Welcome to Benchmark Litigation Europe 

The definitive guide to Europe's leading litigation law firms and lawyers

Benchmark Litigation is the only publication on the market to focus exclusively on dispute resolution. Since its inception in 2008, the Benchmark brand has grown dramatically and garnered industry-wide accolades as the definitive hub for in-depth analysis of the players shaping the dynamic practice of litigation. In keeping with Benchmark’s sharp rise in popularity, its team increasingly aims to respond to the demands of its audience.

The Europe guide officially launched in 2018, with a dedicated team based in London. The guide was reintroduced in late 2024 to continue exclusively covering the litigation and disputes markets. The brand aims to provide law firm and lawyer rankings on the market’s most important cases and firm developments across the region.

Research is conducted through extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms. During these interviews, we examine recent casework and ask individual litigators to provide their professional opinions on peers and practitioners within their jurisdiction or practice area.

As an extension of our research, Benchmark Litigation Europe Awards are held annually and are based on the research submissions and casework provided. 

The following is covered below:

• Methodology
• Practice area coverage
• Jurisdictional coverage
• Awards
• Research Timeline
• How to Take Part
• Submission guidelines
• FAQs
  
  
  

Methodology

Our law firm rankings are based on three key criteria:

Case evidence

In each research cycle we ask firms to provide recent case highlights and this is used to determine their position in the market.

Firms should provide their most complex and interesting cases in the research form and explain clearly to our research team why they are important and what they tell us about the firm’s abilities.

Peer feedback

We conduct a Practitioner Survey of law firm partners to get thoughts and feedback on our current law firm rankings and leading lawyers.

All partners active in the relevant research categories are invited to take part.

Client feedback

We speak to a wide range of corporate and in-house contacts as part of our client feedback survey to get their opinions on the firms and lawyers they use. We contact your clients once you have provided us with their contact details.

Practice area coverage:

Benchmark Litigation Europe will cover the following litigious practice areas:

Jurisdictional coverage:

Each jurisdiction will include a range of varying practice area tables depending on the nature and sophistication of the market and the work conducted within said market.

The Benchmark Europe team reserves the right to introduce additional ranking categories for countries if market feedback is strong enough.

If your firm practices in a country we do not currently cover and you wish to engage with our research, please submit your details HERE. The brand reassess its jurisdictional coverage each year based on market appetite and activity. 

Benchmark Litigation Europe Awards:

The Benchmark Litigation Europe Awards are based on the casework submitted through the annual research cycle. ​The awards assessment is case-based and should include matters that are landmark, novel, and/or precedent-setting in nature. ​
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Confidential cases can be put forward and used for consideration of firm and lawyer categories but will not be published. ​ All submitting firms who put casework forward will be considered.​

There is no separate submission for the Europe Awards. The research submission form includes an 'Awards' section where firms are encouraged to nominate cases for awards consideration.

For more awards-specific information, please visit the FAQs. Additional Awards-specific details, including shortlist and winners, will be featured in due course HERE.

Research timeline

How to take part in our full research cycle:

1. Create an account on our secure Submission Portal HERE 

2. Download and complete the following forms:

• RESEARCH FORM
• CLIENT REFEREE TEMPLATE

3. Upload the documents to your portal account by 28 Feb 2025. Due to GDPR compliance, we are unable to accept submissions via email.

4. Encourage lawyers to take the PRACTITIONER SURVEY once available

5. Encourage clients to take the CLIENT SURVEY once available. 

Submission guidelines

You will need to register an account on the portal before you can upload any submission documents.​
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Please do not use forms or links from prior years. Forms and links are updated each year.​
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Firms are to submit only one (1) submission questionnaire per country. You are welcome to include a range of practice area cases one the single submission questionnaire.​
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Each firm is to submit only one (1) referee excel document per country with all client details. Please stick to the referee template and do NOT add additional information outside of what is being requested.

