WIPR Insights Law Firm Rankings

Just published rankings

WIPR Insights is pleased to announce its first UK Trademarks Rankings of leading firms and practitioners.

WIPR Insights launched its Global Trade Secrets Rankings in January 2023, containing feature articles and an industry-first ranking of global law firms.

Olivier Corticchiato, Nestlé’s former head of Center of Competence—Patent Oppositions, described the supplement as: “A good update on trade secrets and its importance. I recommend reading. Trade secrets is both a key business asset and a legal challenge. Understanding and navigating the topic is key.”

Since then we have published USA Trademarks and China Trademarks rankings, and will shortly publish Germany Trademarks rankings.

About WIPR Rankings

Welcome to WIPR Insights Rankings—the home of authoritative, well-researched, business-essential rankings of intellectual property global law firms and lawyers.

We launched our independent rankings after identifying space for a nimble player, with high credibility, to provide an enhancement to current offerings from a fresh market position.

Our experienced team is led by rankings editor Baron Armah-Kwantreng, formerly head of research at Chambers and Partners, and director of a successful rankings consultancy with global law firms and a multi-billion dollar in-house team.

Leveraging WIPR’s market-leading understanding of the global intellectual property market, the rankings team recently welcomed experienced journalist Sarah Speight, senior writer for WIPR and LSIPR and now also WIPR Insights research analyst.

Research in Progress: 2024

2024 is set to be a busy year for WIPR Insights with research underway on Global Trade Secrets, USA Trade Secrets and UK Trade Secrets.

WIPR Leaders: Lawyers from firms in countries or practice areas not currently included in the research schedule may be eligible for inclusion in WIPR Leaders—a one-stop guide to the best IP practitioners in the world.

WIPR Diversity: The research team will assist with WIPR Diversity 2024, due to be published in May.

Interested firms can contact Baron Armah-Kwantreng, rankings editor at rankings@worldipreview.com.

WIPR Insights Rankings Submissions

How it works

The team gauges the market by speaking to  law firms, lawyers and legal organisations on an ongoing basis to help identify business-essential themes and  to rank.

Law firms and other organisations active in intellectual property are invited to contact WIPR Insights to discuss our current research and rankings, or to suggest relevant new rankings.

Once agreed, the topic will be added to a research schedule, which will identify :

⦁ the submissions window when entries and client referee sheets will be accepted;

⦁ when a researcher will contact law firms for telephone interviews and contact client referees; and

⦁ when the new rankings tables and editorial commentary will be published.

New rankings will be researched through a robust assessment of relevant qualitative and quantitative information. Law firms will then be invited to enter written submissions and client referee sheets, and to take part in in-depth conversations about the details of their practice and their assessment of the market.

In turn, clients and other market individuals nominated as referees will be approached for their assessment of the law firms that nominated them. The referees may also be asked for a broader assessment of the market, and the firms and individuals who should be ranked.

The researcher may also independently identify and contact other suitable clients and practitioners during their research.

Submissions

Law firms are invited to submit written submissions and client referee sheets within the ‘Submissions accepted’ period for each topic.

Please note: Written submissions received after the deadline for submissions for each topic cannot be guaranteed to be included in the research, or to impact on the final rankings.

The submission is your opportunity to set out the key attributes of your practice, for consideration by the researcher.

We will be interested to read about your practice within the context of the firm’s overall capability in the topic area, the experience and capability of your team, the range and significance of your work, and the breadth and quality of your client base.

You can specifically express your views on the appropriate rankings of other firms and lawyers, as well as your firm’s and lawyers’ appropriate ranking.

You can also share submissions prepared for another publication, but please remember to share your thoughts on our specific rankings.

Client referee sheets

The client referee sheets are your opportunity to give us the contact details of clients and others who have direct experience of your practice in the topic. This can be important if you would like us to hear views on your practice outside the views of your peers and direct competitors.

Careful thought should be given to the selection of these referees. Did they instruct you on your most significant work listed in the submission? Are they clients, intermediaries, or peers with a broad understanding of the topic and of the leading practitioners in the area beyond your firm?

In what way are they qualified to act as referees for your practice, and to provide an assessment of your firm and lawyers that matches your self-appraisal of where you believe you rank in the topic?

Remember: the purpose of the submission document is to provide information to justify your preferred ranking for your firm and lawyers in the topic.

You can also share referee sheets you have prepared for other publications. We have added a column to let us know if the referee is a client on one of your key work matters named in the submission.

If you would like to speak to the editorial team before you compile your submission you can contact us at: barmah-kwantreng@worldipreview.com.

Please note: All client referees will be contacted via email asking them for their feedback on your firm relative to the topic. Referees may also be asked if they would like to speak to a researcher for a follow-up conversation.

Telephone interviews with lawyers

As part of the research process some lawyers will be invited to speak to the researcher about the information in their firm’s submission and any additional information relevant to the firm’s potential ranking.

Informed by their research, the researcher may also ask the lawyers about key topic themes and about their experience and appraisal of other firms in the market. Any such comments about other firms will remain non-attributable.

Not all firms that enter a written submission for the topic can be guaranteed a telephone interview. The researcher will invite those lawyers, guided by their research, whom they believe can give the best assessment of the rankings and represent the broadest range of candidate firms.