Each year, the NAPABA Margaret Brent Award Committee reviews the outstanding pool of well-qualified NAPABA members to select a woman to be nominated by NAPABA for the American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. NAPABA is now accepting recommendations for the 2025 award cycle. The deadline to submit a recommendation is Wednesday, December 4, at 11:59 pm ET.
The Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, established in 1991, recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of women lawyers who have excelled in their field and have paved the way to success for other women lawyers. These women demonstrate excellence in a variety of professional settings and personify excellence on either the national, regional, or local level. Most recently, NAPABA nominated Gina Shishima, who was honored with this prestigious award in August 2024.
If you are interested in submitting a recommendation, please visit our webpage to learn more about qualifications and requirements.
Criteria
- The individual achieved professional excellence in her field AND
- Influenced other women to pursue legal careers, OR
- Opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, OR
- 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
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:
- The individual achieved professional excellence in her field AND
- Influenced other women to pursue legal careers, OR
- Opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them, OR
- 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.
To submit a recommendation, go here.