Provide up to 20 case highlights (including the 4 awards nominated cases). We encourage firms to list them in order of importance or significance. ​
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Case highlights must be ongoing or completed within the last 12 months. The time frame is roughly January 2024 – February 2025. ​
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For matters with partial or wholly confidential information, please highlight the text in red.​ Any information provided may be published, except where indicated.
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Please complete the entirety of the required information. Remember to include reasons why the case is important, significant, or novel.​
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Case guidance

Remember to include reasons why the case is important or significant. Please provide us with as much information about the firm’s cases as possible. The team is looking for casework that includes the following themes:

Complexity: Did the matter address sophisticated legal issues?
Innovation: What ingenuity was shown to solve the dispute?
Impact: What impact did the case have on the client or the legal landscape?

Client referees

There is NO LIMIT on the number of client referees you can submit.

All client referees that are submitted will be contacted.

All client information provided will be treated as confidential.

Why take part?

• Accurate and In-Depth Representation of Your Firm’s Activities
  Our team conducts meticulous research to present a precise and thorough analysis of your firm’s litigation capabilities, reinforcing your expertise in the market.
• Exposure to a Global Readership
  Your firm will gain visibility among top decision-makers at leading corporations and financial institutions worldwide, opening doors to high-value opportunities.
• No Cost Involved
  There is no cost to engaging in the project, making it a valuable opportunity to showcase your firm’s strengths and accomplishments.
• Competitive Benchmarking
  Participation allows you to compare your firm's litigation performance against industry standards and competitors, identifying areas for improvement and opportunities for growth.
• Enhanced Reputation
  Being recognized in this guide reinforces your firm’s reputation as a leader in litigation, strengthening trust among existing and potential clients.
• Business Development Opportunities
  Showcase your firm’s achievements and attract potential clients or partners who rely on the guide to identify top-tier legal service providers.
• Marketing and Branding Leverage
  Inclusion in the project provides valuable material for marketing campaigns, pitches, and other promotional efforts, amplifying your firm's visibility.
• Alignment with Industry Trends
  Participation demonstrates that your firm is proactive in staying relevant and committed to continuous improvement, positioning you as a forward-thinking firm.
   

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do we need to submit different forms per practice area?  
A: No. We require one submission form, per firm, per country. We invite you to share a balanced variety of casework from different practice areas on the same submission form.  
 
Q: Is there a limit to the number of cases we can provide? Is there a limit to the number of lawyers we can nominate? 
A: We allow up to 20 case highlights per submission form. There is no limit to the number of lawyers you can nominate. 
 
Q: Do you only rate those of ‘Partner’ level? 
A: Yes. Benchmark Litigation Europe does not rank associates or senior statesmen.  
  
Q: Since the nature of litigation cases takes a long period of time, will it hurt our submission if most of the case highlights are ongoing?  
A: We encourage firms to provide a majority of case highlights that are resolved within the past 12 months so that we can assess the case in its completion and consider its success. We also welcome some ongoing case work as well, especially if it is novel or innovative in nature. 
 
Q: Should we list confidential cases/clients? How do we ensure these remain confidential? 
A: Yes. We encourage firms to provide as much detail as possible including on confidential cases/clients. We ask that you mark any confidential information on the submission form in RED. We will not publish any confidential information and will only use this information for internal understanding and analysis purposes. 
 
Q: Can I send information in another format? 
A: No. All firms must use the submission form and client referee templates provided.  

Q: Would a firm get disqualified if no client referee list is submitted?  
A: No. A client referee submission is not mandatory. However, the feedback collected is used to support the firm submission and round out our understanding and determine the quality of the legal services received.  
 
Q: Do we need to submit different referee forms for different practice areas?  
A: No, we only need ONE referee document per firm per country.  
 
Q: How many interviews can a firm schedule? Is it one interview per firm or multiple interviews for respective practice areas?  
A: Firms are allotted one interview per firm per country. This interview will cover multiple practice areas, so all participating partners must be on this one call (or at least during the portion they cover their respective areas).  
  
Q: Does the firm need to contact you for an interview? Or will you contact the firm?  
A: The research team will send out invitations to firms to coordinate interviews. Equally, firms are welcome to contact us to be proactive about requesting an interview. If you contact us early, there is a high possibility that we can accommodate you sooner. 
 
Q: Should we wait until the submission documents are submitted to schedule an interview? 
A: Interviews are coordinated on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage firms to respond to email inquiries and marketing campaigns to timely schedule their interviews and, on occasion, that can be before submissions have been provided.
 
