Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
- What does Who's Who Legal do?
- What does Who's Who Legal publish?
- Who reads these publications?
- How much do the publications cost?
- What is the research process for Who's Who Legal?
- How are the Who's Who Legal awards determined?
- Why are there no corporate counsel or full-time academics in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers or on the Who's Who Legal website?
- How can I take part in the research process?
- Is it possible to pay for a listing on this website?
- How do I get listed in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers or on the Who's Who Legal website?
- How can I publish a biography in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers or on the Who's Who Legal website?
- What should I do if my contact details on this site are inaccurate?
- What should I do if my biographical details on this site are inaccurate?
- Which areas of the law are included in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers?
- What other publications are published by Law Business Research Ltd?
- Who should I contact for more information on The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers?
- What is RSS?
Answers
- What does Who's Who Legal do?
- Our service is designed to reduce the short-term costs incurred in finding a lawyer, but more significantly to minimise the transactional expense and risk of receiving poor counsel. This publication is designed primarily as a reference source for companies seeking to corroborate the reputations of expert lawyers recommended by another party. However, because numerous referrals are lateral, we also endeavour to create a referral network between the lawyers listed, for though they will have a thorough knowledge of the ablest lawyers in their own practice area, their familiarity with other fields in interdisciplinary and international transactions may not be as extensive.
- What does Who's Who Legal publish?
- Who's Who Legal publishes an annual volume called The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers. The 2009 edition will feature approximately 10,500 private practice lawyers from over 111 national jurisdictions and covers 30 areas of corporate and commercial law. The 2010 volume will cover 31 practice areas. In addition to this, Who's Who Legal publishes a separate book on each of the practice areas listed on this website. Following the success of the international publications Who's Who Legal also publishes a series of special reports. These go into greater depth in local markets identifying the leading individuals across a number of practice areas, as well as providing further in-depth editorial analysis of each area and a breakdown of the leading firms overall.
- Who reads these publications?
- Our readership is extensive and influential. Publications are distributed by request and free of charge to counsel and officers at over 8,000 of the world's leading corporations, as well as to the lawyers listed in the book. They are also delivered to executive partners at pre-eminent firms. If you have someone in mind that you think should receive our publications free of charge, please contact us. We also distribute our publications at leading international business law conferences.
We are also delighted to release The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers on CD-ROM. For our readers’ convenience we present our annual findings and all associated editorial in an easy-to-use format that does not require connection to the internet or additional downloads. This CD is fully searchable and complements our hardback volume and website. - How much do the publications cost?
- For those not eligible for free distribution The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers costs £270. The individual practice area volumes cost £100 each.
- What is the research process for Who's Who Legal?
- The research begins with conversations with private practice lawyers of renown either in the practice area in question or in related fields, as well as with general counsel; the individuals and firms they recommend are then canvassed using questionnaires. The returned data are collated with information gleaned from the legal and financial media and feedback from corporate counsel, and we are then able to compile and distribute a preliminary listing to all the lawyers who have been mentioned to us in our research, requesting their comments. Lawyers are initially invited to submit their opinions in written form, and these are incorporated into our listing. Subsequently telephone and face-to-face interviews are conducted internationally to permit us to refine the listing to a selection of between 200 and 600 lawyers who, by general agreement, are considered the pre-eminent lawyers in the field.
- How are the Who's Who Legal awards determined?
- All the professionals on this website are leaders in their fields but the exceptional performances of some deserve particular recognition. The editors choose one individual and one firm as outstanding in each of the practice areas we survey. We also select one firm to receive the accolade 'Law Firm of the Year'. In judging the Who's Who Legal awards we study the nominations made by clients and fellow professionals. Our bespoke database weights each recommendation according to the standing of the nominator: so a vote from the general counsel of a major corporation or one of the practice area's leading lights carries greater weight than that of a less frequently nominated lawyer. The firm awards are determined by the number of its members that feature in the publication as well as by the number of nominations its lawyers received during the course of the research. We also give Who's Who Legal awards to the outstanding firms in major jurisdictions around the globe. These are also determined by the number of nominees a firm has in the publication and by their standing within the research.
- Why are there no corporate counsel or full-time academics in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers or on the Who's Who Legal website?
- Only private practitioners who can be retained for work are listed in our publications. Our service is targeted at those in the market who wish to 'buy' legal expertise.
- How can I take part in the research process?
- We are always interested in people's recommendations or comments. Please contact us to make any suggestions in full confidence. Alternatively we can be reached by telephone at +44 20 7908 1196.
- Is it possible to pay for a listing on this website?
- No. We set a high nomination threshold for inclusion in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers. Only those lawyers who have met our independent research criteria are recommended and listed on this site. Financial considerations play no part in the research process.
- How do I get listed in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers or on the Who's Who Legal website?
- Please contact us to let us know why you should be considered for inclusion and in relation to which practice area. We may then allow your name to go forward for possible nomination in the research.
- How can I publish a biography in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers or on the Who's Who Legal website?
- All those nominated, and only those nominated, are invited, under no obligation, to publish a professional biography to enhance their listing and facilitate the task of instructing parties to identify the appropriate lawyer. This process allows us to conduct and disseminate our research at no expense to law firm clients. If you are a nominee and would like to publish your biography in Who's Who Legal, please contact us.
- What should I do if my contact details on this site are inaccurate?
- Please contact us to and give the correct contact information and we will change it as soon as possible. We are very grateful for such notification as we pride ourselves on the veracity of the information on this site.
- What should I do if my biographical details on this site are inaccurate?
- Please contact us, to provide the appropriate corrections and we will make the changes as soon as possible.
- Which areas of the law are included in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers?
- The practice areas that we currently cover can be seen by visiting our Practice Areas.
- What other publications are published by Law Business Research Ltd?
- Law Business Research is a ten-year-old international legal publishing company based in London.
In addition to Who's Who Legal, we publish Global Competition Review, the international journal of competition policy and regulation.
We also publish Latin Lawyer magazine - the business law magazine for Latin America.
The Getting the Deal Through series provides comparative international analysis for corporate counsel and cross-border legal practitioners in key areas of law and policy. The growing series includes books on Corporate Governance, Merger Control, Mergers & Acquisitions, Cartel Investigation, Telecommunications, Insolvency and Restructuring, Securities Finance, Private Equity, Project Finance, Public Procurement, Oil Regulation, Gas Regulation, Mining, Patents, Trademarks, IP & Antitrust, Arbitration, Dispute Resolution, Private Antitrust Litigation.
We also publish Global Arbitration Review, the international journal of public and private arbitration. - Who should I contact for more information on The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers?
- For more information on The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers please contact the Editor, Tom Barnes, or Tel: +44 20 7908 1180, Fax: +44 20 7229 6910.
- What is RSS?
- RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, a type of web feed technology used to publish regularly updated content.
The Who's Who Legal website uses RSS to publish brief updates of all news, features, and events. To subscribe to a feed, click the relevent link and follow the options your browser presents.
It is not possible to buy entry into any Who's Who Legal publication
Nominees have been selected based upon comprehensive, independent survey work with both general counsel and private practice lawyers worldwide. Only specialists who have met independent international research criteria are listed.