Sales Speak: Maximize Your Chambers (and other) Rankings

Chambers and other prestigious ranking directories can bolster a lawyer's reputation — and that of his or her firm — and make business development easier. While ranking directories are rarely the only tools used to find a firm or lawyer, in-house counsel and CEOs often turn to them as informative research sources. Chambers (and other research-based ranking directories) offer a compelling imprimatur. For these reasons alone, preparing materials and references for submission, even though time-consuming, may make sense under the right circumstances.

A Short List of Some of the More Important Directories

Band 1: Chambers and The Legal 500. These directories gather similar information though their terminologies differ slightly. They collect data through independent research (to a degree) and review materials submitted by firms and individuals carefully. Client and other references are even more important to them than the information supplied on deals and litigation. They also rely on market commentary (peer reviews from non-references). In the United States, Chambers conducts research from June through November, and The Legal 500 submissions are due in early November. Both directories are considered to be credible and prestigious.