Law firms spend an enormous amount of time pursuing awards, rankings and recognitions. They coordinate submissions, gather references, draft matter descriptions, track deadlines and dedicate significant internal resources to the process. But once the ranking or recognition is announced, many firms barely use it beyond a single LinkedIn post, a press release and a quick website update.
That’s where a lot of opportunity gets lost.
Awards and rankings shouldn’t be treated as isolated announcements that disappear after a few days. They should become part of a broader marketing, visibility and business development strategy that continues creating value long after the recognition itself is announced.
The firms that tend to get the most value out of awards aren’t necessarily the firms winning the most recognitions. They’re usually the firms that understand how to consistently incorporate those recognitions into their broader positioning, client development and visibility efforts over time.
One of the biggest misconceptions lawyers have about awards and rankings is that the recognition itself is the end goal. In reality, the recognition is often just the starting point. The real value comes from how effectively the firm uses that credibility afterward to strengthen relationships, reinforce expertise, increase visibility and stay top of mind with clients and referral sources.
That matters because professional services businesses are heavily driven by reputation and perception. Clients, referral sources, lateral candidates, recruiters and even journalists are constantly making judgments about credibility, visibility and market reputation. Awards and rankings help reinforce those perceptions because they provide third-party validation that the lawyer or firm is respected within a particular area.
That kind of validation becomes especially important in highly competitive markets where many firms may appear similar on paper. A ranking or industry recognition helps reinforce expertise before a prospective client even speaks with the lawyer directly. It helps create familiarity and credibility in advance.
But firms often make the mistake of thinking the marketing value comes entirely from the announcement itself. It usually doesn’t. The strongest firms use awards and rankings as ongoing visibility and relationship-building tools rather than one-time promotional moments. Of course, the foundational uses still matter. Rankings and recognitions should absolutely appear within:
- Lawyer bios
- Practice group pages
- Pitch materials
- RFP responses
- Firm overviews
- Email signatures
- Client proposals
- Recruiting materials
The firms that market themselves most effectively usually take things much further. They use awards and recognitions as opportunities to continue conversations with clients, referral sources and industry contacts. A ranking becomes a reason to reconnect with people, share insight, discuss market trends and reinforce industry positioning in a way that feels natural and useful instead of overly promotional.
For example, if a lawyer receives a Chambers ranking in healthcare litigation, the most effective follow-up usually isn’t just posting “honored to be recognized.” A much stronger approach is tying the recognition to larger conversations happening within the healthcare industry. The lawyer might discuss trends they’re seeing with healthcare clients, changing regulatory pressures, reimbursement challenges, private equity activity in the space or evolving litigation risks facing providers and healthcare businesses. That immediately creates a more thoughtful and sophisticated piece of content while still reinforcing the recognition naturally.
The same thing applies across virtually every practice area. A private equity ranking can support conversations around deal activity, fundraising trends, continuation vehicles or portfolio company challenges. A cybersecurity recognition can become part of broader commentary around AI risk, ransomware, privacy regulation or digital infrastructure concerns. A labor and employment award can support content tied to workforce issues, remote work trends or changing employee expectations.
The recognition itself becomes part of a larger market conversation instead of functioning as a standalone announcement. That’s usually where the real business development value starts building.
I also think firms underestimate how useful awards and rankings can be internally. Lawyers often think of recognitions as purely external marketing tools, but they can have significant internal value too, especially at larger firms where internal visibility directly impacts cross-selling opportunities, leadership perception and collaboration across practices and industries.
A lawyer who consistently builds recognition around a particular industry or niche practice area often becomes more visible internally over time. Colleagues begin associating that lawyer with the subject matter. Partners are more likely to pull them into opportunities. Practice groups become more aware of the lawyer’s experience and market profile. That visibility can create meaningful long-term business development opportunities inside the firm itself.
Awards and rankings can also help reinforce broader strategic positioning for the firm. If a firm is trying to become more associated with healthcare, life sciences, private equity, cybersecurity, aerospace and defense, AI, infrastructure or another strategic area, repeated visibility tied to those recognitions helps shape how the market perceives the firm over time. That consistency matters more than many people realize.
One isolated ranking announcement usually doesn’t change market perception overnight. But sustained visibility around the same industries, practice areas and themes absolutely can. Over time, people begin associating the lawyer or firm with those areas more naturally and consistently.
This is also why firms should think strategically about which awards and recognitions they pursue in the first place. Not every ranking carries equal business development value. The strongest recognitions are usually the ones that reinforce the markets, industries and client relationships the firm most wants to grow.
Awards and rankings are also incredibly valuable from a content development perspective because one recognition can easily support multiple forms of marketing and visibility efforts over time, including:
- LinkedIn posts
- Articles
- Client alerts
- Newsletter content
- Speaking pitches
- Webinar topics
- Podcast outreach
- Recruiting materials
- Website updates
- Media commentary opportunities
- Internal announcements
- Client communications
The firms that consistently repurpose awards across multiple channels usually get far more long-term value out of them than firms that simply issue a press release and move on.
Another important thing lawyers should remember is that clients often interpret awards differently than lawyers do. Lawyers sometimes become very focused on the prestige hierarchy within the legal industry itself, while clients are often evaluating something much simpler: whether the lawyer appears credible, respected, experienced and trusted within the relevant market.
That means even niche or regional recognitions can still carry meaningful business development value when they’re positioned thoughtfully and tied to the lawyer’s broader reputation and market visibility.
At the same time, firms should be careful not to overdo it. Sophisticated clients generally don’t respond well to endless self-congratulatory announcements that provide no useful insight or relevance to their business concerns. The strongest marketing around awards and rankings usually feels informative, grounded and connected to larger industry conversations.
Ultimately, awards and rankings work best when they become part of a much broader visibility and relationship-building strategy. They should reinforce expertise, strengthen credibility, support thought leadership, deepen client relationships and create additional touchpoints for business development over time. The firms that usually benefit most from recognitions are the ones that understand the announcement itself is only the beginning.
For more on awards and rankings, check out this article on how small law firms and solo practitioners can get ranked in Chambers.
Stay in Touch! Connect with me on LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Instagram, sign up for my email list and follow my blog. Obtain a copy of my LinkedIn Secrets guide.