An estimated 1,200 rankings and awards globally include lawyers—up from 700 a decade ago.
By Sara Randazzo | The Wall Street Journal
troking lawyers’ egos has become big business.
A proliferation of attorney awards and rankings—more than 1,200 by one count—is inundating law-firm marketing departments, and an industry of consultants has popped up to guide firms through the submissions process. Lawyers vie for rankings such as Super Lawyers, which touts its “patented selection process,” Lawdragon, self-described as “the most elite guide in the legal profession,” and Chambers and Partners, whose latest annual guide to U.S. lawyers came in at 3,239 pages.
There is also Best Lawyers, the Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, Leading Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, Who’s Who Legal—and hundreds of others.
“It’s gotten out of control,” said Megan Braverman, a principal at Berbay Marketing & Public Relations, which tracks more than 200 contests for law-firm clients.
Another public-relations firm, Jaffe, says its list of 1,200 rankings and awards globally that include lawyers is up from 700 a decade ago.
Law firms spend $157,000 annually on average in employee time and expenses to complete awards submissions, according to a study released last year by the Legal Marketing Association, Law Firm Media Professionals and BTI Consulting Group. For larger firms, the average is $691,000, with one reporting spending $5 million.
Attorneys have received accolades for decades. Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton used to tout that she was one of the National Law Journal’s “100 Most Influential Lawyers” in 1988 and 1991.
But since the recession, the awards race has intensified, in part as legal-trade publications look to monetize honors to prop up revenue.
Many of the rankings are bestowed by trusted brands that vet lawyers’ reputations by calling clients and reviewing court victories or major deals. Even these can ask winners to pay $500 for plaques, $5,000 for advertisements or $10,000 for tables at awards banquets. Newer contests are often pay-to-play, requiring several-hundred dollar submission fees or even withholding awards if certain products aren’t purchased.
“A whole cottage industry has developed on playing off of lawyers’ egos and insecurities,” said the head of one large New York-based law firm. “It’s accelerating dramatically because people see that there’s money to be had.”
Many law firms say the awards do more to help internal morale than to acquire new business. In a 2016 survey of general counsel by BTI, 4.6% said they looked to the attorney directories first when hiring law firms, while 25% said they use them to confirm observations about a hire.
Chambers USA’s editor, Toby Eccleshall, said they hear about clients who rely on the guide. “It’s not just intended to be a vanity project for lawyers,” he said. Super Lawyers, which awards the distinction to up to 5% of lawyers in each state, serves as a starting point to “help consumers navigate the legal realm,” publisher Cindy Larson said.
Faced with a stagnant supply of high-end litigation and corporate deal work, law firms see the awards as a way to distinguish themselves and get an edge on the competition.
Joseph Andrew, global chairman of 8,000-lawyer law firm Dentons, said awards have gained prominence as firms compete internationally and recognize the value of sharing successes on social media. “If you’re the world’s largest law firm, you want to make sure you’ve won more awards than anyone else,” Mr. Andrew said.
Law-firm marketers say they have become accustomed to almost daily emails from partners forwarding awards pitches and asking some variation of “do we care about this?” One recently making the rounds to Manhattan attorneys congratulates them on their nomination as one of “America’s Top 100 Attorneys” in New York, listing 79 other lawyers who have already “accepted this honor” and a link to pay $1,000 onetime membership dues.
Topping that list is Gary Naftalis, a name partner at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, a firm based in New York.
Mr. Naftalis, whose website bio lists dozens of honors he has received in his more than 40-year career representing chief executives and major corporations, said he didn’t know he was being used in promotional materials. “Look, obviously everybody has egos,” he said. “If you work hard, if you’re good at what you do, it’s nice to be recognized.”
Some marketing professionals are getting fed up with endless nomination requests and have begun to push back—and urge attorneys to be more discerning. Ms. Braverman said attendees cheered at a marketing conference earlier this year when a senior-in house lawyer said he didn’t care about rankings.
Kent Matsumoto, general counsel of specialty-paper maker Glatfelter, said he hires lawyers who show an interest in the industry and can serve as an extension of the company, qualities he says that can’t be ascertained in a lawyer directory.
As awards makers tap out the law-firm market, some have started conferring prizes on corporations’ law departments, then asking law firms to take out advertisements to congratulate their clients.
Edward Ryan, the general counsel of Marriott International, said he weighs the prestige and value of an accolade against the pressure it would put on law firms he hires to buy tables at awards dinners. So, he politely declines some, but accepts others.
“It can be hard to celebrate your successes,” he said. “Recognition from an outside source really helps people say, wow, we did something special.”
