In an old (2013) IPEG post, “Does every artist have to be a Picasso?” we discussed the number of publications ranking lawyers and IP professionals, announcing them as the “top” lawyer in such-and-so, or a “top” IP professional in such-and-so practice. Nothing really changed since 2013. Actually, the market has gotten more crowded with publishers and websites announcing new rankings. Like the “2021 Best Law Firms for Intellectual Property” and IAM -already active with other ranking publications, added to the list “The World’s Leading Patent Professionals” and “MIP IP Stars“. Even mainstream news outlets like “US News” jumped on the bandwagon with “The Best Law Firm for Litigation – Intellectual Property” and Financial Times with their publication of “Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms 2020“. Not to speak of the numerous law publishers with “top” rankings for the best or top lawyers and so on.
The “Michelin Guide” for IP professionals has not yet stood up, we think, where independent researchers, rather than a lot “hearsay”-surveys, annually decide on a variety of IP law firms and patent attorneys firms.
In 2019, Lawnet published the results of the biggest-ever client experience research project in the legal sector. With 70,000 satisfaction surveys and 5,000 anonymous experience reviews during the last six years. The outcome was that in selecting counsel, price is important, but reputation and trust are the most important factors when it comes to choosing a firm. 84% say they value recommendations from people they know above all else (would that include marketing publications like the ones mentioned?).
In a TrustTalk podcast interview with Jeroen Ouwehand, Global Senior Partner at the international law firm Clifford Chance, he talks about awards and the role it plays within his firm:
“We celebrate group performance and firm performance, but that’s not to say that we don’t celebrate individual performance. But I think, you know, I’m listening to your question, there’s almost if I can call it that, a false dichotomy in that that by rewarding or by celebrating individual performance, you don’t have a team or collaborative culture. I mean, I also post and I’m quite active on LinkedIn, I post when we people get awards for the best practice or best individual lawyer. I will celebrate that and I think that’s justified. It makes people proud. But that’s not to say that it is a sort of opposition towards toward collaboration and I think individual partners become good individually because they’re part of a team, and I think everyone who’s Clifford Chance born-and-bred and who’s joined our culture, knows our culture, will recognize that none of us has created our successes individually. It is always with the support of others or on the shoulder of others that weren’t before us. But I do think we celebrate individual performance and we should celebrate high performance and excellence.”
Wouldn’t it be great to get insights into the reason(s) and motivations why corporations, organizations, and individuals, in need of intellectual property advice or (professional) support, choose their advisor(s)?
IPEG launches a survey on how IP professionals are being engaged by corporations, organizations, and individual IP owners.
PLEASE PARTICIPATE by clicking here