Page 27 - Leaders in Legal Business - a
P. 27
Leaders in Legal Business
Directories, Reputation Building, and Awards
It would be remiss in any article on directories not to mention the competitive nature of the higher end of
the legal services market and the desire to be recognized as a leader in any field of expertise. One of the primary
drivers and motivations to participate in the global directories’ editorial review process is to affirm from
knowledgeable independent observers that a certain individual is significant in the profession. Creating awards
and networking events from the annual publication of the ratings and ranking has become a major source of
income for the directory publishers. The broadening of award categories and the appetite for high visibity and
recognition is part of the development of the movement to reinforce personal brands as part of market
differentiation. The leading global directories, Chambers and Legal 500, have a comprehensive set of offerings in
this area and have tapped into demand for physical networking with corporate buyers of legal services. Others
follow suit; for an example of this, see the FT Innovative Lawyer awards.
Summary and Conclusions
In setting out the directory landscape, this article covered the basic rationale for the existence of
directories, and moved on to consider the strategic questions and choices a law firm has in evaluating the products
in the market. Another aim was to add understanding as to how the rating systems work in general terms. Each
publisher has variations and explains their unique methods on their websites.
Consumers generally want to make informed choices regarding whatever services they are buying. The
demand for transparency and more specialized information, informed opinions, and comparative data should be
favorable to future success of directories, but only if they continue to adapt to the needs of the paying customer.
The trend is to improve the use of the data the publishers have in terms of defining the market to both buyers and
sellers of legal services, and offering analyses for strategic decision-making. New directions are seeing the
publishers enter into product development of services that provide the public with legal advisors or specific legal
processes. This will no doubt accelerate the commoditization of legal services and will also increase competitive
pressures.
_____________________________________________________
Leading Law Firm Directories and Rankings
Directory Objective and Focus Contacts
AVVO U.S. lawyer rankings by clients in US.
Best Lawyers, LLC Mark Britton
Ranking and directory of lawyers in US, Josh King
Chambers and Partners Canada and Australia.
Kristen Greer
Findlaw International Project Manager
Global ranking of law firms and Michael Chambers, CEO
directory of ranked firms.
U.S. and Canadian law firm directory Karl Florida
and legal information. President
20
Directories, Reputation Building, and Awards
It would be remiss in any article on directories not to mention the competitive nature of the higher end of
the legal services market and the desire to be recognized as a leader in any field of expertise. One of the primary
drivers and motivations to participate in the global directories’ editorial review process is to affirm from
knowledgeable independent observers that a certain individual is significant in the profession. Creating awards
and networking events from the annual publication of the ratings and ranking has become a major source of
income for the directory publishers. The broadening of award categories and the appetite for high visibity and
recognition is part of the development of the movement to reinforce personal brands as part of market
differentiation. The leading global directories, Chambers and Legal 500, have a comprehensive set of offerings in
this area and have tapped into demand for physical networking with corporate buyers of legal services. Others
follow suit; for an example of this, see the FT Innovative Lawyer awards.
Summary and Conclusions
In setting out the directory landscape, this article covered the basic rationale for the existence of
directories, and moved on to consider the strategic questions and choices a law firm has in evaluating the products
in the market. Another aim was to add understanding as to how the rating systems work in general terms. Each
publisher has variations and explains their unique methods on their websites.
Consumers generally want to make informed choices regarding whatever services they are buying. The
demand for transparency and more specialized information, informed opinions, and comparative data should be
favorable to future success of directories, but only if they continue to adapt to the needs of the paying customer.
The trend is to improve the use of the data the publishers have in terms of defining the market to both buyers and
sellers of legal services, and offering analyses for strategic decision-making. New directions are seeing the
publishers enter into product development of services that provide the public with legal advisors or specific legal
processes. This will no doubt accelerate the commoditization of legal services and will also increase competitive
pressures.
_____________________________________________________
Leading Law Firm Directories and Rankings
Directory Objective and Focus Contacts
AVVO U.S. lawyer rankings by clients in US.
Best Lawyers, LLC Mark Britton
Ranking and directory of lawyers in US, Josh King
Chambers and Partners Canada and Australia.
Kristen Greer
Findlaw International Project Manager
Global ranking of law firms and Michael Chambers, CEO
directory of ranked firms.
U.S. and Canadian law firm directory Karl Florida
and legal information. President
20
