With the research period for many Chambers categories in full swing and the referee outreach for both Legal 500 UK Solicitor & Bar guides in progress, now is the time to think about how best to maximise your referee response rate and increase the chances of achieving your legal directory goals in the upcoming guides.
For those in regions where submissions are still open, read our five quick tips for writing a winning legal directory submission before you hit submit.
Firstly, what is a good referee response rate?
Chambers considers a 30-40% response rate to be 'good', and the average response rate for Legal 500 sits around 25%.
While Legal 500 doesn't outline what it considers to be a good response rate, it's recently released Track & Add Tool for the Solicitors guide (similar to the Referee Management Tool deployed to firms tracking their Chambers referee responses) will likely see response rates improved.
It's not clear how much Legal 500's acceptance of an unlimited number of referees, or referee fatigue - with referees contacted by Legal 500 after Chambers outreach occurs in most instances - contributes to a lower response rate across the board. What is clear however, is that there are many things firms can do to improve their response rates.
Why the focus on improving referee response rates?
Referee feedback carries significant weight with both Chambers and Legal 500, just like what referees have to say about your firm matters, so does whether they respond at all.
When it comes to referee response rates, good and average might well be synonymous, as the ideal response rate to secure a ranking or promotion sits somewhat higher than the published figures.
Taking 30% as an example - conservative, yet optimistic assuming no referee follow up - firms that have submitted their maximum 30 referees for Chambers UK, Europe and the US, will see around 9 referees provide feedback on their practice. Not so bad, provided the firm has provided the maximum number and there is an equal spread of responses across the partners and lawyers hoping to see a new or improved individual ranking.
For barristers however, where submissions to the Chambers Bar Guide are limited to 5 referees per barrister, per submission, a 30% rate means only 1 or 2 responses. That's not so good.
Nonetheless, looking at these figures in isolation only paints half of the picture. The figures also need to be looked at within the broader context, which is, what is the response rate of the firms you're up against? When you don't have the answer to this, the best bet is in aiming for better than good.
Strategies to improve referee response rates (and responses)
After compiling your firm's carefully curated list of referees and securing their agreement, it's not enough to simply submit the list to the directories.
Most referees don't intentionally ignore the directories' feedback requests but they do miss them, forget about them, or don't recall receiving them at all.
When your referees have already agreed to participate in the process, a couple of well-timed emails is often enough all it takes to avoid feedback request disappearing into the abyss:
Ensure referees understand what's involved: Reduce friction by informing your referees about what the directories are, why the firm is submitting and how they will be contacted, and by reassuring them that any feedback they provide is strictly confidential
Monitoring referee management tools: Chambers' Referee Management Tool and Legal 500's Track & Add Tool allows firms to track the status of research for each practice area and whether each referee has been contacted and/or provided feedback
Keep referees updated: Use previous research schedules to set rough expectations on timing for the feedback requests from the outset, and use the referee management tools to let referees know once research has begun and follow up based on the status of their response, as displayed in in the tool
Following up with researchers: For referees that are unable to locate the email, check the correct email address has been provided and ask the researcher to contact them again. The researcher can resend the request or reach out to referees directly. You can also direct referees to the online Legal 500 feedback form.
Improving the quality of responses: Let your referees know which practice area(s) you have listed them as a referee for so that they can provide feedback specific to your expertise in this area.
For those still wondering, do we need to submit referees to Chambers & Legal 500?
Many firms are well-versed with the importance of referee feedback, but even seasoned firms can be unaware of the how much rides on responsive referees when it comes to achieving new or improved legal directory rankings. So it stands to reason that those hoping to secure a ranking on their first Chambers and Legal 500 submission) want to know whether they do in fact, need to pass the details of their most cherished clients and contacts to the directories.
Simply put, referee feedback is a crucial element of the legal directory submission ranking methodology and it is difficult to do well without it. We therefore encourage firms submit referees, and we work with them to determine the make up of those referees, seek their approval and encourage their response.
After investing in preparing a high-quality legal directory submission, maximising referee response rates is one of the few remaining actions within your control before the researchers begin assessing submissions and determining rankings.
While research has already concluded for some Chambers categories, these strategies will serve you well for years to come.
Learn more about Elmfields' legal directory submission services, including our end-to-end legal directory management and drafting.
