With every Legal 500 and Chambers launch, social media is naturally flooded with firms celebrating positive developments, namely team promotions and new lawyer rankings, though flying under the radar will, of course, be an equal number of practices who received a demotion, failed to obtain a ranking, or were removed from a section.

This can indeed prove frustrating for all parties involved, from lawyers to the BD team, particularly as the directories do not automatically communicate the rationale behind every decision to participating firms.

At Tier One Rankings, here is our advice, based on our decades of experience working at the directories, on how to best overcome this frustration and ensure that you put your best foot forward for next year:

Step 1. Conduct An Internal Review

The most common reasons for a demotion/non-ranking are often related to:

Did your firm provide enough work? Both directories permit a maximum of 20 matters and recommend that you send over the full amount. Firms that send over fewer than a dozen or so matters are unlikely to achieve any positive results, especially if they are currently unranked.

Did your firm describe the work highlights in sufficient detail? A crucial criterion for both directories is the quality of the work, and this cannot be accurately assessed when firms only write a sentence or two for each matter. If the table was transactional in nature, were enough deal values disclosed, this a crucial gauge that is often overlooked.

Did you fail to showcase a broad breadth of work? If, for example, your Commercial, Corporate and M&A submission focused on too many private equity deals, or had an overwhelming number of matters within a specific industry, this could be a likely cause for demotion. The scope of work is one of the most important considerations after the assessment of its quality.

Was all the work relevant to the table you submitted for? This can be double-checked by referring to the respective practice area definitions. I.e., did you include an abundance of energy/construction/project matters in a real estate submission?

Did you have any major partner departures? This is a very common reason for demotion, especially if the departing name was ranked on an individual basis

Did you fail to include enough new instructions? Both directories understand that the most complex matters will span multiple years, though firms should be sure to relay that their practice continues to thrive by providing at least a handful of new instructions.

How was your referee response rate? If it was particularly low, you should certainly consider providing more easily reachable contacts for the next research cycle.

Step 2. Seek Feedback Internally

Discuss the ranking results with your team, partners, and colleagues. Get their insights and input on where improvements can be made. Were there any changes in the preparation of the submissions these years, and could these have had a detriment on their quality?

Step 3. Contact the Directories for Feedback

Both Legal 500 and Chambers will provide a limited amount of feedback in most circumstances, though this should be enough to point you in the right direction for next year.

A simple sentence such as ‘We felt that your submission focused too heavily on leasing matters, whereas the firms above showed a greater breadth’ can be all you require to better prepare next year’s submission.

Firms who would like a more detailed breakdown will also have the option of purchasing premium products such as Research Plus and Chambers Insight.

Step 4. See the Bigger Picture

It is important that the rankings can influenced by various factors and are fundamentally comparative in nature. It may be a case that your submission was just as strong as in previous years, though a number of your competitors improved.

It is worth keeping a tab on the firms above you, especially those who have received promotions, and noting any developments that may have positively influenced their positions e.g., the growth of the team, several standout cases, or increased activity within a particular sector.

Patience and persistence are key. Both directories keep track of your performance year-on-year and factor in your track record. At the recent Chambers 360 event, reference was even made to a firm that finally achieved a ranking after six years of submitting.

If you were expecting a promotion on this occasion and felt that there was a notable uptick in the quality of your submission, this was most likely noted by the directory. It may simply be that they are taking a wait and see approach, particularly when it comes to promotions at the very top of the table.

The directories can only work with the information you provide to them, meaning that firms need to be on top of any developing assumptions and ensure that these are countered by the relevant evidence.