Firms submitting to IP STARS 2027 must have their questionnaire and referee spreadsheet in the portal by Monday, 2 November 2026. The usual 31 October deadline falls on a Saturday this year.
DEADLINE
Mon, 2 Nov 2026
PORTAL OPEN
since 1 Sept 2026
RANKINGS
usually from March
Don’t wait for Monday: Managing IP first processes what arrives between 1 September and 31 October.
Managing IP’s methodology page states: “The submission deadline for the firm questionnaire and client referee spreadsheet is November 2.” Submissions go through the Legal Benchmarking Group portal.
What is new this year is the questionnaire itself. Managing IP presented the changes at its research webinar on 30 September.
What’s added to and removed from the 2027 questionnaire
ADDED
Section 1(f)
Financial performance, headcount and business strategy.
Trade secrets
A dedicated case study section.
REMOVED – AND WHERE THAT WORK GOES
Domain names
Now in the trade mark section.
IP tax
Now in the IP transactions section.
Section 1(f). Asking for financial data is a significant change. Firms will not be penalised if they do not answer every question in this section.
Our advice: complete what you can. Omitting sensitive financial data will not affect your ranking.
Trade secrets. The methodology page of 26 August 2026 lists trade secrets as a practice area: “We consider all advisory and disputes services related to trade secrets”. The best choice: cases that are already part of the public court record.
Domain names and IP tax. Both sections were removed because of low response rates. Neither area has its own ranking table. The work still counts; it simply moves to other sections. Alternatively, firms can copy and adapt a section as a standalone submission – no penalty.
Two changes to the website and the release of results
1
New home
IP STARS rankings and content have moved from ipstars.com to managingip.com. Currently without a paywall.
2
Release by region
All firm rankings, IP Stars and Rising Stars for a region appear at the same time – no longer spread over five months.
Corporate IP Stars and the Top 250 Women in IP list will still be published separately. The exact 2027 schedule is not yet confirmed and is expected to mirror 2026.
Unchanged: the client referee spreadsheet and the awards programme.
The IP STARS 2027 cycle: what happens when
1 SEPTEMBER 2026
Submission portal opened.
30 SEPTEMBER 2026
Managing IP research webinar on the changes.
2 NOVEMBER 2026
Deadline for questionnaire and referee spreadsheet.
DECEMBER TO MARCH
Managing IP may contact client referees at any time.
FROM MARCH 2027
Usual start of publication, now region by region. Dates not yet confirmed.
How we support your IP STARS submission
Only a few weeks remain before the deadline. We prepare your submission and align it with the new questionnaire.
Decide on section 1(f)
What do you disclose – and what do you leave out on purpose?
Show trade secret work
Identify matching matters in your patent and unfair competition work.
Move matters
Domain name and IP tax matters into the right sections.
Prepare your referees
Finalise the referee spreadsheet and brief your client referees in advance.
And we make sure everything is in the portal on time – ideally by 31 October, at the latest on 2 November.
Want your IP STARS submission on time and in the new format?
We prepare submissions for IP STARS and the other IP rankings for law firms and patent attorneys across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
As of 16 October 2026. Deadline, weekend rule, processing order and start of publication: Managing IP’s methodology page (managingip.com/methodology-and-resources) and research page (managingip.com/our-research). Managing IP presented the changes to the questionnaire, website and release schedule at its research webinar of 30 September 2026.