Rankings, reputation and client choice

• Key findings

• Rankings as a commercial credential

• What influences client decisions?

• Insights and interpretation

So what role, if any, does rankings play in commercial performance?

The role of rankings in commercial performance

Key findings

Rankings are an essential component of firms' reputation and growth strategies. 95% of respondents consider them to have an importance in commercial performance. For 47%, legal rankings are “very important” or “critical” to business development. Only a small minority (5%) consider rankings to be of no importance.

Overall, rankings are seen as a key driver of commercial success by the law firm marketing leaders in this study.

Value of legal rankings to commercial performance

Rankings as a commercial credential

Our findings suggest that rankings are widely seen as an important credibility signal in competitive markets. As an independent validation of a firm’s expertise and reputation, rankings help strengthen credibility and market positioning throughout the buying process.

Rankings are an important part of a broader proof point ecosystem, reinforcing brand reputation and sector expertise.

The value of rankings can be maximised in combination with client relationships, sector expertise and partner-led engagement.

What influences client decisions?

Clients consider a broad range of factors when considering firms. Our survey found that CMOs believe the top priorities for clients making hiring decisions are sector expertise, brand and reputation, and pricing.

This suggests that rankings are most effective when used as part of a combined marketing strategy alongside relationships, sector expertise and brand reputation. In this model, rankings lend support to a wider set of tools for engaging and winning clients.

Insights and interpretation

An interesting insight emerges from the survey. While nearly half of respondents regard rankings as very important or critical to business development, only 12% believe rankings are a major factor in client decision-making. This suggests firms view rankings as a supporting commercial asset that provides essential proof points for credibility, differentiation and business development activity.

Firms continue to invest in rankings because they demonstrate expertise, reputation and market standing, and are firmly embedded within the legal buying process.

This means two things for CMOs. They must maintain visibility in rankings to ensure their firm comes up for consideration. But they must also prioritise higher-impact activities like relationship building and client experience to truly stand out.

Ultimately, we found that rankings are valuable as part of a broader business development strategy. They help reinforce credibility and reputation alongside relationships, expertise and brand.