The research schedule for Latin America is about to be released and so is our submissions marathon.
I always compare the work we do with legal directories to running a marathon: it is a long-distance run and, as such, constant effort is more rewarding than a last-minute sprint. We’ve got to keep working throughout the year.
There are many best practices we could and should keep, whether it is submission time or not. Now that we are so close to the start date of the bulk of our work with submissions and referees spreadsheets, the three most effective ways to prepare are:
1) Analyse the volume of work each practice area in your firm has had in the past twelve months
Which were the areas that actually had an expressive workload? At this stage, you don’t need to know exactly how many clients or which work highlights you are going to send to Chambers and Partners, but you should certainly already have a good grasp of the workload you’ve had.
Make a preliminary list of the practice areas you think are worthy of sending submissions for. Sending submissions for areas that didn’t have relevant work wastes both human and financial resources.
2) Consider your team’s engagement
Is your team interested in this work? Is your team truly engaged? It is important that all professionals who are involved in the submission process already know that the schedule is about to be released and the work will soon start. Have a chat with your team and try to show them just how important it is to be feature in a reputable legal directory. Remind everyone that in order to achieve positive results, a positive attitude is crucial.
3) Learn from your previous mistakes
What were the critical points during the previous research cycle? Did the team lose their motivation at any point? Why was that? Each new research cycle brings us the opportunity to change and improve the way we work. Making a substantive effort in recollection and self analysis is extremely important to help in eliminating the same problems for this year. As the famous saying goes: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.”
Vidigal Marketing is a legal marketing consultancy specialised in legal directories and awards. If you need any help do not hesitate to get in touch. It will be a pleasure talking to you.