Before the end of 2023 (and hopefully by the Dec. 3 deadline), you sent your nominations to the Best Lawyers editorial team. You may be ready to brush your hands off, cross this off your to-do list and move on to your next project because that’s done, right?
Not exactly. The key component of the Best Lawyers research process, which also impacts its Best Law Firms rankings, is the peer review process – and that comes next.
Submitting your nominations ensures that the attorneys you’ve identified are under consideration. After nominations, the next step is to get your lawyers voting because a Best Lawyers recognition is determined solely on the results of the peer review process. Only those who have been recognized previously in The Best Lawyers in America® publication are invited to vote for that recognition. For the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®research, all candidates may participate. Voting lawyers receive a personalized ballot of other candidates they are likely to know – those in the same or similar practice areas and in nearby locations. A sample ballot may be viewed here: https://www.bestlawyers.com/ballot/sample.
As explained by Elizabeth Petit, longtime director of research & development and managing editor at Best Lawyers, voting is easy and vital to the process. “Best Lawyers awards are determined exclusively by peer feedback. While there are many ways to evaluate professional excellence, lawyers are the most qualified to assess their competition. Voting should take around 15 minutes and can be completed online or by phone.”
“Candidates are evaluated annually to capture an accurate reflection of the industry,” Petit adds. “For this reason, voting participation is critical as it drives the new awards.”
Marketing and law firm leaders are not eligible to vote. However, there are still ways to help your firm. Here are some suggestions:
- Best Lawyers offers a robust, complimentary dashboard on your firm administration page. Use this to monitor response rates among your firm’s eligible voters.
- Alert those eligible to vote! If lawyers know the ballot is coming, they’re more likely to take action.
- Encourage your lawyers to get in early to aid their inbox. Once voters have entered at least one vote for a candidate at another firm, they will not receive the email reminders any longer and you can focus your attention on attorneys who still need to vote.
- Stay in touch. The research team at Best Lawyers is responsive and helpful, so reach out to info@bestlawyers.com if you have questions.
Voting for the 2025 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® begins on Monday, Jan. 29, and ends on Friday, March 29.
How We Can Help
Poston Communications’ Content division has a team of experienced writers and researchers with many years of awards experience, including at Best Lawyers. We can advise you on the best awards opportunities and create a strategy for recognition for both you and your clients. Our team can also help you with preparing submissions, conducting interviews, monitoring the process and more. Contact us today to learn more.