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In brief, legal directories are guides for in-house counsel, lay clients and the market as whole to the best law firms and lawyers by location and expertise. The lawyers and firms are given rankings based on annual research. The most well known are Chambers (formerly Chambers and Partners) and the Legal 500, although there are more practice area specific directories including WTR 1000, IFLR, Benchmark and many more. Here is a more detailed look at what a legal directory is.
“Rankings enable decision makers, from GCs at global blue-chip firms, through to local influencers, to secure the talent that's right for them.” Chambers, 2022
With any marketing activity there are considerations of resourcing and value. The legal directories require time and consistent effort but the value derived is immense. There are also ways to streamline the process and capitalise on information gathered to gain benefit beyond the rankings.
- Temperature Check: do the rankings align with business and marketing goals? Are there individuals or practice groups which need more support to gain visibility? Rankings can help identify areas of risk and opportunity for the firm.
- Client Pitches: A ranking is an independent verification which, combined with the feedback, makes for a stronger client pitch.
- Client Listening: the feedback can give insight into client satisfaction from firm to individual level. This information usually involves purchasing a product but knowing referee response rates, seeing more of the feedback and tracking historic rankings can help indicate client satisfaction.
- Recruitment: law students use the legal directories to determine where to apply based on expertise, culture and career support. Ranked firms are more visible and appealing to top tier candidates. Being ranked is also a draw for qualified lawyers looking to progress their career outside of their current firm. Internally, supporting junior lawyers in getting ranked shows a commitment to career development, which leads to greater retention of talented lawyers.
We always recommend building a business case for your legal directory submissions so it’s clear what you are investing and why. For independent directories such as Legal 500 or Chambers, the very basic participation process is totally free. Products such as enhanced profiles, event sponsorship, publications and reports are added helpful extras. There are pay-to-play directories, but we recommend they be considered as advertising opportunities rather than as a legal directory. If their readership aligns with your client base then it could be a viable method of building firm exposure.
“100% of in-house counsel surveyed stated they would likely refer to a legal directory or ranking system to procure legal advisory services.” Chambers, 2022
It’s a comprehensive readership of General Counsel, lawyers, HNW individuals, lawyers and law students. The Legal 500 is one of the most widely used websites with 20.8m annual pageviews, a 65% increase on previous years. It’s clear that each year more people are using the legal directories to find firms, lawyers and potential talent to recruit. Chambers states that “in a recent survey, 85% of law firm respondents said that a ranking helps them win work and a Chambers ranking is the one that matters the most.”
‘69% of GC’s interviewed have referred to a legal directory recommendation before instructing a law firm’ Legal 500
This was a topic of discussion in our webinar ‘are legal directories worth the investment?’, a summary of which can be found here.
The legal directories are not part of traditional law degrees or training. It is a time intensive task which can seem impenetrable and confusing. This is where legal directory consultants step in. Our consultants offer knowledge and experience to ensure your firm meet their ranking goals. Beyond the directories, we can offer personalized training, content creation (social media posts, website profiles) and much more.
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