1. An analysis is worth doing in order to set strategy and correct any inefficiencies that might have arisen previously.

By understanding what the team is lacking in the eyes of Research, and by seeing what higher ranked firms are doing well, we can try and tailor the next submission to tick the boxes that Research wants.

2. Paid-for tools like Chambers Insight of Legal 500’s Insight Essentials are simple ways to get this analysis.

The directories do all the hard work of compiling the insights and then present actionable tips for improvement. There is no guessing about what Research wants. However, these are expensive products.

If you are interested in buying but the budget only stretches so far, you might consider the following strategies:

• Buy a report for your chosen practice area(s) every two years – the insights you learn can likely still be applied the following year
• Only buy Chambers one year and then only buy Legal 500 the next – the insights you learn can likely still be applied the following year.
• Focus on buying reports where the lawyers are particularly unhappy with their ranking – the additional insight could be a difference maker.
• Focus on buying reports for areas in which the team has maintained the same ranking for 3+ years – the directories rarely promote in consecutive years. The first year after promotion will usually be about consolidating the new ranking, which can be done by doing similar things to the previous year; a paid-for report is not likely necessary.

3. A free analysis can be conducted by reading through and noting trends in the directories’ editorial and practice area definitions.

By seeing what work and clients the firms in the tier above are being praised for, we can gain insight into what plays well with Research.

It is best to do this analysis for the firms in the tier above (rather than several tiers higher) because promotions are typically one tier at a time, so it makes more sense to look at trends in the band you’re most likely to enter.

A similar analysis can be carried out on the practice area definitions, to ensure the submission is only including work that Research wants to see. This should make it easier for the Researcher to assess the quality of work highlights being put forward.

It is important that any material used for a free analysis comes directly from the directories, as this comes directly from Research and should accurately reflect what Research wants to see.

4. AI tools can be used

It is important to be aware of your company’s AI-use policy and the AI’s own data-privacy policy, but if you have permission to use AI on company data, it can be a useful tool. Potential use cases include:

• Analysing the submission to see if the content covers the trends identified in your analysis.
• Tackling the matter descriptions, to make them easily digestible to a non-expert Researcher who might not have much time to read a long description.
• Handling the lawyer bios, because Research only checks them briefly (and usually for editorial purposes), so it might be better to let AI handle this and have the lawyers focus more time on the work highlights.

5. Acting on an analysis can strengthen ranking or promotion prospects

An analysis of competitors allows you to draw comparisons with them that are, importantly, backed up by facts set out by the directories themselves. If a higher ranked firm is praised in editorial for handling a $1 billion transaction, and you have multiple ten-figure transactions of your own, it is easier to draw an argument like: “Research, you, praise this billion-dollar transaction for this firm, we’re doing the same sort of work, so perhaps we deserve a comparable ranking.”

In addition, by acting on an analysis, it is possible to show progression, which can in turn lead to positive impressions and upwards momentum. For example, if the firm has been hampered by a lack of IP disputes in the IP section and then shows it is now doing IP disputes and IP transactions, this can be presented as growth and a strengthening practice.

6. The best time to do an analysis is between the next guide launch and the relevant submission deadline.

This is because the latest insights (from the paid products and in terms of editorial) won’t be released until guide launch, so waiting allows you to work with the most up-to-date information.

However, it is also possible to do an analysis shortly after submitting – this can be crucial if the time between guide launch and submission deadline is very tight. The information might not be the most up to date but will still be relevant and can provide extra datapoints about what Research likes.

If you have any questions, our team is here to help!

The post Summary of the “Elevating Submissions Through Ranking Analysis” webinar appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

Understanding Your Insight Report

Analysis Tips

Insight reports have historically been constrained by strict word limits, meaning that analyses have not always been able to fully and clearly discuss all aspects and nuances around a firm’s performance and ranking decision.

This can lead to an analysis sounding positive while the firm’s or individual’s ranking remains the same. To help explain this, here are a few reasons why a promotion might not have occurred despite an apparently strong performance.

• Lacking similar performances. Chambers aims to avoid kneejerk reactions to performances, so Research might be waiting for evidence that this year’s showing is part of a trend rather than a one-off. Consistently demonstrating strong performances can therefore be beneficial.

