Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen, winner of the Legal Benchmarking Group Future Lawyers Programme of the Year award

Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen (NNDKP) has won the Future Lawyers Programme of the Year award at the 2025 Legal Benchmarking Group Social Impact Awards, for its programmes dedicated to future generations of legal professionals. The award reaffirms NNDKP’s commitment to supporting young legal professionals, through educational initiatives adapted to their needs that combine theoretical knowledge with hands-on learning experiences, providing them with the resources and mentorship they require to develop their skills. 

Shailyn Tirado, Head of Research for the Social Impact Awards shared the reasoning behind the decision to offer the award to NNDKP:
“Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen was awarded Future Lawyers Programme of the Year at the 2025 Legal Benchmarking Group Social Impact Awards for its programmes dedicated to future generations, recognising the firm’s sustained investment in supporting and developing the next generation of legal professionals in Romania. 

In 2024, the programmes engaged over 60 law students through structured academic initiatives, hands-on learning experiences across the firm’s Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Timișoara offices, and national educational projects. 
By combining practical exposure, skills development, and ongoing dialogue with law students and their representative organisations, the programmes continue to create meaningful pathways into the legal profession for students from diverse backgrounds.”

“We believe that students need real support, not only formal opportunities. NNDKP’s programs have grown organically, out of a desire to stay close to the younger generation and to offer them hands-on experience, mentorship, and an honest perspective on the legal profession. We see this as a natural responsibility to contribute to the development of future lawyers and to provide them with an environment in which they can learn, make mistakes and grow. 
With each interaction we have with students, we are surprised by their curiosity, their sincere questions and their desire to understand what the legal profession feels like beyond books and stories. We hope that their experience at NNDKP instils confidence in them and helps them find their professional path.
This award brings us joy and, above all, reaffirms the importance of investing time, energy, and attention in each new generation”, declared Adina Chilim-Dumitriu, Executive Partner, Coordinator of Student Programs.

“We see student-dedicated programmes both as a form of social engagement and as a long-term investment in the future of the firm. The new generations are looking for more than a first job; they seek people, values and a place where they can feel seen and supported.
None of these initiatives would be possible without our teams of mentors—lawyers at NNDKP who generously choose to get involved in training students. These colleagues dedicate their time and energy to guide, explain, and provide real support. They are the ones who give substance to the programmes and transform the students’ experience into a truly meaningful one”, declared Ruxandra Teodorescu, Human Resources Director.

The Legal Benchmarking Group’s Social Impact Awards identify the top law firms and lawyers across a variety of practice areas across EMEA, a comprehensive and internationally respected guide championing social impact and inclusion in the legal industry. This recognition reflects NNDKP’s ongoing commitment to supporting initiatives that have a positive impact on the legal profession and society, by offering professional development programmes for the next generation of lawyers and promoting the highest standards of professional excellence.