Lawyer rankings give an objective seal of quality and reputation

Many law firms work throughout the year to prepare and submit their submissions to international directories on time. But what is the real relevance of the lawyer rankings today? Our partner in Chile and expert in this matter, María Sol Rubio, analyzes for Ámbito Jurídico the state of these rankings.

Submitting these applications involves exhaustive planning for professionals: gathering information, drafting, selection of referrals and their translation, if necessary, among other steps that consume time that, on many occasions, is not available. Despite this, every year the participation of lawyers and law firms to appear in lawyer rankings such as Chambers, Legal 500, Leaders League, Latin Lawyer and IFLR1000, continues to have striking figures.

Importance of submitting to appear in lawyer rankings

Maria Sol, based on her professional experience in Chambers and Partners, considers that “obtaining a ranking in a prestigious directory gives an objective seal of quality, while supporting client attraction, working on reputation and improving online positioning. In addition, it can also serve as a tool for attracting and retaining talent”.

But it is not always easy. Before applying, it is important to research on the publication. Directories such as Chambers and Legal 500, which have been in the market for more than two decades, are recognized and it is easier to find information about them, but there are also publications “that we have never heard of and that offer us an award (without having applied). These are quite suspicious and probably not relevant, so it is better to leave them aside and focus on the most prestigious ones,” adds María Sol.

Gender equality in lawyer rankings

Within the analysis to be carried out beforehand, it is important to find out whether the publication to which you want to apply is representative in terms of gender equality. “It is a discussion that has been going on for some time in the sector, but in the last year it became more relevant when, in the launching of the Latin America guide for 2021, statistical data on the ratio of men/women with a ranking were released, with unsurprising results in several countries where the men highlighted reached 90% of the total”, says our expert.

Nowadays, directories such as Chambers request statistical data from firms to ensure that they interview the same number of men as women in each practice area, in order to obtain more representative responses. Recent publications show that, albeit slowly, the data is improving in this respect.

In her opinion, María Sol maintains that the rankings of international lawyers are still in force “and are a very important marketing tool, but only those who make a real analysis of the market and its operations. These are the ones we will have to target to take advantage of their benefits”, she concludes.

Gericó Associates is the leading legal marketing, legal communications and business development consultancy in Europe and Latin America. If you need advice for your law firm, write to us by clicking here.