• Promoted last year. A strong performance after a promotion is encouraging, as it helps justify the decision to move up. However, Chambers typically looks for evidence that the promoted party can succeed at this level before it is considered for a further promotion. As above, one data point is usually not enough.

• Lacking something compared with higher ranked competitors. The thing lacking might not be clearly stated but only mentioned in passing, for example: “although client feedback is limited“, it is highly effusive. Keeping an eye out for structures like this can alert you to potential shortcomings which could be differentiating you or your lawyer from those in the tiers above.
  
  Note that CMI purchasers can also cross-reference such phrases with the comparative analyses, to further see how they compare with higher ranked competitors.

It is worth noting that Chambers has recently removed the word limits from Insight reports. It remains to be seen how this affects the analyses, but it could potentially mean that reports are clearer and better able to explain the research.

Submission & Rankings Page Tips

What is it? The page that explains your team’s ranking, gives tips for improvement, and provides information about scores, rankings, and referee response rates.

Tip for reading 1: The analysis will generally only touch upon the most important or interesting aspects of your performance. Therefore, if an aspect is not mentioned, this might actually indicate that you’re already on the right track there.

Tip for reading 2: An Insight report will always provide a tip for improving your submission, but you might not always get a referee tip if your referee response rate was above average. In these cases, continuing to put forward a full complement of referees who would be willing to discuss your team and individuals could be beneficial, as it might show consistent satisfaction with the group’s performance.

Individuals Page Tips

What is it? A page containing feedback, analysis, and data about all of your ranked and Potential lawyers and those who have lost their ranking or Potential status this year.

Tip for reading: This is perhaps obvious, but worth reiterating nonetheless: things that might be detrimental to one lawyer might not necessarily be detrimental to another – a lack of work, for instance. There are various reasons for this, such as:

• Trends: Consistently minimal evidence of activity or feedback will likely be more of a concern than a blip in an otherwise strong track record.
  
• Ranking: Although Chambers generally looks for convincing evidence of market involvement for ranked lawyers, there can be more leeway for Senior Statespeople and Associates to Watch (given where they are in their careers) and Eminent Practitioners (given their management responsibilities). Chambers understands that such individuals are usually less heavily involved in frontline practice and might therefore have less evidence of lead roles on work and consequently recent feedback.

Recognising that Chambers prioritises long-term evidence over potential one-off anomalies can help you plan your submission strategy, while being clear on the band definitions can help explain certain ranking decisions.

Competitors page tips

What is it? The page that analyses the performance of up to three other firms, usually in higher tiers.

Tip for reading 1: The Insight team tends to pick competitors based on their ranking relative to your firm’s. This might result in you being compared with groups that you might not consider natural competitors; however, these choices are designed to aid you on your journey up the table by highlighting comparisons with firms in the bands immediately above you.

Firms typically move up one band at a time, making these insights potentially more valuable than comparisons between, say, an unranked group and the market’s most famous teams which all happen to be at the top of the table.

Tip for reading 2: The comparatives should correlate with what was raised on the Submission & Rankings page, giving you concrete examples of good practice that might shed light on how to address the issues raised in Submission & Rankings.

The comparatives might also touch upon issues not previously mentioned, thereby providing extra insight into Chambers’ thought processes around what constitutes standout activity or feedback for that band in that area. This in turn could influence your future submissions and lead to greater similarities with higher placed competitors.

Client Feedback and Market Feedback pages tips

What is it? These pages contain feedback on the department, grouped into themes.

Tip for reading 1: The number of client and third-party comments here might not necessarily align with the data on the Submission & Rankings page. Feedback might be received from non-referee sources (e.g. clients put forward by other firms), or perhaps some of your referees were contacted but didn’t provide usable feedback on this practice area.

Tip for reading 2: Rankings should not be decided on the contents of peer feedback alone, but your standing in the market might be taken into consideration. This could well happen in a competitive section in which all firms are well regarded by clients but not all have comparable peer recognition. The latter might therefore act as another possible differentiating factor between firms.

Modest peer recognition could be symptomatic of poor brand visibility, so approaching your market feedback objectively and understanding the themes within might help spark discussions around how to increase your team’s exposure in the field. Nishlis Legal Marketing works extensively with firms on professional development to help them grow their brands and become recognised as leading experts in their fields.

