Welcome to Benchmark Litigation Europe – the definitive guide to Europe's leading litigation law firms and lawyers.
Benchmark Litigation has been in the market since 2008. We exclusively cover the litigation and disputes markets and aim to provide law firm and lawyer rankings on the market’s most important cases and firm developments.
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 handled by law firms and ask individual litigators to provide their professional opinions on peers and practitioners within their jurisdiction or practice area.
TO MAKE SURE YOU GET UPDATES ON OUR RESEARCH PLEASE REGISTER HERE.
What we publish
We publish law firm and lawyer rankings and accompanying editorial in print and online.
We research the following dispute resolution practice areas:
• Aviation
• Banking and financial services
• Capital markets
• Commercial/civil
• Competition/antitrust
• Construction
• Domestic arbitration
• Energy
• Family and matrimonial
• Government and regulatory
• Insolvency
• Insurance
• Intellectual property
• International arbitration
• Labour and employment
• Product liability and recall
• Real estate
• Shipping
• Tax
• Technology and telecommunications
• Trade and customs
• Trusts and estates
• White-collar crime
Country practice area categories
In each country that we cover we have different practice area ranking tables depending on the nature and sophistication of the market.
Below we have listed the ranking categories that we cover in each country.
• Belgium – Commercial and transactions, EU Competition, Intellectual property, White-collar crime
• France – Commercial and transactions, Competition/antitrust, Intellectual property, International arbitration, White-collar crime
• Germany – Commercial and transactions, Competition/antitrust, Intellectual property, International arbitration
• Ireland – Commercial and transactions, Competition/antitrust, Intellectual property
• Italy – Commercial and transactions, Competition/antitrust, Insolvency, Intellectual property
• Netherlands – Commercial arbitration, Competition/antitrust, Intellectual property
• Poland – Dispute resolution
• Portugal – Commercial arbitration, Competition/antitrust, Intellectual property • Romania – Dispute resolution
• Russia – Dispute resolution
• Spain – Commercial and transactions, Competition/antitrust, Insolvency, Intellectual property
• Switzerland – Commercial arbitration, Commercial and transactions, Competition/antitrust, Intellectual property, White-collar crime
• Turkey – Dispute resolution
• Ukraine – Dispute resolution
• United Kingdom – Commercial and transactions, Competition/antitrust, Insolvency, Intellectual property, International arbitration
As the research progresses our team may introduce additional ranking categories for individual countries if market feedback is strong enough.
You can have your say as to which practice areas categories you think are most important in your country by completing our REGISTRATION FORM.
Firms need only submit one research form for each country they submit for, however, if you wish you can provide additional information and case highlights for individual practice area categories in support of your main submission.
If your firm practices in a country we do not currently cover and you wish to take part in the research please complete our REGISTRATION FORM.
Research timeline
• Research begins – February 2020
• Submission deadline – April 20 2020
• Research interviews (firms and client referees) – May to July
• Rankings and editorials published – October 2020
How to take part
To take part in our research simply:
1. Download our RESEARCH FORM
2. Complete the form
3. Upload your complete research form to the ONLINE SUBMISSION HUB
4. Upload your client referees via our CLIENT REFEREE PORTAL.
For each jurisdiction, you need only submit ONE (1) Research form.
We strongly suggest you group each practice area case highlights e.g. a group of commercial and transactions case studies, then a group of insolvency case studies, then a group of white-collar crime case studies. Rather than scattering the case studies here and there, making it difficult for researchers to locate each practice area highlights.
(If you wish, you can provide additional information/documents and case highlights for individual practice area categories in support of your main submission.)
Submission guidelines
- Please mark confidential information in RED and indicate clearly if the case is wholly or partially confidential. If partially, please specify what elements.
- Any information provided may be published, except where indicated.
- Do not adjust or alter the format of the research form.
- Provide up to 20 case highlights per practice area, listing in order of importance or significance. You may provide more than 20 cases if you wish.
- Case highlights must be ongoing or completed within the last 12 months.
- Clearly indicate practice area(s) for each case highlight.
- Try your best to fully complete the form by filling in all the required information.
- Do not delete any questions or sections in our research form. Leave it blank, if you do not wish to provide any specific information.
- Do not capitalise or highlight the text. Keep the contents concise and to the point.
- Remember to include reasons why the case is important or significant.
- Please include your firm’s name and jurisdiction (and practice area) when saving your research form. The suggested format is FirmName_Jurisdiction_BMEURO2021. If you are submitting by practice areas, save as follows: FirmName_Jurisdiction_PracticeArea_BMEURO2021.
