The inaugural National Irish Bank 2012 Irish Law Awards took place today at the Shelbourne Hotel Dublin, with awards across twenty-seven categories recognising excellence at all levels of the law industry in Ireland.

Hosted by broadcaster Miriam O’ Callaghan, and with an opening address by Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter T.D, the awards identified legal individuals, teams and firms who made outstanding contributions to Irish law during 2011.  The winners in each of the categories were selected by an adjudication panel chaired by Dr. Eamonn G. Hall.

The winner of one of the most sought-after awards of the day – Law Firm of the Year, sponsored by National Irish Bank – was William Fry, who “demonstrated exceptional achievements in 2011 offering high-quality legal services with an impressive depth of expertise throughout the firm”.

Commenting on the win, Myra Garrett,Managing Partner at William Fry, said: ‘We are delighted to be recognised as the Law Firm of the Year at these inaugural awards. It is a tribute to the energy and commitment of the whole team at William Fry and the tremendous successes and loyalty of our clients’.

2012 marked the inaugural year of the National Irish Bank Irish Law Awards.  Commenting on their partnership with the Irish Law Awards, Stephen Foley, Head of Sales & Marketing at National Irish Bank said: “I would like to sincerely congratulate each of the winners here today on their achievement, and to acknowledge too the expertise demonstrated throughout 2011 by all of the many nominees.  National Irish Bank is delighted to be involved in recognising some of Ireland’s most skilled and dedicated legal professionals.”

Charity partners for the event included the Peter McVerry Trust, the Barristers Benevolent Society and the Solicitors’ Benevolent Society.