Other Individuals Page Tips

What is it? The page containing the unranked individuals who garnered feedback in this practice area this year and their comments.

Tip for reading 1: Remember that any individual who is designated internally as a Potential for a ranking or who has lost this designation or a ranking this year will not appear on this page. They will be in the Individuals screen, as they will have an analysis of their performance.

Tip for reading 2: Unfortunately, Chambers does not provide analysis about all unranked lawyers – only those who lost their rankings or are considered internally as Potentials for a listing.

Final Tips and Tricks

• Chambers no longer emails PDF Insight reports; instead, they have to be accessed through the Digital Insight web portal.
• Reports can be downloaded as PDFs and other formats from Digital Insight.
• Digital Insight lets you download your entire report or just certain chapters, enabling you to send only the relevant parts to the relevant people without having to manually divide a PDF.
• Chambers assigns access to Digital Insight to a nominated contact within your firm, so knowing who that is and promptly informing Chambers if you need to change this contact can be useful for maintaining access to your report or
  distributing it internally.

As always, we remain available if you have any questions!

The post Maximising the Value of Your Insight Report appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

Let’s talk therefore today about tips for picking chapters and what the Insight report can and can’t do, to ensure you are getting the product you are expecting.

Tips for choosing chapters and practice areas

Focus on areas you have submitted to

You don’t have to be ranked in a table to buy Insight for it. However, you should really have submitted to it. Submissions and referee lists give Research extra information for their ranking decisions, which should enable a more detailed assessment of your performance compared with a report on an area you have not submitted to.

Consider regional before country/continent-wide

This is not a hard-and-fast rule, and any decisions will depend on the scale and scope of your practice. However, before settling on any country- or continent-wide chapters (e.g. Nationwide, Africa-wide, Europe-wide), it is important to know how these areas are researched and what content is included in them.

These chapters are standalone practice areas. Therefore, any analysis will be about a firm’s performance in that chapter rather than a detailed look at its local practices. References to regional practices will likely be in passing rather than in-depth.

Feedback could be minimal. Some, but not all, of these tables are based on existing research, and separate interviews are not therefore conducted. 

Tables could require extensive local footprints. Firms that are only in one jurisdiction or lack a prominent practice in one of the area’s major markets might struggle to break into these rankings.

In short, country- and continent-wide tables might not always be best for your circumstances, and a report into a local practice area might be more useful. However, each decision should always be handled on a case-by-case basis in conjunction with the Chambers Sales team.

Tips for a smooth experience

Be clear about which tables you want

Practice areas can be complicated at Chambers, with an array of parent and child tables to submit to. This helps Research capture the nuances of the market but can create uncertainty for Insight. Firms might therefore find it more straightforward to provide separate submissions whenever possible and to only order chapters that accept submissions.

An example of this might be submitting to and ordering TMT versus submitting to and ordering TMT: Data Protection, TMT: Media, and TMT: Telecommunications. If firms can’t be ranked in TMT, then there could be delays as Chambers gets in touch to determine which child table was meant. Additionally, Chambers might also request additional payment for the extra child tables, potentially souring the experience and resulting in a dislocation of expectations.

Submitting to and ordering each of the three child tables separately could avoid this, as the Insight team would know from the start which tables were expected, and firms would know what they have bought and will receive. Moreover, separate submissions allow firms to provide three sets of work highlights rather than splitting one set among three areas, enabling them to better showcase their activity.

Of course, not every parent-child split accepts separate submissions, but engaging when they do can help purchasers be clear about their order, providing certainty over expenditure, timeframes, and report makeup.

Understand the scope of the Insight report

Knowing what Insight does and does not offer can help set expectations and inform purchasing decisions before any contracts are signed, helping foster a more positive experience with the product.

Geographical scope. As touched upon earlier, chapters like Nationwide are standalone tables rather than cost-effective ways to gain analysis and feedback about all local practices. Feedback on and in-depth assessments of local practices will likely only be provided in local chapters.

