Cuddly firm leagues show where there’s a will...

It’s easy to be cynical about law firms in 'good employer' league tables. For years, a select band of regional law firms have made The Sunday Times’ 100 Best Companies to Work For list but City firms - which used to regard being seen as tough, elitist environments as some kind of badge of honour - didn't bother. You might see a Camerons or a Simmons lurking around the lower regions of these lists but that was about it (and many in the City probably thought that was evidence of what a bunch of pinko liberals those suspect London firms were).

Sometimes it was also hard to take the results seriously. On one occasion a few years ago, one firm that had traditionally ranked well was dismayed to see its ranking go up in a year in which job cuts had been made and morale had clearly taken a pounding.

But times are changing to judge by the latest Sunday Times poll, which includes large commercial firms like Addleshaw Goddard, Olswang, Berwin Leighton Paisner and, most symbolically, Linklaters, even if the City giant’s debut is at a lowly 93rd place.

What is undeniable is that such lists have become more important to law firm marketing and their ability to attract young talent. Certainly, the volume of traffic on legalweek.com illustrates that stories on such rankings, as with the recent article on the Superbrands survey, generate enormous interest. So it was no surprise to see Linklaters yesterday excitedly rushing out a press missive pointing out, not unreasonably, that it is the first time a magic circle firm has ranked in the table.

Brand benefits aside, the Sunday Times rankings also have the benefit of being based on fairly clear criteria and look to have become better at accurately gauging law firms’ performance. Cross-referencing the law firms on this year’s list with an independent report on similar themes based on 3,000 responses from assistants, the rankings do pretty closely reflect the law firms that get good reviews from those who work there. Good enough that I think we’ll start citing the rankings on individual Legal Week Wiki rankings.

That does not make it an exact science. Such surveys have a bias as they require considerable engagement on the part of the surveyed business (and who would really believe that 11 law firms are among the best 100 employers in the UK?).

But perhaps this element is the biggest strength of the Sunday Times league. By requiring engagement it acts as a pretty reliable indicator of firms that want to be seen as better employers. And where there is a genuine will, a way usually materialises in the end.

alex.novarese@legalweek.com