Chambers, The Legal 500, IFLR1000… Which legal rankings or directories should I apply to?

Each year, countless legal directories such as The Legal 500, Leaders League, Chambers and Partners, Best Lawyers, Expansión Jurídico Awards or IFLR1000, among many others, compete to capture the attention of law firms of all sizes and specialties, seeking to position themselves at the top of the list of the best professionals in their area of specialisation. Recognition by certain rankings has become a critical element influencing a lawyer’s perceived success, professional reputation, career advancement and, perhaps most importantly, business development opportunities.

Such is the relevance of these legal rankings that many companies -and even governments- are already asking about the positioning of the applicant firms in international rankings in their requests for proposals and/or tenders. It is logical that the rankings have become one of the most important marketing objectives for law firms. However, with so many options, which directory to submit to?

Focusing on legal directories that include in their research process the submission of cases and references by law firms, we recommend the following analysis before investing time and resources in an submission:

Five points to consider when choosing which legal directory to apply to:

1. Research method

It is advisable to apply to directories that conduct in-depth research of the legal services market and interviews with clients and lawyers. For example, Chambers and Partners (CP) and The Legal500 are the most sophisticated directories and the most favored by large corporate law firms due to their more rigorous methodology and selection process. The vast majority of the time, lawyers in the market match their results. In addition, both directories are repositories of large amounts of market information, capable of generating customized, up-to-date research reports.

Both guides employ similar methods: both are based on presentations written by the participating law firms. In these submissions, the firms highlight the legal services they provided to their clients during the previous year. Both directories review each submission and interview lawyers and clients. Both directories then publish their annual rankings by country and practice area. The rankings within each area of practice are also divided into three levels known as “tiers”, which represent the quality of service relative
to the competition.

There are certain differences between these two directories. For example, The Legal500 accepts an unlimited number of referrals while Chambers has a strict limit of 20 referrals. The Legal500 rankings, and which lawyers are featured, tend to fluctuate more from year to year to reflect recent market activity. In contrast, Chambers’ rankings change less from year to year and tend to take a longer-term view of the market.

2. Length of research

Good research takes time. Therefore, the research period for The Legal500 and Chambers is seven months or more. The Legal500 has fixed deadlines for receiving submissions and client referrals, however Chambers changes the dates and deadlines over a longer period of time, especially in larger countries such as the United States.

To cite another example, the Leaders League research process is four months for each ranking cycle. This includes data collection, which is a three-month process, and an additional month to process the data and establish the rankings.

3. Number of researchers and editors

Chambers is the largest directory, with around 200 full-time editors and researchers, while The Legal500 has about 41 editors and researchers on its website. Almost all of Chambers’ staff are based in it’s London office and most are non-lawyers. The Legal500 has always supplemented its permanent in-office staff with freelance editors, many of whom are specialists in specific areas of law.

In this case, Chambers and Partners has an advantage over The Lega 500 in that, by having a larger number of researchers and editors, it is better position to obtain more relevant data on the quality of legal services in different jurisdictions.

4. Source of income

Chambers and The Legal500 derive their revenue from the firms that advertise in the directories, although the placement of advertisements and profiles does not influence the firm’s results in the independent research evaluation, and this model of “impartiality” gives credibility to these directories.

If you have to pay to be nominated, we are talking about a legal directory that is biased and therefore does not reflect the reality of the legal services market.

5. Covering the area of practice, specialization or category in which classification is sought

There are directories for different areas of specialization. For example, ITR World Tax is ideal for law firms specializing in tax, IP STARS for firms specializing in intellectual property, for trademarks WTR1000 and for financial and corporate law rankings IFLR1000.

In addition, it is worth checking whether the directory ranks law firms or legal professionals. Who’s Who Legal, rates legal professionals based on recommendations and comments primarily from eminent private practitioners in the sector or industry in question, as well as from corporate counsel or other clients who have worked closely with the nominees. What differentiates this directory from Chambers and The Legal500 is that it does not accept written submissions of best work as part of its process.

As for Chambers and The Legal500, these directories publish a ranking of law firms and a ranking of individual lawyers and rank them into tiers.

A good ranking is highly desirable, as it allows firms to continue to leverage their success by spreading the news of a recommendation on social media and corporate websites. It also demonstrates excellence and builds trust among customers. It is a ‘badge of honor’ that can be used throughout the year, even, literally, to enhance corporate brand. The problem is that it’s not easy to achieve the ranking and it’s not easy to maintain it. Advantageously, you are in the right place.

Read our “5 key tips to apply for legal rankings” and get ranked.