We’re often asked, “If we already hold a ranking in The Legal 500, is it really worthwhile to submit to Chambers & Partners as well?”—and vice-versa. Our answer is almost always an unqualified yes:

1. Regional Differences in Brand Strength

Although the two directories cover broadly similar practice areas, their influence fluctuates from one market to the next. My former colleagues at The Legal 500 will have to forgive me for observing that Chambers is very dominant in the United States and Canada, while The Legal 500, which is certainly growing in North America, tends to dominate across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and much of Asia-Pacific.

Relying on a single guide can therefore leave gaps. A GC or peer firm in Frankfurt or Singapore looking for U.S. counsel may check The Legal 500 just as readily as Chambers; meanwhile, a San-Francisco-based GC seeking French regulatory advice might instinctively start with Chambers. If boosting cross-border referrals is your goal, you really do need a presence in both.

2. SEO and Visibility Advantages

Beyond directory-savvy GCs, consider how a potential client might stumble upon your firm organically. Type “best M&A firm Madrid” or “best property firm New York” into Google, and odds are one of the two rankings tables will appear near the top. Which one shows up first varies by location and phrasing—so you’ll want coverage in both.

Clients who research the market may also notice if your competitors showcase logos from both guides while your website features only one (or neither), much like shoppers comparing Google and Trustpilot ratings before purchasing. Studies suggest that directory rankings themselves boost law-firm SEO—securing recognition from both only compounds that benefit.

3. Minimal Extra Effort for Dual Submissions

Yes, Chambers and The Legal 500 use different templates, but the substance is virtually identical: 20 standout matters, client referees, key-partner bios, and a department overview. The overlap is so pronounced that tools like ConvertNow can transpose a Chambers submission into Legal 500 format in minutes.

Once you’ve drafted the core content, adapting it for the second directory takes little extra time—making a dual-submission strategy almost a no-brainer.

Timing helps, too: Chambers typically opens its research cycle earlier in the year, with The Legal 500 following a month or two later. That staggered schedule lets you polish the Chambers draft, add any fresh marquee matters, and send an even stronger package to The Legal 500. Those new matters can then feed into the next Chambers round.

4. Understanding Chambers’ Longer Horizon

Many firms start by filing with both guides, only to abandon Chambers & Partners after a cycle or two when a ranking doesn’t appear as quickly as it often does in The Legal 500, which tends to rank newcomers sooner.

This can be short-sighted as Chambers researchers often take a multi-cycle view before elevating new entrants, quietly tracking work highlights and client feedback in the background. Even if your name is absent from the published tables, you may already be on their internal ‘Potential’ shortlist.

Naturally, this momentum may evaporate the moment you stop submitting, which is why we encourage firms who have given up on Chambers to take a longer-term view.

The Exception

Patience with Chambers, however, should be tempered with realism, hence my caveat that it’s ‘almost always’ worth submitting to both directories at the start of this article.

A very clear differentiator in the coverage of both directories is that Legal 500 generally tends to rank many more firms than Chambers.

Therefore, if you occupy Tier 6 in a 40-firm Legal 500 table while Chambers covers only four bands and 15 firms in the same practice area, the odds may not justify the effort.

Chambers typically focuses on the market’s upper tier though not always. It’s worth having a look at their current coverage and assessing how you compare to the currently ranked firms.