Shoosmiths Emma Gibson has defended her title of Lawyer of the Year at the Thames Valley Deals Awards, 2013.
The national law firm boasted two finalists in the same category, private equity specialist Gibson and fellow partner, Rebecca Mauleverer who specialises in debt finance.
The annual awards are run by The Business Magazine and attract entries from banks and private equity houses, business advisers, lawyers and other intermediaries from across the whole of the Thames Valley and Solent.
2012 proved a particularly successful year for Gibson and her Thames Valley-based team. Highlights included the £111m sale of domiciliary care services provider Enara Group to MITIE Group and topping the Corpfin rankings for number of deals done in the South East in 2012, with the Shoosmiths national corporate team being placed third in the UK overall.
Gibson's role as director of the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) also came in for high praise at the annual awards ceremony, as well as her voluntary role as chair of the LEP's Access to Finance group, which helps provide funding strategies for small and start-up businesses.
Mauleverer was recognised for her work on the management buy-in of Oxford-based Eddingtons, which was founded by Leumi ABL, and for advising RBS on the financing of AnnaCap's acquisition of the IFG Group.
Gibson said: "2012 was a tremendous year for Shoosmiths and this award win is the icing on the cake.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed the various opportunities I've had to work with a number of different experts in the Thames Valley market, on all types of transactions over the last 12 months.
"I'm also very grateful to those who voted for me and for the unfailing support and commitment given to me by my team, each of whom is extremely talented and hard working.
"Thames Valley has a great deal to offer. It boasts a thriving business community and an abundance of professional expertise - it has a growing reputation as the place to do business and I'm proud to be part of that."