One of the leading legal directories, Legal 500, recently hosted an insightful webinar, providing guidance on important topics such as submission best practices and editorial processes in future research cycles.

Anna Bauböck and Daniela Costa, Editors for The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East and Africa, addressed F&Qs and covered a wide range of expectations, requirements and practices Legal 500 look for when reviewing submissions and referees.

We also had the opportunity to hear from Jordan Lincoln, Head of Business Development for EMEA, on the ways in which law firms can stand out in the upcoming Legal 500 2025 edition. This article summarizes the key takeaways from the webinar to guide legal professionals in optimizing their Legal 500 rankings.

Why submit to Legal 500?

Legal 500 reported 5.9 million users access the Legal 500 website annually, meaning it has been visited 2.5 times more than their biggest competitor. Alongside its popularity, the Legal 500 rankings and awards are used extensively by various in-house lawyers, business leaders and law firms – according to their research, they have received feedback from over 300,000 clients worldwide!

Due to their comprehensive research programs, Legal 500 rankings are based on a series of criteria which require law firms to highlight their most elite in their areas of practice. Brand reputation alone does not help in this regard, only outstanding work must be submitted within the research period (past 12 months).

What does the Research timeline look like?

May: New submission guidelines (i.e. submission information page) released. It is possible that new or amended ranking categories are introduced, so make sure to check every year. It is advised that you download the submission template and referee spreadsheet to familiarize yourself with the format of Legal 500 and be aware of any changes made to submission fields or commentary sections.

August: Referee deadline (including Nordics) is 5^th August 2024. Editorial submission deadline is also 5^th August 2024. However, for Nordic jurisdictions the editorial deadline is 30^th August 2024. Please submit via the submission portal on Legal 500 as emailed documents will not be accepted. Ensure you send separate submissions and referee spreadsheets for each practice area.

September – November: During this period, interviews take place. Updates can still be made to the submission as long as you reupload the updated submission on the Legal 500 submission page. Interviews should involve senior practitioners and practice management, last 30 minutes and try to request interviews proactively – if you feel like you really want an interview, major developments in the relevant practice area or team. If you had a recent submission update (e.g., team change or matter changed confidentiality), you can still update and re-upload on L500 portal, replacing the older version. If done so correctly, please notify the researcher with reasonable notice so they have ample time to analyse all recent developments.

December – March: By this point,research has concluded. This means updates about matter highlights can no longer be applied to uploaded submission, but exceptions still apply. For example, major developments like team restructuring or a recent merger will be regarded as acceptable updates at this stage. Once finalised, Editors start working on ranking decisions.

March: Legal 500 EMEA 2025 edition released. Queries via FAQS (legal500.com/faqs).

What’s new with Legal 500 EMEA?

Legal 500 have introduced new ranking categories for the EMEA regions:

• Spain – Financial Services Regulatory
• Spain – Venture capital

Alongside these additions, they have also amended certain categories as they believe it is best to merge all energy related submissions into one:

• Netherlands – Energy Transactional & Regulatory work is now merged into one consolidated ranking
• Norway – Offshore Construction & Shipbuilding is now split into: Offshore Construction and Shipping & Maritime law (include shipbuilding work)

Additionally, Legal 500 announced they will split Real estate & Construction for Switzerland:

• Switzerland – Real estate & Construction is now split into: Real estate and Construction.

Lastly, the following category was removed from Legal 500 EMEA:

• Switzerland – Leading Firms: Italian-speaking Switzerland

Submission best practices?

1. Matter highlights:

Remember to include the recommended number of highlights (20) that fall within the research time period (past 12 months). Identify what is significant about your role in the matter (don’t just provide a description). It is important you complete all submission fields, including dates, team members and opposing parties if relevant. You are allowed to include the same matter in more than one submission but please tailor the matter description to the relevant practice area.

2. Confidentiality:

Work marked as confidential must stay confidential (only used for internal research). Many believe confidentiality will lead to a weaker submission. However, the editors at Legal 500 have confirmed you will not be penalised for providing confidential information. This is because they are treated the same from a ranking perspective as publishable highlights.

3. Team information:

It is ideal that you do not include lawyers who have spent less than 50% of their time practising in a practice area you are submitting. Please do not put forward practice heads or recommended lawyers for recognition who do not feature in the matter highlights.

4. Lawyer categories:

Acclimatize yourself with the following Legal 500 lawyer categories:

1. ‘Hall of Fame’: Lawyers widely regarded as being at the very top of the profession, and consistently ranked as leading individuals for several years.
2. ‘Leading Partner’: True market leaders with long-established reputation, lead roles in multiple recent significant matters, and exceptional endorsement from peers and clients.
3. ‘Next Generation Partner’: Lawyers with generally five years or fewer at partner level, significant recognition from client and peers, and recent lead roles on multiple matters.
4. ‘Leading Associate’ (non-partner): Association level lawyers who appear frequently in significant matters.

What was said about client referees?

When submitting your referee list to Legal 500, ensure you submit in the correct format – also do not amend or add any additional fields to the spreadsheet Legal 500 supply.

Only provide one referee spreadsheet per practice area and if you are struggling to gather enough referees, remind yourself that anyone (e.g., another firm or someone who isn’t an in-house counsel or CEO) who can provide an informed opinion about the sophistication of work involved, are eligible.

Due to the sensitive nature of certain matters, Legal 500 guarantee client referee anonymity. Before you decide including referees in your submission to Legal 500, always ask for their permission first as Legal 500 does not want to contact referees who didn’t provide consent. Another important practice is to double check (annually) your referees will respond in a timely manner.

How Legal 500 rank firms

Legal 500 rank firms on several factors based on the matters you submit and the referees you choose. Please consider the following:

• Evidence based approach to the rankings – work presented in the submission
• Track record in a practice area
• Calibre of the client base
• Market share
• Bench strength
• Team developments
• Sector strengths
• Referee feedback

How do you make a good submission?

When determining the strength of your submission, you should ask yourself this question: what really differentiates you from your peers? This will help you sell yourself as an individual and a representative of your firm. To answer this question effectively, it is crucial you focus on facts to demonstrate your position. Tell the researcher about team growth, new clients and new areas of work.

Due to the limited number of work highlights you can include, use matter highlights wisely. You must emphasise your role and why its special – don’t just describe the work you were involved in. Talk about strategic growth plans for the practice rather than. Don’t make matters confusing by including legal jargon as not all Legal 500 researchers/editors have a legal background. Finally, submit on time and in the right format – including referee data.