To Submit Or Not To Submit: When is the right time to push for a ranking?

As a certain Danish prince knows all too well, indecision can be a killer. You may feel your practice has all the ingredients for a ranking, but there might be a nagging doubt keeping you from committing those precious hours to pull together a submission. After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than putting all that time and effort into the directories submission process only to result in no ranking and much soul searching. Helpfully there is some groundwork that can be done before drafting a submission. Below are some tips to consider when mulling over whether to submit.

Reading last year’s rankings

This may seem obvious, but looking at last year’s rankings – not just at which firms/individuals were ranked, but also at what was written about the ranked firms – can be a useful starting point when assessing your practice’s prospects for a ranking. Compare and contrast your practice’s work and team with the ranked firms – does that work match up in terms of scope, scale and complexity? If the answer is yes, then it would most likely be worth submitting.

Do you regularly see ranked firms on the other side of matters? Not only is that a good indication that you should be submitting for this area, researchers will also take this into account, so make sure you’re highlighting the point in your submissions.

The definition conundrum

Figuring out what work does and doesn’t fall within the scope of the relevant practice area can be a challenging one, particularly as these can differ in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways between the various directories. Codified definitions are a helpful starting point where available (Chambers and Partners provides practice area definitions on its website here), but those are not always available or as clear as they could be. When in doubt (and where an examination of last year’s rankings as above doesn’t clarify the situation), it’s always worth reaching out to the directory directly. The relevant editor will be able to provide specific advice on what type of work should be covered in a submission and what should be omitted.

Why is it important to lock this down before you start pulling together a submission? On the practice’s side, there’s nothing more frustrating than going through the process of gathering your strongest work highlights only to be told that many of those matters don’t fall within the scope of the relevant practice area. From the perspective of the researcher, having to sift through a submission full of extraneous information can be equally irksome – researchers have to review large volumes of data in pretty tight timeframes, so providing clear, concise and relevant information will be greatly appreciated.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint – the importance of demonstrating track record

The directories place a fairly heavy emphasis on a practice’s track record, particularly when looking at possible new entrants to the rankings. That’s great if you have a well-established practice – highlighting the practice’s past work highlights will help to illustrate that track record – but what if the practice is a nascent one? You have a couple of options: wait until the practice has some time and experience under its belt before submitting, or putting in a submission straight out of the gate. The former might seem more sensible than the latter, however putting in a submission early on into the practice’s lifespan – even if the prospects of a ranking off the back of that submission might be slim – could help to lay a foundation on which to build in subsequent submissions. Researchers will take notice if you can point to past submissions as a demonstration of the practice’s growth trajectory and track record of work, so think of a submission as an investment into a future ranking in that instance.

Learning from past attempts

As strange as it may sound, one of the benefits of submitting and failing to get a ranking is the ability to ask for feedback on how your submission failed to meet the criteria for entry. This will enable you to address those points in future submissions and strengthen the prospects of attaining a ranking. The initial disappointment of failing to achieve a ranking can be mitigated by the knowledge that you have access to data that can help you refine and improve your messaging going forward.

The Legal 500 will provide detailed feedback on request while Chambers and Partners will provide limited feedback, however detailed insight can be purchased through their Chambers Unpublished product which, while expensive, can be a worthwhile investment on a selective basis. If opting to go this route, the best approach would be to target core practice areas.

Although these tips have largely focused on submissions for areas where a practice has previously not been ranked, this also applies for ranked practices that want feedback on how to improve their rankings. In addition to doing the above, reviewing what the directories wrote about your practice can provide some additional insight. Some of the things to look out for include the following: Lack of feedback (indicates that your referees were unresponsive or failed to provide substantive feedback); unimpressive work highlight information (may suggest that more work needs to be done to improve the quality/detail of the work highlights supplied in the submission); a narrow focus on one aspect of the practice (may indicate that more work needs to be done to substantiate your work highlight information with evidence).

There will always be an element of jumping into the unknown when it comes to submitting to the directories for the first time/submitting for a new practice area, but incorporating the tips above will help to manage expectations and provide the best possible case for making a submission.

My name is Alex Boyes and I am one of the directors at SavageNash Legal Communications. I’m a former editor at The Legal 500 and also worked at a large international law firm. Together, SavageNash Legal Communications has over 40 years’ directories-related experience, from both sides of the directories process. If you’d like more guidance on making submissions to Chambers or The Legal 500 in the next cycle, please do get in touch via our website or on LinkedIn.

Legal 500 Hires Catherine McGregor To Head Up Corporate Counsel Initiative

Leading legal directories company The Legal 500 has announced that Catherine McGregor will be joining the company on 27 May as Publishing Director: Corporate Counsel.  Her key focus will be to drive The Legal 500’s engagement with general counsel across the globe.

