The importance of positioning yourself in Chambers and Partners

The rankings published by Chambers and their relevance in the legal world

Chambers and Partners stands out as the world’s most prestigious directory ranking law firm departments and individual lawyers in various jurisdictions and practice areas. Its reputation is based on its renowned objectivity and transparency, as beyond being mere listings, the Chambers and Partners rankings represent comprehensive market research that provides a comprehensive and reliable assessment of performance and excellence in the legal field.

Why are these rankings essential for the prestige of your firm?

The Chambers and Partners rankings are essential decision-making benchmarks, both for clients seeking legal advice and for law firms seeking to assess their reputation and market position, as they are the result of external and impartial research that is recognised worldwide.

Tips to improve your rating in Chambers

Chambers and Partners is characterised by its objectivity and transparency, which makes obtaining recognition a challenge. Below is a list of tips on how to improve your position in the rankings.

Applications to Chambers are made by practice area and by jurisdiction and consist of two parts: 1) a description of cases or transactions and 2) a list of referrals.

How to select cases appropriately?

In terms of the selection of cases or transactions, it is essential to highlight those that are legally relevant in order to demonstrate capacity and experience in complex legal matters.

It is also important to report on cases carried out for globally recognised clients, be they transnationals or leading national companies, as this not only reflects specialised skills in certain sectors, but also a solid positioning in the industry.

In addition, if you want to highlight experience in different sectors, it is important to present cases that cover different areas or involve different types of clients. On the other hand, if the objective is to demonstrate specialisation, it is recommended to present cases that are specifically within the industry of specialisation.

Finally, it is crucial to highlight the role played by the law firm and the achievements in the case, such as favourable judgments, obtaining injunctions, successful settlements, among other examples. If the case has already been reported in a previous application, it is important to include an update on the case.

What is the ideal research referral?

The referral list is a document attached to the application that details the clients to whom the firm or practitioner has provided legal advice and who are willing to provide the researcher with feedback on the service received. Chambers and Partners attaches great importance to this list, which is why it is important to select referrals carefully.

The ideal referral is one who has had the opportunity to work with one or more members of the firm directly, is able to provide positive feedback and is available to answer the researcher’s questions or participate in an interview. Building a strong client-lawyer relationship is therefore of paramount importance.

Effective strategies to stand out in Chambers and achieve success in your practice

The nomination should reflect the excellent work carried out by the firm, highlighting its speciality and its commitment to continuous improvement. To do this, a number of strategies can be used to help the researcher obtain the information necessary to place the professional or law firm in the desired position in the ranking:

Ask clients for their permission to be included in the referral list. In this way, you can be sure that they will be willing to respond to the investigator’s communication.
Enlist persons with proven availability to respond, regardless of their hierarchical position, as long as they have been directly involved in the case or transaction.
Include referrals on the list for each of the lawyers you wish to position.
Contact the referrals so that they are aware of the contact email that the Chambers and Partners researcher will send them requesting their referral or an interview.
Check the progress of the referrals’ contact halfway through the research and re-contact those who have not yet responded.

Avoid common errors when submitting for Chambers

Below is a list of suggestions to bear in mind when submitting your nominations for Chambers rankings:

Avoid Legal Jargon: Researchers are not necessarily lawyers, and legal terminology varies across jurisdictions. It is advisable to refrain from using excessively technical language. Instead, aim for a more comprehensible and accessible style of writing.
Careful Case Selection: Complexity is a key factor valued by researchers. For instance, achieving a precedent-setting decision, negotiating an agreement involving multiple parties, or handling cases spanning several jurisdictions is often deemed more significant than the monetary value involved. For this reason, cases of lesser monetary value but higher complexity are preferred.

At Gericó Associates, our team of experts, which includes former researchers from Chambers and Partners, provides support from the very start of the submission process through to the publication of results. We have in-depth knowledge of the key factors required to achieve the objectives established at the outset of the collaboration.