Turning the tables

It is directory and league table publishing season again, with the last few weeks seeing the launches of the latest versions of the Commercial Lawyer 100 and The Lawyer 100.

This week we report on the publication of this year's Legal 500 and the Legal Business 100.

The tables throw up different results, most notably in their figures concerning profits and equity spreads.

Presumably, this variance occurs because the publishers have to make educated guesses - because the firms won't provide the figures - or they use different calculations.

Undoubtedly, the directories and tables are produced in good faith.

But it must be debatable as to whether they serve any purpose apart from providing a source for gossip and speculation.

Last year, we reported on research which strongly suggested that the plethora of directories and league tables was effectively a waste of time.

Only the biggest of the players - Chambers and Legal 500 - had anything approaching a wide client awareness level.

When it came to selecting law firms, clients used prior knowledge and word-of-mouth recommendations.

So why do firms participate in the league table game? Financial transparency goes down well with clients and, if the news is good, it makes a favourable impression on the market.

But ultimately, while learning which firm has taken the gold medal in which league table is entertaining, clients probably still prefer to use more mundane methods to select lawyers.