Smokeball Community Hero Awards 2026
Smokeball’s Community Hero Award shines a light on the impactful work that legal professionals conduct in their communities all across UK.
The winner will receive:
- £500 travel voucher
- Custom engraved Crystal Trophy
- Ability to use the Smokeball Community Hero Award for 2026 logo on their website
- Professionally produced hero video
About our Community Hero Award
At Smokeball, we’re all about powering people-law — giving legal professionals more time and space to focus on the people who need them most. Across the UK legal profession, people are taking that commitment even further, going above and beyond for their colleagues, clients and communities.
The Smokeball Community Hero Award recognises and celebrates those making a positive difference beyond their day-to-day work, whether through:
- Supporting charities and fundraising initiatives
- Championing diversity and inclusion
- Mentoring students and junior lawyers
- Leading sustainability initiatives
- Creating positive change in their local communities
- Random acts of kindness that make a meaningful difference
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Smokeball Community Hero Award, the entrant must be:
- Employed in a job within the legal industry
- Aged 18 years or older
- Resides in UK
The award is open to both Smokeball clients and non-users. You can nominate yourself or someone you know from the legal community.
Award criteria
The Smokeball Community Hero Award will be judged based on the supporting information provided in the nomination form. The following can be outlined in the submission:
- Examples of achievements, initiative, planning, management and leadership
- Approximate hours contributed (paid and/or unpaid)
- Achievements and contribution to the community
- Impact on the community/workplace
- Specific reference to how actions have inspired the community or workplace
- Barriers or difficulties faced and how they have been overcome
- Self-development and/or training (if applicable)
Key dates
Nominations open
Monday 7 of September
Nominations close
Monday 26 of October
Finalists announced
Monday 9 of November
Winner announced live!
Monday 7 of December.
Join us for the live webinar and winner reveal.
Live webinar:
What will set the best law firms apart in 2027?
Join Smokeball and a special guest keynote speaker for a forward-looking conversation on the factors shaping successful firms - from technology and AI to client experience, culture, leadership and community impact.
We'll then be joined by our 2026 Community Hero Award finalists for a live Q&A, before revealing this year's winner.
The 2026 judging panel
All Smokeball Community Hero Award nominations will be evaluated by our panel of esteemed industry experts.
Kirsty Pappin
Founder, Aries Legal Practice Management
Kirsty Pappin has more than 20 years of experience in the legal industry, having worked with both UK and US law firms. Her broad experience enables her to help small and medium-sized firms improve efficiency, strengthen operations and prepare for the future of legal practice.
Kirsty founded Aries Legal Practice Management in early 2023, providing fractional practice management, operational consulting and bespoke project support to law firms across the UK and internationally. Through her work, she is passionate about helping legal professionals embrace innovation, build stronger businesses and deliver better outcomes for their clients.
Alex Jenner
UK Country Manager, Smokeball
Alex Jenner is the UK Country Manager at Smokeball, where she leads the company’s growth strategy and supports law firms as they embrace innovation, technology and AI to transform the way they work. With extensive experience building and scaling technology businesses, Alex's passion has always been about creating meaningful impact for small businesses and their communities.
As a strong advocate for the legal community, Alex works closely with firms across the UK to champion new ideas, recognise excellence and celebrate those making a difference within the profession. Her commitment to innovation, leadership and positive change makes her an invaluable member of the Community Hero Awards judging panel.
Amy Stonton
UK Client Success Manager, Smokeball
Amy Stonton is Head of Client Success at Smokeball UK, where she leads the customer experience strategy and works closely with law firms to help them embrace technology, strengthen client relationships and build more efficient, future-focused practices.
With almost two decades of experience across technology and professional services, Amy has developed a reputation for building high-performing teams and delivering exceptional customer outcomes. Before joining Smokeball, she led international teams focused on growth, retention and customer engagement. Passionate about the intersection of people, data and technology, she brings a collaborative, customer-first approach to everything she does.
Nominate a legal Community Hero
Click below to apply, or nominate a colleague for the Community Hero Award.
Terms and conditions
Nomination Period: Nominations open on Monday, 7 September 2026 at 9:00am BST and close on Monday, 26 October 2026 at 11:59pm GMT.
Eligibility: To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a UK resident aged 18 years or over and employed in a role within the UK legal industry.
How to Enter: To enter, the nominator must complete all required questions on the 2026 Smokeball Community Hero Award nomination form and submit the form within the Nomination Period. A nominator may nominate more than one (1) person but may only nominate each person once. Self-nominations are permitted, provided the nominee meets the eligibility requirements.
Judging: Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges against a range of criteria, including the nominee’s contribution to their community, achievements, innovation and overall impact. The judges’ decision will be final.
Finalists Announcement: Finalists will be announced on Monday, 9 November 2026.
Winner Announcement: The winner of the 2026 Smokeball Community Hero Award will be announced on Monday, 7 December 2026.
Prize: The winner of the 2026 Smokeball Community Hero Award will receive a £500 prize and a Smokeball Community Hero Award trophy.
Privacy: Information collected as part of the award will be handled in accordance with Smokeball’s Privacy Policy. Information collected through the nomination process will be used for the purposes of administering and promoting the Smokeball Community Hero Award, which may include disclosure to third parties where necessary to administer the award or provide the prize.By submitting a nomination, nominators acknowledge that information relating to nominees may be used for promotional and publicity purposes in connection with the Smokeball Community Hero Award, including on Smokeball’s website, social media channels, email communications and other marketing materials.