Marketing
Vanity vs. Virtue: Evaluating External Law Firm Surveys, Awards, and Rankings Submissions
By Jill Clark, LeeAnne Hendrickson | 10.04.2023
Let's face it: it feels pretty good when the media features or honors you. Humility is a noble quality, but being recognized for your achievements is better than a stick in the eye. Law firm surveys, rankings, and awards with objective scoring have emerged as benchmarks across the legal industry. They provide insights into the performance, reputation, and innovation of law firms and individual lawyers. Just look at progressive attorney bios today; many lead with and reference respected awards and recognitions. And note that they don't list honors that are pay-to-play initiatives.
Editor’s Note: this is the second in a three-part series of blog posts on law firm surveys, awards, and rankings. The first can be found here.
Before investing valuable time into building a winning submission, take an honest look at the program and determine if it fits in the vanity or virtue category. Evaluating the slate of surveys, rankings, and awards, and then deciding the attorneys in your firm to present for review, requires an analytical approach to ensure credibility and relevance and an honest assessment of your candidate pool’s chances for success.
Understanding the Purpose and Methodology
Law firm surveys, rankings, and awards serve different purposes and adopt varying methodologies. It is crucial to understand the objectives and evaluation criteria. Ensure key components such as financial performance, client satisfaction, innovation, diversity and inclusion, pro bono work, and technological advancements are considered. Interviewing clients and leading lawyers in the industry and market are solid indicators that the program is legitimate and evaluating each submission without bias. After determining the platform is valuable, you should carefully examine the methodology to ensure it aligns with your specific and overarching long- and short-term marketing objectives. There’s no need to submit qualifications for your firm or attorneys if it isn’t going to help achieve your goals.
Assessing Credibility and Independence
Credibility and independence are fundamental aspects of reliable surveys, rankings, and awards. Evaluators should consider the reputation, track record, and expertise of the organization conducting the survey or ranking. Transparency in the selection process and disclosure of potential conflicts of interest are indicators of a credible evaluation.
Reviewing Research and Data Collection
External surveys and rankings heavily rely on data collection and research. Evaluators should analyze the research methodologies, including the sample size, data sources, and data analysis techniques. Valid and representative data collection ensures accurate and meaningful results.
Analyzing Evaluation Criteria
Every survey or ranking program has its own set of evaluation criteria. Evaluators should thoroughly analyze the requirements used to assess law firms. The criteria should be relevant, comprehensive, unbiased, and balanced to provide a holistic view of a law firm’s capabilities and achievements. Understanding the weight given to each measure is also essential. For instance, let’s say community service is a big factor in the program you are considering. Should you submit an attorney who doesn’t volunteer in a meaningful way even though they check all the other boxes? Investing time in that particular program is probably not the best use of anyone’s time.
Considering Peer Reviews and Client Feedback
Peer reviews and client feedback are valuable sources of information when evaluating law firms and individual attorneys. These tools provide insights into your reputation, quality of service, and client satisfaction. Evaluators should consider the reviewers’ or respondents’ credibility and diversity to ensure unbiased feedback.
Delving into Awards Submissions
Law firm awards often require detailed submissions highlighting specific achievements, innovations, and contributions. Evaluators should assess the quality, depth, and relevance of these submissions. The consistency between the submission and the firm’s overall performance is a crucial factor to consider.
Selecting the Right Attorney
Selecting the right attorney to feature can be tricky, and the internal process is not always fair. Just because it is somebody’s turn or someone is well-liked doesn’t mean they are the best candidate to propose. Earning the accolade is the objective, and that won’t happen if the candidate isn’t right for the program you are considering.
Managing the professional feelings of lawyers at all levels – not to mention the potential internal political landmines – can be challenging. You will need to look closely at who should be submitted. More important, you need to be in lockstep with firm leadership. The ultimate goal is to ensure everyone feels valued and that you all spend time on candidates and programs that make sense for both the attorney and the firm. If you want to showcase a specific attorney or practice group, look for a program that fits well with their accomplishments.
Filling out numerous surveys and honors submissions is usually time-consuming and sometimes arduous. Law firms and their marketing professionals must evaluate the impact of participating in today’s assortment of surveys, rankings, and awards offerings at the local, regional, national, and international levels.
Understanding if the recognition aligns with the firm’s strategic goals, enhances its reputation, attracts potential clients, and boosts employee morale is important when determining which programs to select. Evaluating the return on your collective investment when working on a submission is clutch; attorney and staff time adds up quickly. Answering the vanity vs. virtue question before you start the process is key.
