After generating significant interest last year, the Dealmakers of the Year, recognizing excellence in transactional work, and Mentors honors were again part of our Professional Excellence program this year, and the interest only grew. And this year we have our inaugural Unsung Heroes honors—because sometimes the brief author wins the day as much as or more so than the lawyer who stands before the court. A special note of congrats to the dealmakers, mentors and unsung heroes, whose work often occurs behind the scenes. We’ve worked hard to get them some measure of the spotlight.

And congrats, of course, to our Attorney of the Year finalists, Lifetime Achievement winners and New Leaders of the Bar. Ask what professional excellence means, and learning about these honorees will help you begin to answer that question.