Parameters
The parameters for the Awards are:

• The entire SE Asian legal services market, including Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam
• Work completed and services provided within the period 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2009
• Firms, lawyers, in-house departments, banks and accountancy firms based in or working predominantly in SE Asia

Deals Awards Categories

Criteria
•    Size - the financial value of the deal and the quantity of legal work involved 
•    Complexity - the degree to which advanced legal and financial techniques and structures have been applied to the deal 
•    Breadth - the degree to which the deal spanned jurisdictions, practice areas, parties and industries 
•    Innovation - the degree to which the deal involved groundbreaking, original legal techniques and structures 

1. Nominations
Leading law firms are invited by e-mail to nominate and detail the most outstanding deals they have been involved in within the calendar year 2009. All nominations are made using the nomination form provided by the ALB team via e-mail and the web.

2. Research
In addition, the ALB team conducts interviews with leading practitioners and in-house counsel, collects third-party information and draws on their own stock of industry knowledge.

3. Finalists
Upon completion of research, shortlists of the finalist deals in each of the deals awards categories are compiled by the ALB team and published on the web and in the pre-event issue of ALB magazine.

4. Judging panel
The ALB team then provides full details on each of the finalist deals to a panel of judges, who examine the information, rate each deal according to size, complexity, breadth and innovation, and make their votes for first, second and third placed deals in each deals awards category.

5. Winners
Using a simple points system to aggregate and weight the judges’ votes, ALB then works out the winning deals in each category.

Firm Awards Categories

1. Nominations
The in-house legal departments and other relevant individuals in leading companies, banks and accountancy firms are invited by e-mail to nominate the law firms that have produced the most outstanding legal work in each practice area during 2009. In addition, law firms are invited to nominate their peers and are also able to make self-nominations. All nominations are made using the nomination form provided by the ALB team via e-mail and the web.

2. Research
In addition, the ALB team conducts interviews with leading practitioners and in-house counsel, collects third-party information, and draws on their own stock of industry knowledge.

3. Finalists
Upon completion of research, shortlists of the finalist firms in each of the firm awards categories are compiled by the ALB team and published on the web and in the pre-event issue of ALB magazine. All finalists are then invited to make a detailed finalist submission on why they are deserving of the award.

4. Judging panel
The ALB team then provides full details on each of the finalist firms to a panel of judges, who examine the information and make their votes for first, second and third placed firms in each firm awards category.

5. Winners
Using a simple points system to aggregate and weight the judges’ votes, ALB then works out the winning firms in each category.

In-house Awards Categories

1. Nominations
Law firms and other relevant individuals in leading companies, banks and accountancy firms are invited by e-mail to nominate the in-house teams and lawyers that have produced the most outstanding legal work in each practice area during 2009. In addition, in-house legal departments are invited to make self-nominations. All nominations are made using the nomination form provided by the ALB team via e-mail and the web.

2. Research
In addition, the ALB team conducts interviews with leading practitioners and in-house counsel, collects third-party information, and draws on their own stock of industry knowledge.

3. Finalists
Upon completion of research, shortlists of the finalist in-house teams and lawyers in each of the in-house awards categories are compiled by the ALB team and published on the web and in the pre-event issue of ALB magazine. All finalists are then invited to make a detailed finalist submission on why they are deserving of the award.

4. Judging panel
The ALB team then provides full details on each of the finalist in-house teams and lawyers to a panel of judges, who examine the information and make their votes for first, second and third placed firms in each In-house awards category.

5. Winners
Using a simple points system to aggregate and weight the judges’ votes, ALB then works out the winning in-house teams and lawyers in each category.