Client Referee Management
How we support you with Client Referee management
Client referees are the clients a ranking contacts directly once your submission is in. What they answer is what ends up in the ranking — not what you wrote about yourself. Law Business handles the selection, preparation and follow-up of your referees for Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, JUVE, IFLR1000, IAM Patent 1000 and other directories. Since 2004, exclusively for the legal industry.
This page explains why referees decide the outcome, where it goes wrong in practice, and how the service works. Referee management is part of our full submission support and can also be booked on its own.
Why referees decide the outcome
The directories make no secret of how much weight client feedback carries. On the number of referees, The Legal 500's own FAQ says: "As many as possible! A good minimum guideline is at least 20 per practice area." And every column of the referee spreadsheet is compulsory: "Each piece of information requested in the spreadsheet serves a specific purpose and is mandatory." By its own account, Legal 500 sent out more than 300,000 referee emails in 2024.
Chambers caps the number: in the Europe Guide 2027, 20 referees per practice area — and 30 for all practice areas in Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Switzerland. The Lexology Index works with a guideline of five to ten referees per practitioner.
You will never see what your referees write. The Legal 500 form promises them exactly that: "Your comments will be treated as strictly confidential, and will not be attributed to you in any editorial or disclosed to the firm." Which is why preparation decides — nothing can be corrected afterwards.
Where it goes wrong in practice
Referees say yes readily. When the ranking's email actually arrives, they think again — and answer very briefly, or not at all. A referee who does not know which questions are coming, or what matters, writes two lines. Two real answers from our practice show what happens without guidance:
On top of that, the questionnaires change. Legal 500's public referee form for 2027 contains questions that did not exist the year before: a free-text box for criticism ("What could the firm do to improve its client service?"), a price band from $ to $$$$$, a rated question on the firm's use of AI, and the question whether the client would follow the lawyer or stay with the firm if the lawyer moved. Which questions a referee sees also depends on the edition, jurisdiction and practice area selected. Whoever briefs referees on the questionnaire from two years ago briefs them on the wrong one. Details in our article on the Legal 500 referee survey 2027.
And finally, delivery: ranking emails land in spam, at an old address or with an assistant. A referee who never saw the survey cannot answer — and the firm never finds out.
Strategy first, then the names
Before we touch a single referee list, we settle one question with you: is a particular lawyer to be pushed — or a particular service within the practice group? Both are legitimate; both lead to a different list. To strengthen the lawyer, you need referees who have worked with exactly that person and can say so. To put the service in front, you need referees from exactly the matters that show it. A list that tries to do both ends up showing neither.
Three things that are often misunderstood in the selection:
- Referees do not have to be the clients in the submission. The rankings do not cross-check the referee list against the matters; there is no bonus for a major client also appearing as a referee. What counts is that feedback arrives — not from whom.
- Fresh names are an advantage. Someone contacted last year is more likely not to answer the second time. And otherwise the researcher hears the same voices cycle after cycle.
- Short and briefed beats long. Every referee has to know in advance that the email is coming, and has to be followed up afterwards. With 78 names that is not manageable — with 20 well-prepared ones it is. The ranking's limit is the ceiling, not the target.
One Chambers particularity: a referee who has already been submitted and contacted by another firm within the deadline will not be contacted again. For clients who work with several firms, that is worth considering in advance.
How the service works
- 1SelectionFrom your matters and contacts we build the list that fits the strategy — per practice area and ranking, within the directory's limits, with fresh names wherever possible.
- 2The directories' questionnairesWe check which questions the ranking actually asks this cycle — for exactly the edition, jurisdiction and practice area your referees will see — and draft suggested answers: per reference, per matter, approved in minutes. Whether a referee uses the suggestion is up to them.
- 3Interviews with partners and with client refereesWhere needed, we talk to the partners about the matters and to the referees about what they can and want to say. Afterwards everyone knows what is coming.
- 4Delivery and follow-upWe check whether the referees have received the questionnaires. If not, we contact the directory on your behalf. Whoever has not answered is reminded — within the right window.
The time window
Referee work runs on a calendar counted back from publication. In Legal 500's EMEA 2027 cycle, the referee deadline was 3 August 2026; follow-up research began in September; publication is March 2027. What referees write in autumn appears in the ranking in spring. Whoever starts chasing in January is too late for research that began in September. All dates: ranking deadlines.
Limits at a glance
| Ranking | Referees | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Chambers Europe 2027 | 20 per practice area; 30 for all practice areas in Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland | Chambers Research Schedule Europe 2027 |
| The Legal 500 | Guideline: at least 20 per practice area ("as many as possible") | Legal 500 FAQ |
| Lexology Index | 5–10 per practitioner | Lexology guideline |
Limits change with every cycle. Before each submission we check the current position for your jurisdiction and practice area.
Frequently asked questions
How many referees do we need?
As many as you can prepare and follow up properly — within the ranking's limit. Legal 500 gives a guideline of at least 20 per practice area; Chambers allows 20 or 30 depending on the jurisdiction. A short, briefed list delivers more than a long one nobody looks after.
Do the referees have to be the clients from the submission?
No. The rankings do not cross-check that. What matters is that the referees answer and fit the strategy — lawyer or service.
Will we see what our referees wrote?
No. The directories promise referees confidentiality. That is why everything lies in the preparation.
Can we send referees the link ourselves?
Legal 500 has a public referee form. Answers via that link count, but according to Legal 500 they are not tracked through "Referee Track & Add" — so you will not see who answered. And the link shows different questions depending on the selection; open it beforehand with exactly the selection your referees will get.
What if a referee never received the email?
One of the most common reasons for missing feedback. We check delivery and, where needed, contact the directory on your behalf.
Which rankings do you cover?
Asia Law · Benchmark Litigation · Chambers and Partners · GAR 100 · GIR 100 · IAM Patent 1000 · IFLR1000 · International Tax Review · JUVE · Latin Lawyer · Leaders League · IP STARS · The Legal 500 · WTR 1000.
Do you know which questionnaire your client referees will see this year?
The initial meeting is free of charge and without obligation.