By Jonathan Fitzgarrald, Managing Partner at Equinox Strategy Partners

Let’s start with an uncomfortable truth: the lawyers who win the most awards are not always the smartest, most experienced or even the most effective. If they were, the same small group of attorneys would dominate every ranking, every year. They don’t.

So who does get recognized? The lawyers who position their work most effectively. When understood and used strategically, these are not vanity metrics. They are client development tools.

In my work as a client development coach and trainer to law firms, I see this pattern consistently: lawyers tend to treat rankings as an outcome to be received. The firms that outperform treat them as part of a broader system, one built around visibility, credibility and ultimately conversion.

Where Clients Start Their Search for Counsel

Put yourself in the shoes of a client. You’re an in-house counsel or business owner. You need a lawyer in a jurisdiction or practice area you don’t know well. You have a small window of time to identify and vet candidates. You don’t have time for deep diligence, extensive referrals or multiple rounds of interviews. What do you do?

You look for shortcuts that reduce risk. That’s where rankings come in.

Directories and recognitions serve as curated ecosystems of “pre-vetted” lawyers. They give clients a starting point, a way to quickly build a shortlist. Many hiring decisions begin there. And the data point that matters isn’t whether rankings are perfect. It’s whether they are used. Increasingly, they are.

Five Ways Rankings Drive New Business

1. Credibility That You Don’t Have to Claim Yourself

One of the biggest challenges in hearing “you’re hired” is the credibility gap. You can say you’re excellent, but it’s far more powerful when someone else says it for you. Third-party recognitions function as independent validation. They signal that your work has been reviewed, vetted and endorsed by researchers, peers and often clients. That external validation carries weight in a way self-promotion never will. For a prospective client deciding between two comparable lawyers, that signal can tip the balance.

2. Staying Top-of-Mind with Target Audiences

Rankings are not just about prestige; they are about discoverability. Many clients actively search directories when evaluating counsel. Even when they begin with referrals, they often cross-check those recommendations against rankings. If you’re not showing up in those moments, you’re not part of the conversation (and your absence doesn’t go unnoticed). Think of it this way: two lawyers may be equally qualified, but only one appears in the places clients are looking. That lawyer gets shortlisted. The other doesn’t.

3. Reinforcing Client Confidence

Hiring outside counsel is inherently risky. Clients are making consequential decisions, often under time pressure and financial investment. Rankings act as a confidence multiplier. Even if a client was already leaning toward hiring you, seeing your name recognized can validate that decision. It reassures them that they’re making a sound choice, not just based on a conversation or referral, but on broader market recognition.

That reassurance extends beyond the initial hiring decision—it endures throughout the relationship, and can even equip your client with a clear, credible rationale when justifying your selection over a competitor to internal stakeholders.

4. Expanding Referral Networks

Directories don’t just connect clients to lawyers; they connect lawyers to each other. Many rankings create informal networks of recognized practitioners. When lawyers need co-counsel or referrals in other jurisdictions or specialties, they often turn to those ecosystems. Being included increases the likelihood that you’ll be on the receiving end of those opportunities. Over time, that can translate into a meaningful pipeline of inbound work.

5. Supporting Retention, Recruiting and Morale

The impact of recognition isn’t limited to external audiences. Internally, awards can reinforce client teams’ confidence in their choice of counsel, support associate development and retention, enhance lateral recruiting efforts and contribute to firm culture and morale

Clients like to feel they’ve hired the “right” firm. Lawyers like to feel they’re part of a recognized team. Rankings can reinforce both.

From Being Ranked to Hearing “You’re Hired!”

Here’s the critical mindset shift: the goal is not just to win recognition. The goal is to use it. Too often, firms treat rankings as an endpoint. They submit, they celebrate and then… nothing. The announcement fades, and the opportunity is lost. Recognition only creates value when it is activated.

Using Recognition to Drive Client Growth

1. Make It Visible (But Meaningful)

Yes, your website bio should include recognitions. That’s table stakes. But don’t just list them, contextualize them. What do they say about your practice? Your niche? Your type of work? Use them to reinforce your positioning, not just decorate your profile.

For example, instead of simply stating that you were recognized in a rankings guide for “Commercial Litigation,” you might frame it as: recognized for handling high-stakes, cross-border disputes for financial institutions and founder-led companies. The difference is subtle, but important. The first is a label, the second is positioning. One tells the market you are listed; the other tells the market what you are known for.

2. Use LinkedIn Strategically

The standard “honored and humbled” post is easy to ignore or worse sounds inauthentic. Instead, use recognition as a reason to remind your network what you actually do. For example, highlight the types of matters that led to the recognition, reinforce your industry focus and share insights tied to your practice area. This reframes the announcement from self-congratulation to market positioning.

3. Create Targeted Outreach Moments

Awards create natural touchpoints for reconnecting. Use them to re-engage dormant clients, reach out to referral sources and start conversations with prospects. A short, thoughtful message tied to the recognition can open doors that cold outreach cannot.

Outreach example to a former client

Hi [Name], I hope you’ve been well. [Ranking/Publication] has recently recognized me/my practice/my firm] for my work in [practice area]. It brought to mind the matters we worked on together and the discussions we had around [issue type]. If that issue area remains active on your side, I’d be glad to reconnect and compare notes.

Outreach to a referral source

Hi [Name], I hope you’ve been well. [Ranking/Publication] has recently recognized me/my practice/my firm] for my work in [practice area] and I wanted to thank you again for the trust and introductions you’ve extended over the years. I always value being in your orbit on matters in this space, and I hope to remain a trusted resource for you and your clients.

Outreach example to a prospective client

Hi [Name], I hope you’re doing well. [Ranking/Publication] has recently recognized me/my practice/my firm] for my work in [practice area]. Given your role at [company], I thought it may be useful to connect as you continue to navigate those types of issues in the market. If you’re open to it, I’d welcome the opportunity to connect via Zoom sometime in the next week or so.

4. Strengthen Proposals and Pitches

Rankings are powerful in RFPs and pitches. They provide third-party validation of your capabilities, differentiation from competitors and quick credibility signals for decision-makers. In competitive situations, these details can be decisive.

5. Integrate Across Marketing Channels

Recognition shouldn’t live in one place. It should appear across marketing collateral, email signatures, firm announcements and practice group materials. Consistency reinforces credibility.

The Long Game

One of the biggest misconceptions about rankings is that they are one-time wins. They’re not. They are cumulative. Recognition builds over time through consistency of submissions, of messaging and of market presence. The lawyers who benefit most are those who approach rankings as part of a broader, long-term strategy. That strategy rests on clear positioning, strong, well-communicated work and engaged clients and peers who can speak to that work.

The Bottom Line

At their worst, awards and rankings are vanity exercises. At their best, they are powerful client development tools. The difference lies in how they are approached and, more importantly, how they are used.

Clients are looking for signals that reduce risk and simplify decision-making. Rankings provide those signals. They help you get noticed, get shortlisted and get hired.

But they don’t do the work on their own. The lawyers who benefit most are not just excellent at what they do, they are intentional about how that excellence is communicated to the market.

Because in the end, it’s not just about being the best lawyer. It’s about making sure the right people know it.

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Jonathan R. Fitzgarrald is the Managing Partner of Equinox Strategy Partners (ESP), a business development coaching and training firm serving lawyers, accountants, and business management professionals nationwide. Through ESP’s formalized coaching programs, clients consistently achieve an average of 20 percent year-over-year practice growth. For more information, visit EquinoxStrategy.com.