Upload it to our online submission portal once completed. We do not accept submissions via email.
Please make sure all your research forms are fully completed and are correct versions. We cannot guarantee any corrections or amendments to what you first submitted will be implemented.
Client referees
There is NO LIMIT on the number of client referees you can submit.
The portal allows up to 50 referees per submission. If you wish to submit more, you are welcome to submit more than once.
All client referees that are submitted will be contacted.
All client information provided will be treated as confidential.
The CLIENT REFEREE PORTAL allows you to provide us with basic contact details of clients the firm has worked with recently. We contact these clients as part of our research to get feedback on your firm and lawyers. Client contact details provided are treated as confidential. The answers provided by clients are 'not for attribution' and we do not publish or reveal client details.
To make sure you receive our announcements please complete our REGISTRATION FORM.
Why take part?
• Guaranteed editorial coverage in the guide
• Accurate and in-depth representation of your firm’s activities
• Exposure to our global readership at the world’s most significant corporations and financial institutions
• No cost involved
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 an online LAWYER SURVEY of law firm partners to get their 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 and we also conduct phone and face-to-face interviews with practitioners.
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.
Dispute Resolution Stars and Future Stars
Alongside our firm rankings we also recognise the work of outstanding individuals. Our recommendations are based on the same three factors as our law firm rankings and consist of the following categories:
Dispute Resolution Stars
Lawyers who are highly regarded by their peers and possess a strong case record and positive client feedback.
Future Stars
'Ones to watch' these are lawyers who are building their reputations in the market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I send information in another format?
Yes, as long as the information we ask for is provided you can submit in any word or PDF format.
How does Benchmark differ from Chambers or other competitors?
Benchmark focuses exclusively on dispute resolution and litigation. This allows us to provide a much more in-depth analysis of the market. Benchmark is also editorially driven, rather than statistically driven, and strives to avoid being over-inclusive. We aim to cover only firms and litigators that are of an elite status.
How much influence do we have over our ratings vs. the external market?
Firms are encouraged to tell their story via our research form and through interviews. We then measure the firm’s input against the feedback we receive via studying the market. If our studies are in harmony with the firm’s assertions, we weight them equally. If there is an extreme disparity between the firm’s views and a pronounced percentage of the market, we will provide greater weight to the market consensus.
If we participate, are we guaranteed to get rated and/or have commentary?
All firms who submit and can prove they are doing notable work in the relevant practice areas will receive some form of editorial coverage, however we do not guarantee rankings or lawyer ratings.
Should we list confidential cases/clients? How do we ensure these remain confidential?
You can provide confidential clients/cases if you feel we should be aware of these, and we will certainly be respectful of confidential agreements – please mark confidential information clearly, ideally in RED.
When/how do you contact client referees?
We contact all client referees provided to us via email and invite them to take part in an online client survey. The survey asks clients about the firms they use, why they use them, what they use them for and how long they have been using them. The information provided by clients is confidential though we do publish non-attributed client quotes in the guide.
Do you only rate those of partner level?
We primarily rank partners but outstanding associates and senior associates are recognized in our ‘future stars’ lawyer rating category.
We’re a small boutique firm – what chance do we stand against the big brand name firms in your ratings?
Because Benchmark focuses exclusively on disputes, which is often the focus for specialist firms in the market, smaller firms stand a very good chance of being just as highly rated as large corporate firms, and in some cases even more highly rated. How do we get an in-person interview?
In-person interviews are welcomed. Simply contact us and request one, and, depending on the schedule flexibility of our researchers, we can arrange one.
Should I wait until the firm questionnaire is complete before scheduling partner interviews?
There is no need to wait, as the interviews are not about going through the submission again. Interviews allow lawyers to tell our researchers their stories in general personal summary form, and provide us with the feedback that we require regarding peer review, market trends, in-house counsel references, etc.
Can I review my firm’s editorial in advance of press and suggest changes to it?
No. Firms cannot be allowed to view their editorials prior to press, and are never allowed to have their own input into how they read.
What is the readership of Benchmark Europe?
The readers of Benchmark include law firms and buyers of legal services/in-house counsel.
Is Benchmark "pay-to-play?" If I don’t support the project financially do I still get rated?
Benchmark is absolutely not "pay-to-play." Firms cannot pay to appear in the guide, and can only be rated if the market deems them worthy of consideration.
I have a question that’s not answered here. Can I contact anyone to ask it?
Editor, Danielle Ngwana-Joseph at danielle.ngwana-joseph@benchmarklitigation.com