Global law firm rankings
Why a fair global ranking is built country by country, then region by region.
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Country first, then region
A single worldwide league table of law firms tends to reward size and revenue rather than the quality of the work in a given market. Our global law firm rankings are built from the ground up instead. Firms are ranked within one jurisdiction and one practice area at a time, so a construction practice in Kenya is compared with other construction practices in Kenya.
Those country results are then read across regions. Regional tables group the ranked firms of Asia-Pacific, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania, so a client can compare markets without losing local context. Firms that lead across borders are recognised through the Regional Leader and Global Elite designations, each with a defined test.
The same method applies everywhere: a free submission, confidential client and peer references, six weighted criteria and an editor who confirms every placement. The 2026 edition is published on 15 December 2026. Each placement has a public verification page and stays online as part of the archive for its edition.
Four steps from submission to ranking
Put your firm's work forward. Our research team gathers the evidence, and editors make the final decision.
Submit your work
Start with your name, firm and work email, and we email you a link that opens your entry. There, tell us where your firm practises, describe representative matters in one practice area and name at least two client or peer referees.
We gather references
Our team contacts referees in confidence and checks what the firm says against public sources. A firm never sees what a referee said.
Your evidence is assessed
Research software drafts an assessment against six weighted criteria. An editor reviews the evidence and confirms every placement.
Results are published
Results are published on 15 December 2026. Every firm that entered is told its outcome directly.
Asked and answered
01Is there one overall global ranking of all law firms?
No. Firms are ranked within a jurisdiction and practice area, then grouped by region. A single global league table would compare firms that do not compete for the same work.
02Which regions have their own tables?
Regional tables cover Asia-Pacific, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania, where enough firms are ranked to publish one.
03How does a firm appear in a regional table?
By being ranked in a country in that region. There is no separate regional entry; regional tables are drawn from the confirmed country placements.
More on the Global Law Awards
- Global Law Awards 2026Dates, criteria and how to enter
- Rankings and resultsBy jurisdiction and practice area
- The methodologyCriteria, evidence, conflicts and appeals
- Global legal awards
- International law firm awards
- International lawyer awards
- International legal awards 2026
- Law firm rankings 2026
- Lawyer of the Year awards
- Top law firms in the world
Put your firm's work forward
Open to firms of every size, in every jurisdiction. No fee to enter.