This is a terrific hire for The Legal 500, and is a clear indication of the company’s strategic approach and future plans for development. Catherine is one of the most experienced legal directory professionals in the market, having previously been Chambers & Partners’ Managing Editor for seven years, and most recently, Managing Editor of Lawdragon.

Says Legal 500 Managing Director David Goulthorpe: “We have recruited Catherine to extend [our corporate counsel] portfolio, and for her to launch a number of new initiatives aimed at corporate counsel. Catherine is a significant appointment for The Legal 500; she will work closely with David Burgess, Publishing Director of The Legal 500 and the global figurehead for the editorial and research teams. These are exciting times at The Legal 500, and in Catherine and David, I firmly believe that we have unparalleled editorial talent driving our business forward.”

Exciting times, indeed. The Legal 500 already has an impressive stock of products aimed at corporate counsel, beyond the core legal directories. Among these are US, UK and Latin America editions of The Corporate Counsel 100, recognising in-house innovation, quality & excellence; and The Corporate Counsel 100 Rising Stars, which recognise the next generation of general counsel – a UK edition is already published, and research is now underway for a forthcoming US edition.

Add these to the company’s leading directories business, its refreshingly different take on legal awards, and its various events, roundtables and client intelligence reports, and it’s clear that The Legal 500 is striving for innovation in its offering. And that can only be a good thing for the market generally.

 

Interview with Catherine McGregor, Lawdragon’s Chief of Strategic Development

Catherine McGregor, long-time member of Chambers’ senior editorial team, made something of a surprise move recently when she moved to Lawdragon as the company’s new Chief of Strategic Development. Here’s what Catherine had to say about that move, and about Lawdragon‘s plans for future development, when I caught up with her recently.

Your move from a senior editorial position at Chambers – arguably the leading legal directory globally – to Lawdragon was a pretty surprising move. What prompted the move?

Essentially it felt like time. I had been at Chambers for over 7 years, and it felt like a good point to move to the next stage. Chambers is wonderful but it’s at a very developed stage as a company.  Coming to a company that’s at an earlier growth stage is really exciting and challenging. I have equity in Lawdragon so I will be working for myself, along with my partners, which is a huge source of excitement and creative energy for me.

Why Lawdragon, specifically? Did you spot an opportunity there to revamp that product?

Well they asked me! But it’s a very well respected product with a huge growth potential. They are completely committed to the Internet and new media. I do find the mix of high-quality journalism and lawyer evaluations a really interesting model, which has huge potential.

On the face of it, Lawdragon hasn’t so far really tried to compete in the same space as classic directories like Chambers and Legal 500. Does their decision to hire you indicate a change of heart in that regard?

Yes and no. We will be growing our portfolio of products and expanding, but not competing in the Chambers/Legal 500 sphere exactly.  They both do what they do well, and frankly there’s not really any appetite or need that I can see for another comprehensive legal directory in that model.

One of your primary responsibilities is to develop new products. What new initiatives can we expect to see from Lawdragon in the coming year?

A lot. I’m currently working on some practice-/legal trend-focused guides. These will marry Lawdragon‘s journalistic expertise with my directory knowledge, as well as my relationships with, and insight into the needs of, in-house counsel. We’re also planning a hard-hitting guide to trial lawyers.

I will also be reviving my general counsel round tables, which I had previously held in London and New York where in-house lawyers can meet and discuss key topics under Chatham House rules.

All these new products are being developed in conjunction and conversation with my network of in-house contacts, who have been fabulously generous with their time and supportive of my efforts. A big thank you to them for continuing to support me.

Thus far Lawdragon has been US-focused. Are there any plans afoot for international expansion?

Yes, but this will be measured and in line with the focus of our new products.

The classic directories haven’t really changed their model for 20 years. Do you think it’s time for something of an overhaul?

Yes. I think the classic directories provide a great overview of the breadth of the legal market. I think there is a gap for products that are more detailed and which assume that the reader knows the basic landscape.

The role and profile of the in-house lawyer has changed immeasurably since the first directories came on the scene, and we’d like to provide information that can cater to the needs of current general counsel and their teams. However, any information is only going to be part of an arsenal of resources that are used in making hiring decisions.

There is much research that seems to state that clients don’t use directories, but I do doubt that; I think it’s often a dirty secret and people don’t want to admit they do use them, even in a limited capacity!

As a seasoned directories professional, what’s your impression of the current state of the directories market?

As I stated above, directories are always going to be just one resource used; there does appear to be a disproportionate burden on many firms in dealing with these, however. Perhaps there needs to be more emphasis on independent research to lessen the burden on law firms.

I think there will always be a need for Chambers and Legal 500, as they are just so well established and are both solid brands. The market is changing though, so you never know; 15 years ago Martindale was the only name in the US and that has definitely changed.