Q: Do interviews with the research analysts give you a higher chance of being ranked?  
A: Yes. Interviews allow our research team to hear directly from leading practitioners on the complexity, sophistication, innovation, and novelty of cases and trends. Additionally, interviews are meant to also gather market feedback and discuss market trends.  

Q: We would like additional lawyers to be considered for designation. How can we nominate them?  
A: There are two ways to nominate lawyers: a) the submission form and b) the practitioner survey. The Practitioner Survey serves as a way for lawyers – both already ranked and seeking-to-be-ranked to showcase additional work highlights that support their nomination. We encourage firms to share the survey link with lawyers who wish to be considered. Dates specific to the practitioner survey will be shared on our website in due course. 
 
Q: Is there a way to alert our clients ahead of the Client Survey so that can be alert for its arrival?  
A: Yes. We notify law firms in advance of the survey launch so you can notify your clients. We do urge you to remind your clients to check all spam folders.  
 
Q: Are the client and practitioner surveys compulsory?  
A: Our research is made up of a three-pronged system: a) case highlights b) peer review and c) client feedback. While surveys are not compulsory, we encourage clients and firms to complete them to make their views known and to underscore the case highlights within the submission form.  
 
Q: My clients say they have not received the Client Survey email. What should we do?  
A: Please email us if clients have not received our survey emails. We will arrange for a re-send if time allows.  
 
Q: Our firm clients did not respond to the Client Survey by the deadline. What happens next?  
A: While we send reminders about the client survey, we do not follow up after the deadline. We respect that clients may not want to participate and will not proceed any further. Their details are kept confidential, and we do not use them outside of this client survey request.  
  
Q: How do we nominate cases for awards? Is there a separate submission process for that? 
A: There is NOT a separate submission process for awards. If you wish to nominate casework for consideration into our awards program, we invite you to include the information in the ‘awards nominations work highlights’ section of this submission form. If you do not put your cases down in this section, they will not be considered for the awards.   
 
Q: Who determines the nominees and winners for the awards?  
A: The Benchmark research team, including its Head of Research, will assess all submissions to determine the nominees and to collectively determine the winners for each category.  
 
Q: Is there a list of award categories? 
A: No. Categories are determined based off what the research data reflects. We reserve the right to amend the categories each year.  
 
Q: Will the same cases be used to evaluate firm and individual award categories?  
A: Yes. Casework provided in the ‘awards nominations work highlights’ section of the form will be for the firm, individual, and impact case categories.   
 
Q: If we have nominated four cases in the Awards section, do we have to include them again in the work highlights section as well?  
A: No. We treat your most important cases as those in the awards nomination section and will review those first. There is no need to repeat the awards case information in the 20 work highlights afterwards.   
 
Q: Does every firm that submits receive a ranking placement/lawyer recognition?  
A: No. We do not guarantee a ranking placement or lawyer recognition. Through notable casework, we require firms to prove they are doing notable litigious work in the relevant practice areas to be included on any firm or lawyer rankings. 
  
Q: What is the readership of Benchmark Litigation? 
A: The readers of Benchmark Litigation include – but is not limited to - law firms, in-house counsel and buyers of legal services. 
 
Q: How does Benchmark Litigation differ from Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 or other competitors? 
A: Benchmark Litigation focuses exclusively on dispute resolution and litigation. This allows us to provide a much more in-depth analysis of the market. Benchmark Litigation strives to avoid being over-inclusive. We aim to cover only firms and litigators that are of an elite status. 
 
Q: We would love to profile our firm and/or lawyers on your website. How do we do that? 
A: Please contact us and we will connect you with our Publishers who can detail the ways you can add value to your research results and get involved.  
 
Q: If I don’t commercially support the publication, do I still get rated? 
A: Any firm or practitioner can appear in the publication so long as there is substantiating case work and market feedback to warrant the inclusion. Firms cannot pay to appear in the guide as Benchmark Litigation is not “pay-to-play”. 
 
  
Q: I have a question that’s not answered here. Can I contact anyone to ask it?

A: Please email us at: researchEU@benchmarklitigation.com