Elevate ALA Award Criteria and Guidelines

 

The Elevate ALA Award recognizes up to three recipients whose efforts in professional development, networking, visibility and inclusion are exemplary. These efforts should demonstrate advancement in the following areas:ALA-2017-ELEVATE-Award-Logo

  • Professional development content
  • Relationships between legal management professionals and their peers, as well as legal management professionals and business partners
  • ALA’s prominence in the legal community
  • Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA)

Eligibility
Any ALA chapter, individual, law firm, legal department, business partner or other organization in the legal community is welcome to apply. All applicants must be in good standing with ALA to be eligible for this recognition. Only one entry will be accepted per applicant. The activities in the submission must have occurred during the 2023 calendar year.

Submission Requirements
A written submission (essay), no more than 1,000 words in length, is required. The submission must address all four areas outlined below (professional development, networking, visibility and DEIA). Check out our Guidelines for a Great ALA Awards Submission.

Support materials that directly relate to the written narrative may be included. Support materials or samples not referenced in the essay will not be considered. Please limit support materials to 10 pages.

Section One: Professional Development
This section must describe how the applicant has elevated educational and career development content as it relates to legal management professionals. Details of any resources committed to elevating the professional development content should be provided. Consider addressing the following:

  • The percentage of annual revenues used for overall education
  • A complete listing of all education offered, including:
    • The date offered
    • Title/topic
    • Speaker
    • Length of program
    • Resources used (speaker fees and costs, member time spent planning and organizing the session, specifics about how the educational offering was promoted)
  • Details on all scholarships/stipends awarded to ALA members to further their professional development, including:
    • A description of the criteria used for awarding the scholarship/stipend
    • The impact on the recipients’ engagement with ALA
    • Whether any assistance is offered to those taking the Certified Legal Manager (CLM)® exam

Section Two: Networking
This section must describe how the applicant has elevated relationships among legal management professionals and their peers, as well as legal management professionals and business partners. Consider addressing the following:

  • Details on any events held specifically to strengthen the relationships between legal management professionals
  • Details of all initiatives/events with business partners that strengthened relationships between ALA, the applicant and the business partners
  • Describe any impact it has had on the legal management professionals’ and business partners’ perceived value of ALA

Section Three: Visibility
This section must describe any initiatives the organization or individual has undertaken to elevate the visibility of ALA in the legal community. Consider addressing the following:

  • Details on specific programs/events along with audiences reached and potential return on investment (ROI). (This may include participating/attendance at state bar events, strategic alliances, speaking engagements outside ALA, marketing campaigns in publications, social media, etc.)
  • Details on how the applicant has elevated the recognition of ALA members, volunteers, CLMs and business partners within the legal community

Section Four: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA)
This section must describe any initiatives the organization or individual has undertaken to elevate DEIA within the organization and in the legal community. Consider addressing the following:

  • Details on how initiatives undertaken by the applicant foster collaborative experiences and opportunities that remove barriers for underrepresented members of the legal community
  • Details on how initiatives undertaken by the applicant increase awareness of and sensitivity to the differences within the legal community and advance the concept of inclusivity and acceptance

Evaluation Criteria
A joint task force comprised of members of the ALA Board of Directors and Chapter Resource Team will use Elevate ALA Award Score Sheet to evaluate each submission. This task force is empowered to connect with applicants and request additional details regarding a submission if necessary.

Notification
Recipients will be announced at the awards reception of the 2024 Annual Conference & Expo in Aurora, Colorado and be recognized on our website, in a digital issue of Legal Management and in the BOLD Bites newsletter.

Deadline
Written submissions and all supporting documentation should be submitted using the entry form by February 9th, 2024.

Questions
Contact [email protected] with any questions regarding this award.

Terms and Conditions

  • All submissions are final. No additions or changes are permitted to the entry after receipt by ALA headquarters.
  • All entries become property of ALA.
  • ALA may reproduce, reprint or highlight the entry either in full or in part in its communications and/or at its events.
  • ALA reserves and exercises the right to verify the accuracy of the entry. Supplying inaccurate information may lead to disqualification.
  • Awards will be presented only to entrants in good standing.