Law Firm & Chambers Ranking Strategy
Listed on 2025-11-27
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Law/Legal
Overview
Business Development, Law Firms, Marketing, Strategic Marketing
Not Getting the Chambers and Partners Ranking You Want? Here’s HowDisappointed in Your Chambers Ranking (Or Lack of One)?
Lists and rankings of law firms have become ubiquitous, with some being more credible, prestigious, and sought-after than others. Chambers and Partners is among those at the top because they have built a reputation for their high degree of selectivity with only 2% of U.S. law firms getting ranked, and you cannot buy your way in.
Having decades of experience submitting Chambers nominations and getting firms listed, we’re sharing our pointers for securing that coveted ranking as the 2026 research season gets underway.
Who Does Chambers and Partners Consider for Rankings?Chambers is a legal ranking developed by editorial and research teams to assess lawyers and law firms worldwide, covering more than 200 jurisdictions. Many consider Chambers the leading directory in the legal profession and one of the toughest lists to get on.
Currently, the lawyer ranking guides are by geographical area with well over one hundred different practice areas and subcategories. Chambers expands the range of practice areas every year.
While Chambers does not consider law firm size in its rankings, it has made a much stronger push to accommodate small firms in recent years, including publishing Spotlight Guides for small and medium-sized law firms in Illinois, Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, New York, Florida and California.
10 Tips to Get Listed on ChambersSubmit the Right Referees (References)
Referees is the term Chambers uses for clients or others who can speak to the caliber of your work. One of the most heavily weighted aspects of Chambers’ research is talking to referees, so it’s important for you to submit names that are responsive to Chambers. While it’s great to name the general counsel of a Fortune 500 company as your referee, if they are not responsive, consider a second or third in command if they are more available.
You can submit 30 referees for Chambers USA, so ideally, you should put forth the maximum number.
Referees can be a sticking point for some law firms and lawyers in that they don’t want to bug their clients year after year. Some law firm clients won’t participate due to the confidential nature of their legal matters. Given the many hurdles when deciding who to list, you may need to get creative – consider listing older clients that are used to the Chambers process, co-counsel or opposing counsel, etc.
Prepare Your Referees for the Chambers Process
Yes, we are still talking about referees. First, you want to ensure that referees know Chambers will contact them. Referees often ignore emails from Chambers because they think it’s spam or miss their email because they are unaware it’s coming. If you submit someone’s name, you must prepare them for the process. For example:
- Let them know that you’re submitting their name (this can be done if you get their approval first).
- Explain that Chambers researchers will email them to set up a phone call and give them the name of the researcher who will contact them.
- Explain what questions the researcher might ask (the researcher will give you this information in advance).
- Explain to your referees that it will take very little of their time; researchers usually want a 5 to 10-minute conversation.
- Let them know that email responses are an option if they don’t want to do a phone interview.
Second, you want to prepare referees as much as possible. In addition to giving them questions in advance, offer to help them hone their communication points.
Pursue a Regional Ranking First, Then National
Focus on getting a regional ranking before you pursue a nationwide one. Even if you have a national practice, securing a national ranking is rare if your firm hasn’t been ranked regionally (meaning wherever your offices are located).
If your firm has a regional ranking and it truly has a national presence, go after the national ranking right away; don’t wait a few years to submit.
If you are submitting for both regional and national ones, do not copy/paste. You need to…
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