Every year, across law firms of every size, the same scene plays out. A junior business development or marketing professional inherits a spreadsheet, a looming deadline, and a vague instruction to “make it compelling.” Partners are chased for deal lists. Referee etiquette is misunderstood. The entire process feels reactive, opaque, and can be exhausting.

This is the reality that Galit Imbo and Laurence Mussett of Nishlis Legal Marketing set out to address in a recent PSMG feature on legal directory submissions. Their key message is both simple and transformative: directory submissions are not an administrative burden. They are a strategic business development tool. 

The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

The most powerful takeaway is a reframe. Too many firms treat submissions as something that simply needs to be done – a box to tick before the deadline passes. But directories like Chambers and Legal 500 play a meaningful role in shaping a firm’s market reputation, influencing lateral hiring decisions, and directly supporting client decision-making.

That means the person responsible for submissions is not merely collating information. They are helping to define how the firm is positioned in the market. When that responsibility is properly understood, the entire process shifts – from reactive scramble to deliberate, intentional strategy.

For senior BD and marketing leaders, this reframe has implications for how submissions are resourced, who owns them, and how early they appear on the annual planning calendar.

Planning Is Not Optional – It’s Competitive Advantage

Imbo and Mussett are unambiguous on this point: the firms that perform consistently well in directories are not those rushing to meet deadlines. They are the ones that treat submissions as a year-round process.

For junior professionals who don’t always control internal timelines, this can feel aspirational. But the practical steps are achievable: maintain a rolling record of deals and work highlights throughout the year, flag potential referee issues as they arise rather than weeks before a deadline, and set internal reminders ahead of submission and research windows.

None of this requires wholesale process transformation. What it requires is discipline — and the understanding that planning is what gives you options. Scrambling at the last minute removes them.

Quality Over Volume: What Directories Actually Measure

One of the most persistent mistakes in directory submissions is the temptation to lead with volume. Firms pack in as many deals as possible, assuming that more is more. It rarely is.

Directories are not measuring the quantity of work a team has done. They are assessing relevance, complexity, and market impact. A tightly curated deal list, where each highlight is clearly contextualised – explaining why the work mattered, why the firm was instructed, and what made it genuinely complex – will consistently outperform a sprawling list of transactions that speak for themselves less clearly than one might hope.

This is an area where junior BD professionals can add real, tangible value. Asking the hard questions – what made this deal challenging? Why were we chosen over a competitor? What does this demonstrate that another firm couldn’t replicate? — is not overstepping. It is exactly the kind of critical thinking that elevates a submission from average to compelling.

An Opportunity the Profession Shouldn’t Waste

The Nishlis PSMG session is a welcome reminder that legal directory submissions, done well, are genuinely difficult – and that difficulty is worth taking seriously. For firms that get it right, the returns extend well beyond a ranking. They shape perception, attract talent, and reinforce the narratives that clients and referrers rely on when making decisions. As rankings are increasingly picked up by AI and LLM results, this has become more relevant than ever.  

For those earlier in their BD and marketing careers who suddenly find themselves responsible for this process, the message from Imbo and Mussett is both reassuring and empowering: the mistakes are avoidable, the skills are learnable, and the work genuinely matters.Read the full article here: https://digital.dh-design.co.uk/centrum-spring-2026/insights-article-5/