A record number of in-house counsels will be in attendance at this year's Mettle ALB Australasian Law Awards, kicking off next Thursday, 22 May in Sydney. Over 100 members of in-house teams from Australia and New Zealand's leading banks, corporations and top government agencies have already confirmed their attendance at the premier legal event of the season. In total, nearly 600 leading lawyers, bankers, and dealmakers have booked their seats for the event.

Seven award categories dedicated to specifically recognising the work of in-house counsels. Fourteen more are devoted to honouring the year's biggest deals which they, along with private practice attorneys and bankers, have put together, many of which have dominated the news headlines and remade the local business landscape.

"In-house counsels are a vital part of the dealmaking process and the legal community", says Mike Shipley, managing director of Key Media which publishes ALB Magazine and organises the awards.

"We are happy that this event has become not only the premier event recognising excellence in the Australasian legal and dealmaking community, but has also become such a prominent forum for both sides of the dealmaking equation to come together in a fun and relaxed setting."

"Mettle has purposefully partnered with the Law Awards this year as we firmly believe organisations must openly celebrate their successes regardless of the times we are facing economically", says Craig McCallum, General Manager Marketing at Mettle Group.  "Recognition of success invigorates organisations, incites further success, shows the value leadership teams place on their people's contribution to their firms' success and reinforces the culture or 'the way things are done around here'."

Limited space is still available to attend this year's Law Awards, which will be held at Sydney's Westin Hotel. This year's event will be hosted by James O'Loghlin, host of the ABC's The New Inventors, and feature great food, free-flowing wines, and a charity auction in support of Sydney Children's Hospital.

For table bookings, please contact Jasmine Clarke on +61 2 9439 4566 or via email on jasmine.clarke@keymedia.com.au

For more information about the awards, the categories, the nominees and the methodology, please visit www.albawards.com.

Mettle Group is a leading Culture and Leadership consultancy specialising in growing organisations through the performance of their people.  We do this by connecting a company's culture to its strategy through the alignment of key cultural levers including diagnostic research, structure, systems, symbols and leadership.  Mettle was founded in 2004, following the merger of three successful consultancies, combining more than 20 years' experience in the transformational change field.  Following its acquisition by Chandler Macleod Group (ASX: CMG) in 2007, Mettle has continued to offer clients unparalleled service and now represents more than 30 of Australia's top 100 companies.