How Best Lawyers nominations work

Best Lawyers publishes peer-review rankings of individual lawyers in the United States and many other countries. It works differently from Chambers or Legal 500. Individual lawyers have no submission, matter list or referees: they are nominated, then rated by peers. The firm-level product, Best Law Firms, does take a submission and references. For how Best Lawyers compares with other directories, see our overview of law firm rankings.

How the peer review works

Best Lawyers describes its process in five steps:

Nomination and voting rules

• Self-nomination is allowed. Best Lawyers says lawyers can be nominated "by anyone, including themselves."
• No limit on nominees. A firm can nominate as many lawyers as it likes.
• Volume does not count. "The nominator, or number of nominations received, has no effect on a lawyer's recognition."
• Nominees stay on the ballot for three editions. After that, the nomination is archived and has to be submitted again.
• Private practice only. Best Lawyers does not accept nominations for in-house lawyers.

Ones to Watch and Lawyer of the Year

Ones to Watch recognizes lawyers earlier in their careers. Best Lawyers says nominees should have 3 to 9 years in practice, depending on jurisdiction. Anyone can nominate, and a lawyer can be a candidate for only one award type at a time.

Lawyer of the Year goes to the lawyer with the highest overall peer feedback for a practice area and metropolitan area. Only one lawyer receives it per specialty and location in each edition, though one lawyer can win in more than one.

The Best Lawyers in America 2028 timeline

These are the official dates for the 2028 edition (Edition 34):

Our Best Lawyers in America guide and the deadline calendar carry these dates alongside every other directory deadline.

International editions

Best Lawyers publishes editions in many countries, and each country has its own timeline. For the 2027 editions, the official nomination deadlines PDF placed nominations in October 2025 for Australia, Japan and Singapore; December 2025 for Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland and the US; February 2026 for Canada; and May 2026 for Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. Our Best Lawyers international editions guide summarises the published schedule.

How Best Law Firms relates

Best Law Firms ranks firms by practice area and location, and it is built on Best Lawyers recognition. A firm is eligible for an award only if it has at least one lawyer recognized in the current edition of Best Lawyers in that practice area and jurisdiction. Unlike the lawyer lists, it has a submission stage. Best Law Firms emails eligible firms a packet with:

• the firm's list of eligible awards;
• a Law Firm Survey, which collects firmographic information;
• a client and professional reference submission.

References receive a confidential survey on the firm's experience, responsiveness, understanding of their business, cost-effectiveness, civility and whether they would refer another client. Best Law Firms also uses Best Lawyers ballot data and interviews with firm leaders. Results are published in tiers: regional tiers 1 to 3, national tiers 1 to 3, and one "Law Firm of the Year" per practice area. For the 2027 edition, references were due 15 Apr 2026 and Law Firm Surveys and Reference Surveys on 15 May 2026. See our Best Law Firms guide.

What a marketing team can do

• Nominate deliberately. Marketing teams are a named nomination source. Nominate lawyers who meet the eligibility guidance, in the practice areas where peers actually know their work.
• Track the three-edition window. Note when each nomination was made so you know when it will be archived and need resubmitting.
• Keep lawyers informed. Tell recognized lawyers when voting begins and that "Do Not Know" is the right answer for nominees they have not seen at work.
• Prepare for Best Law Firms. This is where drafting and references matter. Keep firm data current and line up references who know the practice well.

What to avoid

The published Best Lawyers methodology and FAQ we read do not contain a specific rule on vote trading. The process still rests on confidential, first-hand peer ratings, and Best Lawyers says lawyers are "neither required nor permitted to pay for inclusion." Treat the following as off limits:

• Agreeing with lawyers at other firms to rate each other's nominees highly.
• Telling voters in your firm how to score colleagues or competitors.

Displaying the recognition: check advertising rules

Legal advertising rules vary by jurisdiction, and the advertiser is responsible for compliance. Best Lawyers' publicizing guidelines ask announcements to state the edition year, country and practice area, plus the metropolitan area for Lawyer of the Year. They also ask firms not to call a lawyer a "best lawyer" or announce before the official public release date. Logos and badges need a license from Best Lawyers. Before publishing, check your own jurisdiction's professional conduct rules on referring to ratings and awards.

Where Best Lawyers fits in your directory plan

Individual recognition depends on peers, not a document. Best Law Firms and submission-led directories such as Chambers and Legal 500 are where preparation pays off. For a comparable peer-led process, see how Super Lawyers nominations work. For your next submission, talk to us about your needs.

Frequently asked questions