Here we go: in the week commencing 13 July 2026, Legal 500 will contact client referees for the Germany 2027 edition. The requests come from client.survey@legal500.com – a direct link to a survey that referees can open in their browser or on mobile.
Legal 500 has completely refreshed the survey: the new template is leaner, quicker to complete and, for the first time, multilingual – currently in nine languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, Dutch). Your referees can respond comfortably in their preferred language.
Why this decides your placement
However strong your submission is – without responses from your client referees, you can effectively forget about a good placement. Client feedback is one of the most important ranking factors for Legal 500. If responses don’t come in – because the email is missed, lands in spam, or the referee simply didn’t know it was coming – a core part of your assessment is lost. Even the best submission counts for little if no one confirms it.
How to do it efficiently
The decisive step happens before 13 July: briefing your referees. What works well:
- Tell each referee in advance that an email from client.survey@legal500.com is on its way – and ask them to watch their inbox (and spam folder) and respond promptly.
- Briefly explain what it’s about and why their response matters. Mentioning that the new survey is quick and can be answered in their own language noticeably lowers the barrier.
- Submit at least ten client referees per practice area – so that individual non-responses don’t hurt you.
We can help. Law Business supports you through the entire referee process and prepares the initial mailing to your referees explaining the procedure clearly – and we provide that initial mailing cost-free. We’re happy to walk you through the most efficient way to set up your referee briefing.
👉 Want to brief your referees in time and the right way? Get in touch – ideally before 13 July.