CLOC Launches Global Core Awards Program to Recognize Leaders in Legal Operations

Nominations open Jan. 11, 2027, and winners take the stage at CLOC Global Institute in Las Vegas

SAN JOSE, CA, September 29, 2026 – CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium), the leading global membership organization dedicated to transforming the business and practice of law, today launched the CLOC Core Awards, a global recognition program for the people and teams changing how legal work gets done.

The four inaugural categories each map to CLOC’s Core 12 competency framework:

• Legal Ops Builder & Reinvention Award: For an in-house legal team, legal/tech service provider, or legal ops professional who rebuilt how their organization works with outside counsel.
• Legaltech Changemaker Award: For an individual who drove measurable technology adoption through strong change management and training design.
• CORE Community Builder Award: For a CLOC member who advanced the legal ops profession through published frameworks, mentoring, or volunteer leadership.
• Project Excellence Award: For a cross-functional team of in-house counsel, outside counsel, and a legal service provider that solved a shared challenge with speed and efficiency.

Nominations open January 11, 2027, and close February 18, 2027. CLOC accepts self- and third-party nominations. An external judging panel of legal ops practitioners, academics, journalists, and CLOC partners will score submissions against a published rubric.

Finalists will be named April 12, 2027, and receive complimentary registration to CLOC Global Institute in recognition of their work. Winners will be revealed on stage May 12, 2027, during the Wednesday general session. Each winner receives a physical award.

The Core Awards will also recognize work in CLOC’s regional markets through awards presented at CLOC summits. The first regional awards will be part of the CLOC Australia Summit, held in Sydney in August 2027, with a smaller set of awards and a local celebration for honorees. CLOC will open nominations for that program in April, along with a call for local volunteers to join the award review committee.

“Legal ops professionals rebuild their departments from the inside out, and much of that work goes unseen,” said Oyango Snell, President and CEO of CLOC. “The Core Awards give our members a way to celebrate those people and the results they deliver across the legal ecosystem.”

“Some of the best work in legal ops happens when someone brings a colleague into a project and gives them room to lead,” said Laura Dieudonné, Chair of the CLOC Board of Directors and Legal Operations and Administration Director at Delta Air Lines. “The Core Awards let our members nominate the people who made that difference for them and put that work in front of the whole profession.”

Anyone planning to submit a nomination can sign up at cloc.org/core-awards for a reminder when nominations open. Organizations can register sponsorship interest at the same link. CLOC will share details on the volunteer award review committee, including how to apply, in the coming weeks.

About CLOC
With more than 6,500 members internationally, CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium) is the leading global membership organization dedicated to transforming the business and practice of law. Established in 2015, CLOC provides a global platform for legal operations professionals to connect, share best practices, and drive innovation across the legal ecosystem. For more information, visit cloc.org.