Last Thursday’s live session, moderated by Dmytro Fedoruk, founder of Ranking Copilot, explored how law firms and lawyers can improve their ranking performance. Fedoruk emphasised that rankings remain central to client decision-making, particularly for general counsel handling complex or cross-border matters, as they provide both validation and risk mitigation. The discussion was further supported by insights from Milos Trifunovic on the practical challenges firms face in navigating the rankings process.
Three global leaders dominate the rankings landscape: Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, and IFLR, supported by numerous regional and specialist directories. Their influence is increasing, not decreasing, as AI tools increasingly draw on ranking data to recommend firms.
How Rankings Actually Work
Rankings are driven primarily by referee feedback, which can account for around 70% of the outcome. While competitor input exists, it has significantly less impact. The process is highly structured, with strict requirements around submissions, referees, and eligibility criteria.
A key issue identified is widespread non-compliance with these requirements. Firms frequently submit referees who fall outside the required timeframe or fail to meet criteria, resulting in discounted or ignored feedback. This results in a significant loss of opportunity, often affecting a large share of submissions.
The Complexity of Submissions
The submission process is inherently complex, with each ranking having different requirements, frequent updates, and overlapping timelines. For large international firms, this can mean managing submissions on a near-constant basis throughout the year.
Internally, firms face a number of challenges. They must decide which matters to include, often narrowing down a large volume of work into a limited number of submissions. They must also navigate internal politics between partners, coordinate across multiple offices, and carefully manage the use of referees to avoid overburdening key contacts.
Strategic positioning is therefore essential. Firms need to be deliberate about what they want to be known for, whether that is international reach, the scale of transactions, or particular areas of expertise, and ensure that their submissions consistently reflect that positioning.
Referee Management and Relationships
Effective referee management emerges as a critical success factor. Overuse of key referees can lead to disengagement, while a lack of coordination across offices can damage response rates.
Best practice includes:
- Strategic selection and rotation of referees
- Maintaining ongoing relationships (not just contacting at submission time)
- Clear communication and appreciation
- Ensuring referees are actively engaged in recent work
The session emphasises that rankings ultimately reflect real client relationships and service quality.
Technology and Process Improvement
Fedoruk and Trifunovic introduce “Ranking Copilot”, a tool designed to centralise and structure firm data, automate compliance with ranking requirements, and streamline workflows. By transforming unstructured information into structured, reusable data, the system enables firms to use the same content across submissions, pitches, and proposals.
The platform provides a single source of truth for firm data, ensures compliance with ranking criteria, offers visibility over referee usage and deadlines, and enables AI-powered insights. Most notably, it significantly reduces the administrative burden, handling the vast majority of the groundwork and allowing teams to focus on higher-value, strategic activities.
Implications for Firms and Individuals
Rankings impact not only firm reputation but also individual careers. Recognition such as “Band 1” or “Rising Star” strengthens both client confidence and internal positioning. However, eligibility criteria are often misunderstood, leading to missed opportunities.
For junior lawyers, visibility, client engagement, and compliance with nomination criteria are essential. For firms, rankings contribute to employer branding, talent attraction, and long-term growth.
Key Strategies For Better Rankings
- Rankings remain a critical decision-making tool for clients
- Compliance with submission requirements is a major differentiator
- Referee management is central to success
- Strategy, not volume, drives effective submissions
- Technology can significantly reduce administrative burden
- Rankings influence both firm positioning and individual careers
