signatories only. For this category, the number of pages is capped at 80.

    D. Complete Submission Package
    Only complete submissions will be considered.

    Timetable
    The Commission selects award recipients at the ABA Midyear Meeting.

    Additional Procedures

    1. The nomination form and your supporting materials are the SOLE basis for the nomination. Materials will not be returned.
    2. It is required that the individual being nominated be notified by you prior to your submitting her nomination for the Margaret Brent Award.
    3. The limitation on articles and letters of support will be observed. Anything in excess of 5 letters or 10 articles will not be considered.
    4. A letter of support can have a maximum of 5 signatories only. Letters with more than 5 signatories will not be considered.
    5. Current ABA Commission on Women in the Profession members are not eligible for the Brent Award for the duration of their terms.
    6. Those individuals actively running for an ABA elected officer position at the time of the Brent Selection Meeting (held in conjunction with the ABA Midyear Meeting) are not eligible to receive a Brent Award during that awards cycle. Elected officers of the Association are the President, the President-Elect, the Chair of the House of Delegates, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.
    7. Please be advised that honorees must be present at the awards ceremony to be eligible to receive the award. * Posthumous nominations will not be accepted. 
    8. If you submitted a nomination packet in 2022 or 2023 and would like to resubmit the nomination, the re-submitted packet must include the previously submitted packets, as well as (1) a new award criteria narrative and (2) and an updated resume.
    9. Note: ABA policy requires that, prior to finalizing an award selection decision and announcing award recipients’ names, the Commission must undertake a screening of the award candidate(s) to ensure a candidate is in good standing professionally and in the community and is of good character overall. This includes a review of the candidate’s standing with the bar(s) of all jurisdictions where they are admitted to practice and of the ABA National Lawyer Regulatory Data Bank to ensure the individual is in good standing and not pending disciplinary or other adverse action.

    *Extenuating circumstances preventing in-person acceptance of the award after confirming an honoree, such as serious illness, will be considered individually.

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