This morning American Business Media released the list of finalists for the 2008 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards. I am so pleased to see that four of our publications--ClickZ, Legal Times, Texas Lawyer and The American Lawyer--have been recognized for the high quality of their work. The winners will be announced at a luncheon on March 19th. As far as I'm concerned, all of our finalists are winners and I hope you will join me in congratulating them.

Here's the press release we put out this morning with more details about our finalists:

INCISIVE MEDIA’S CLICKZ, LEGAL TIMES, TEXAS LAWYER AND THE AMERICAN LAWYER NAMED AS FINALISTS IN NEAL JOURNALISM AWARD COMPETITION

NEW YORK (February 3, 2009) – Incisive Media today announced that four of its publications, ClickZ, Legal Times, Texas Lawyer and The American Lawyer, have received seven finalist nominations in six print and online categories of the 2008 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award competition. Approximately 100 finalists were selected from more than 900 entries. Established in 1955, the Neal Awards recognize and reward editorial excellence in business-to-business publications and are considered the industry’s most prestigious editorial honors.

ClickZ, Incisive’s online network for digital marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion and research, was nominated as a finalist in the “Best Online Article or Series” category for its “Campaign 08” series, profiling and analyzing online campaign efforts by both political parties in the recent presidential elections. Senior editor Kate Kaye provided groundbreaking coverage, including tracking of digital advertising spending by the candidates.

Legal Times was named a finalist for “Best News Coverage” in its revenue category for “The Transition.” In the immediate aftermath of the election, the Legal Times editorial team created a comprehensive package of articles assessing the impact of the election on the legal community — from the Supreme Court and the Justice Department to the federal agencies and Capitol Hill. The nine-page package of articles was published in the Nov. 10 edition.

Texas Lawyer was selected as a finalist for “Best Single Issue of a Newspaper/News Tabloid.” In its April 28, 2008, issue, the Texas Lawyer editorial team investigated and analyzed the 2007 finances of the highest-grossing law firms in Texas. The issue also included a moving look at the tragic suicide of a South Texas lawyer and how depression impacts the legal profession; a survey listing the 100 largest firms in Texas; and a piece on a Texas attorney general proposal to stop strip clubs from employing minors.

The American Lawyer received four finalist nominations in three categories. In the “Best Single Article” category, the magazine was selected for both November’s “Target Practice” by senior writer Susan Beck, profiling the ongoing legal problems created for law firm Mayer Brown by one of its clients, a now-disgraced commodities trading firm, and for September’s “After the Fall,” by staff reporter Nate Raymond, analyzing the rise and subsequent crash of the nation’s oldest law firm, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. The magazine’s November issue, featuring an up-to-the-minute special cover report on what the stock market crash and financial meltdown meant for the nation’s largest law firms, was named as a finalist for “Best Single Issue of a Magazine,” while The American Lawyer’s “Bar Talk” section, a collection of news and analysis stories, graphics and humor, was named a finalist for “Best Department” for the second consecutive year.