Chambers and Partners new UK 2025 rankings structure: what does this development mean for law firms?
Chambers has restructured its UK sections in parts. Some categories have been created, some renamed and one area of law has been deleted.
Overview of Chambers' changes
1. Capital markets
Law firms can now submit separate submissions for Structured Products and Derivatives. The two areas of law were previously listed as subcategories of Capital Markets.
Law firms can now submit the two areas as a separate submission.
2. Offshore / Jersey
This change by Chambers and Partners only applies to Jersey. The former Corporate & Finance category has been split into two new ones. Law firms can now submit in the two new categories, Corporate/M&A and Banking & Finance.
3. Banking & Finance
Previously, Fund Finance was part of the Banking & Finance Submission at Chambers. Now, law firms can submit for Fund Finance as a separate category.
4. Employment / Midlands
Law firms can now submit for the East Midlands and West Midlands regions. Previously, it was only possible to submit for the Midlands region.
5. Employment / London
In London, law firms can submit for the High Court Litigation area. This category has been newly created.
6. Professional Negligence / North East & Yorkshire and The South
Instead of the former categories of Claimant and Defendant, law firms can now only submit in the new area of Professional Negligence.
Here, contrary to the trend, the professional and local fragmentation of the ranking is reduced.
7. Competition Litigation
Chambers is now accepting submissions for Competition Litigation. This new category can be submitted as an independent legal field in addition to the existing Competition category.
8. Investment Funds
Chambers is now accepting submissions for the new Private Equity: Secondaries and Investor Representation categories. The categories can be submitted in addition to the existing areas of law.
9. Environment
Chambers has abolished the category Climate Change. Instead, the new legal area Environment & Climate Change will be created. This arrangement applies to London only. Law firms outside London can submit their Climate Change cases to Environment as before.
10. Financial Crime: Corporates
This is a mere renaming. The legal area Corporate Crime & Investigations will now become the category Corporates.
Conclusion of the changes and their significance for law firms
- The newly created categories show that the professional and geographical fragmentation of the rankings is continuing.
- The reduction of one category does not change this.
- This is a vital sign that directories and rankings such as Chambers are increasingly used by law firms, clients and young lawyers.
- For law firms, the new areas of law offer a great opportunity. Here, first movers are rewarded with a reasonable positioning since Chambers has to fill a new category.
- Likely, law firms that did not have a strong ranking in a previous, larger category will now have a real chance to increase their ranking.
- Previously unranked law firms will now find it easier to gain entry into the new and old categories.
Differences to Legal 500 UK
- Concerning the new areas of law, it stands out that Legal 500 does not yet have an area called Climate Change.
- This may only be cosmetic, however, as Legal 500 UK has, of course had the leagl field “Environment” for a long time. Chambers, however, is slightly ahead in terms of naming.
Not much time to the next deadline on the december 6th 2023.
- However you may feel about the changes in Chambers, there is little time to implement the next submission- The deadline for the UK 2025 (!) guide is december 6th 2023.
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