The deadline for World Tax 2025 has officially been set for March 14, with plans to launch in the Americas and Africa.
To kick off the preparations, seasoned World Tax Editor, Jon Moore hosted a comprehensive webinar yesterday, sharing key insights and vital details about the upcoming submissions for next year’s World Tax.
The Three Pillars:
As with previous years, the research process for World Tax consists of three pillars: Practical Evidence, Peer Feedback and Client Feedback.
Firstly, Practical Evidence is all about your firm’s submissions. The researcher will be looking at how your deals stack up against others, with a focus on highlighting innovative and complex matters. It’s crucial to explain why each item is in the submission in a clear and comprehensive way. They look for the best matters, not necessarily the most. As Jon emphasised in yesterday’s webinar: “The best submissions are the most detailed submissions.”
The second pillar is Peer Feedback, which will be assessed from the practitioner surveys and the firm interviews. Through the surveys and interviews, the researcher will also enquire about other firms and their place in the market. It’s crucial to keep in mind that, given the competitive nature between firms, only positive feedback about them will be taken into consideration.
The last, and most important pillar is Client Feedback, which will be the most heavily weighted out of the three. Accordingly, it is essential for firms to encourage clients to participate and remind them during the research period.
World Tax cannot disclose which referees have participated, so taking steps to ensure that they respond is important.
Practitioners Survey:
The Practitioners’ Survey is more than just a way for peers to share feedback. It’s a chance for all kinds of professionals—tax lawyers, economists, advisors, and consultants—to showcase their work to the researcher. Initially, the survey is sent through email to those in the World Tax system. But don’t worry, after the March deadline, a link will be shared so all tax practitioners can take part. The deadline to take part in the survey is in May.
Firm Interviews:
Firm interviews will take approximately 15-20 minutes and will be a chance for firms to discuss areas of their tax practice that may have been overlooked in the submission or the past.
This is also a good opportunity to provide peer feedback if you have not done so already. It is important to note that these interviews do not have a direct impact on the rankings and if your firm has not been given an interview, that is not necessarily a disadvantage.
How to submit:
Due to some confusion last year, Jon stressed that all World Tax submissions should be submitted via the Delinian portal.
On the other hand, the Awards should be submitted via the nominations gateway available on the website.
As we wrap up this journey through the World Tax research process, we extend our sincere wishes to all participating firms. Best of luck to each team as you navigate the rankings. Remember, your efforts in this process not only reflect the present but pave the way for future achievements.
For any submission related questions, please feel free to contact me at daniela@nishlis.com
