Best Firms & Lawyers
The content within and the listing of best firms, lawyers and barristers is compiled on the back of initial online peer-review based surveys as well as extensive telephone and face to face interviews with clients, peers and relevant industry bodies.
Our research is focused on clients and legal practitioners. Publication timelines for each practice area and/or jurisdiction can be viewed here.
Most of our Personal Services Areas (Family, Crime, Estates & Succession Planning) are compiled only by way of peer based surveys and reviews.
Jurisdictional Scope
Doyle’s Guide compiles rankings across Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and other markets. The same peer-review-based methodology set out on this page is applied consistently in every jurisdiction we cover. Rankings in a newly launched market are compiled to the same standard as those in our longest-established ones: the process is driven by the assessments of local partner-level practitioners and senior counsel who work in the relevant area and market.
Where local professional structures require it, terminology is adapted to the jurisdiction — for example, the balance of solicitors and barristers, the treatment of King’s Counsel and Senior Counsel, and the naming of practice areas follow local convention. These are presentational adjustments only. The underlying basis of every ranking — independent peer review, ranked by the volume and quality of positive feedback, with tiers set by editorial discretion — does not change from one jurisdiction to the next.
Rankings Compilation
Upon conclusion of the research stage of our our ranking process, individuals and firms are ranked according to volume and quality of positive feedback. The distinction between tiers of firms and bands of individuals is performed by way of editorial discretion. Such editorial discretion is exercised in light of:
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- Any clear numerical delineation that exists between firms or groups of firms;
- Recommendations from significant clients;
- Recommendations from significant peers;
- The firm’s/individual’s ranking in previous listing of Doyle’s Guide;
- Our impression of the individual during our research interview.
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Rankings for the below practice areas are compiled solely on the back of peer-review (i.e. feedback from partner-level solicitors/lawyers and senior barristers who practice is dominantly focused on the area of research/rankings):
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- Criminal Law
- Family Law
- Estates Litigation
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All research is compiled on an independent basis.
Rankings in Doyle’s Guide cannot be purchased. No fee, advertising arrangement, subscription or commercial relationship of any kind influences whether a firm or individual is ranked, or the tier in which they appear.
The firm listing contains four categories, namely three “Tiers” and “Recommended”.
The classification of a firm into a particular tier is, more than anything else, a numbers game. Beyond numbers, particularly glowing reports from key clients and individuals can sway the balance of probabilities.
The rating of a firm in particular tier is not a definitive classification as to the skills and abilities of each individual legal practitioner within that firm.
Our listings of lawyers utilise four categories; Market Leader, Preeminent, Leading and Recommended.
Our “Market Leader” award is our most prestigious ranking. It is awarded to an individual who, upon the conclusion of our research into a particular area and market in a given year, stands clearly ahead of their peers. In markets and/or years where no individual ranks clearly ahead of their peers then no “Market Leader” will be awarded.
Our Preeminent and Leading lawyers are those who consistently draw the praise of both clients and peers. Our “Recommended” lawyers are those who display particular skills or attributes within the area. All listings within each ranking category of Doyle’s Guide are displayed in alphabetical order. A position at the top of the list category in no way indicates a higher ranking or rating than a ranking at the bottom.
We attempt to maintain a degree of consistency across practice areas however this is not always possible and/or reflective of client needs.
In smaller jurisdictions the sample size of clients and practitioners is limited and in those situations where we are unable to obtain a sufficient body of authoritative comment to make a definitive judgment as to the classification of firms and individuals we opt to classify each of these only as “Recommended”.
Negative or disparaging comments are noted however they do not play any part in the compiling of our various rankings.
New & Smaller Markets
The sample of clients and practitioners available in a given market varies with the size of the legal community and the length of time we have researched it. Our approach to tiering reflects that:
- Where we obtain a sufficient body of authoritative comment to distinguish reliably between practitioners, we apply our full range of categories (Market Leader, Preeminent, Leading and Recommended) as the feedback supports.
- In a smaller market, or in the first year we research a new one, the body of feedback may support recognising a practitioner’s standing without yet supporting a fine-grained ranking between those recognised. In that situation we may list ranked practitioners within a single category, or omit the more senior tiers, rather than draw distinctions the data does not yet justify.
- A shorter list, or a list shown within a single tier, therefore reflects a deliberate editorial decision to rank only to the level the evidence supports. It is not an incomplete listing, and it does not indicate a lower standard of research.
As a market matures and the body of feedback deepens across successive years, the tiering applied to it develops accordingly.
Firm Participation
Firms are not required to participate in our research or provide “submissions”.
Firms who do wish to provide us with details as to their practice, the lawyers within it and client referees are welcome to do so however we do not invite, request or require any firm to do so. Submission of information on particular practice groups does not affect our rankings of firms in any way.
Should you wish to provide information regarding your individual practice, practice group or firm generally please send relevant information ideally in PDF format to editorial@doylesguide.com