Individual analyses. Firms unsurprisingly want to know how individuals can break into the tables. However, Research and Insight can often be limited in the amount of advice and detail they can give about unranked lawyers. First, the data might just not be there (if the lawyer wasn’t garnering much attention in interview or lacked evidence of work). Second, it is not always possible for Research to make detailed notes about all unranked lawyers, given the number of unranked names they process each year.

Therefore, when purchasing Insight, be aware that only lawyers who are ranked, who are considered internally as Potentials for a ranking, or who have lost their ranking or internal Potential designation this year will receive an analysis.

Nevertheless, there are steps you can take when submitting to increase the profile of other individuals whom you feel are deserving of consideration, which might in turn lead to progress within the Chambers ecosystem. Tier One Rankings is on hand to assist with this.

The post Making Your Insight Report Work for You appeared first on Tier One Rankings.

Chambers does offer solutions to this problem, front and centre being Insight, which it claims will provide you with “tailored guidance to improve your firm’s rankings.” This sounds promising, but what can you expect if you buy?

Let’s talk about this product in this forthcoming series of articles, starting with what an Insight report actually is and contains. Join me for the insight scoop.

What is Insight?

Insight is a bespoke, paid-for online business report that aims to give firms a clearer understanding of their performance in current research and, by extension, the rationale behind Chambers’ ranking decisions.

Firms can choose to purchase by guide and practice area, allowing them to tailor the size and focus of their order. For example, a firm could get a report on its entire practice, or on just the tables it wants to improve in, or on something in between.

Reports come in two varieties: the Client and Market Intelligence (CMI) report and the Client Intelligence (CI) report. But what is the difference in terms of content?

In short, the CMI has two main features a CI lacks: peer feedback and analysis of up to three other firms in the table in question. While these analyses do not divulge confidential information, they should shed light on what competitors are doing to earn their rankings.

What is included in an Insight report?

For the overall team:

For individuals who this year have or have lost a ranking or an internal Potential designation:

For individuals without a ranking in the last 2+ years:

*Please note, these features are new additions for Europe 2025 and beyond. As a result, there might be a bedding-in period while Chambers builds up the data sets that power them. Certain features might not initially be included in the final version of the Insight report if they are drawing on incomplete data sets.

Which one is right for me?

The choice of report type – or whether even to buy at all – will be a personal decision, informed by your department’s goals, budget, and intentions for the report. However, here are some possible uses and benefits for both products.

• Gain an understanding of what Chambers thinks are your team’s and individuals’ strengths and weaknesses. Understanding how Chambers views your performance can help you pinpoint and address perceived areas of weakness.
• Find out how your department might improve its performance. An Insight report’s recommendations for improvement can shed light on perceived successes or shortcomings in your work highlights and client response. Knowing this might provide clear pathways to stronger performances.
• See what clients are saying about your team and individuals. Feedback is anonymised, allowing clients to speak honestly and openly about their experiences and opinions. These comments highlight aspects of the service that clients highly value and areas they think could do with addressing. By knowing what clients think, you can enhance your offering.
• Obtain quotes for marketing purposes. As long as firms credit Chambers as the source, they can use any of the quotes in their Insight report for marketing, as testaments to their service standard.

CMI only

• Learn what the market thinks. Insight into how other firms perceive your practice might give you a better idea of how to market yourself to ensure you are always putting your best foot forward.
• Understand what competitors are doing differently or similarly. The analysis of other firms should shed light on what makes groups in higher tiers stand out. This can offer deeper insight into the factors underpinning these higher rankings.

Conclusion

Chambers offers two types of bespoke report for firms seeking to improve their rankings. Both the CI and the CMI provide insight into team and individual performances across Chambers’ research metrics and offer recommendations for improvement. However, the CMI goes further, for an added financial cost, providing customers with feedback from wider market sources and analysis of competitors’ strengths.

Neither report is necessary to attain or improve a Chambers ranking, but both can be a useful addition to a firm’s submission toolkit. By finding out what research thinks of your performance and where you are falling short, you can work to address these perceived weaknesses and present your practice to Chambers in the best light, which could in turn lead to progress within the guides.

About the Author: Robert Charters is a Legal Directories Editor at Tier One Rankings with a decade of experience as an editor and Principal Research Specialist on Chambers Insight.

The post The Insight Track to Improving Your Chambers Ranking appeared first on Tier One Rankings.