IrishCentral is calling on the global Irish diaspora to help identify the lawyers, judges, and advocates who deserve recognition in 2026. Nominations for the IrishCentral Legal Elite Awards are now open to everyone, and the organization is asking the public to put forward names first before its judging panel gets to work.
The IrishCentral Legal Elite Awards celebrate the achievements of distinguished leaders in the Irish American legal community, honoring excellence, integrity, and service in the law. This year's ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the American Irish Historical Society, the storied Gilded Age mansion on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan that has hosted the event in previous years.
Submit your nomination for the 2026 IrishCentral Legal Elite Awards here
There are eight categories up for nomination this year:
- Lifetime Achievement Award - recognizing a career of profound impact on the law and community.
- Rising Star Award - for early-career professionals already making waves.
- Outstanding Community Service Award - celebrating lawyers who give back with passion and purpose.
- Client Service Excellence Award - celebrating those who go above and beyond for the people they represent.
- Public Interest Law Award - for those working to create meaningful change in society.
- Mentorship Award - Recognizing lawyers who uplift and guide others in the profession.
- Technology and Law Award - celebrating innovation and forward-thinking legal minds.
- Human Rights Defender - honoring champions of justice and equality on a global or local scale.
The 2024 IrishCentral Legal Elite honorees.
Once nominations close, a judging panel made up of academics, practicing attorneys, and past honorees will review the submissions and select this year's winners.
Past honorees
The awards have already built a strong track record of honoring standout figures in Irish American law. Former Congressman Joe Crowley received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his decades of public service, including his long tenure representing New York's 14th congressional district and his work as America250 Commissioner. Crowley was also recalled for his advocacy during the fight for the Kennedy-McCain immigration reform bill in 2005, when he supported the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform.
Former Congressman Joe Crowley and his wife, Kasey, at the 2025 IrishCentral Legal Elite Awards.
Alongside Crowley, seven other honorees were recognized last year. Laurence A. Kraemer of Northwell Health won the Technology and Law Award for his leadership of the healthcare system's legal team and his support of innovation in health technology. Daniel S. Connolly, managing partner of Bracewell's New York office, took home the Client Service Excellence Award for his work representing clients in banking, construction, and pharmaceutical litigation. Mary Cecelia Johnson, an Assistant District Attorney in Bronx County, received the Rising Star Award for her early career achievements and volunteer work supporting athletes with disabilities.
Burton T. Ryan Jr. was honored with the Public Interest Law Award for a half century of prosecutorial work targeting organized crime and corruption in New York. Arthur J. Smith received the Mentorship Award for his decades of trial practice and his role in training younger lawyers. Anna Marie Gallagher won the Human Rights Defender Award for her career in refugee and migration law, and Michael Breen was awarded Outstanding Community Service for his leadership supporting Irish language education in Northern Ireland.
The tradition goes back further still. In 2024, Bruce Morrison received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his monumental contributions to Irish immigration and legal excellence, a fitting tribute given his role in shaping the Morrison visa program that opened doors for thousands of Irish immigrants to the United States. He was pictured receiving his award from IrishCentral Chairman Liam Lynch, a moment that captured the spirit of the awards themselves, honoring those who have used the law to strengthen ties between Ireland and America.
Lifetime Achievement Award winner Bruce Morrision at the 2024 IrishCentral Legal Elite Awards.
With the 2026 nominations now open, IrishCentral is hoping to uncover a fresh class of legal professionals whose work reflects that same commitment. Whether it is a mentor who shaped a young associate's career, a community advocate fighting for immigrants' rights, or a rising star making an early mark in the profession, organizers say the public's nominations are the foundation of the entire process.
