Rankings Can Become Platforms for Spankings

 Dealogic and LSEG rank Kirkland and Ellis number-one in volume as a legal advisor for mergers and acquisitions. The total is $406.4 billion. Such recognition is a first for Kirkland and Ellis and, of course, can be leveraged in its marketing. 

However, essentially the ranking serves as a kind of snapshot of the business from a certain vantage point and at a certain point in time. It doesn't necessarily provide useful insights about what is going on in the business that prospects, clients, the media and those being recruited for employment want to know. 

For example, those constituents might gather more intelligence from connecting the dots on Paul, Weiss' representing Chevron in the proposed $60 billion all-stock acquisition of Hess. That could signal unique experience in energy dealmaking, including understanding the minds of the players in the niche and what obstacles should be anticipated in the future.

The same kind of snapshot phenomenon happens with another touted ranking: Profit Per Equity Partner. That only represents an average. It tells nothing about how that profit is distributed among the partners, therefore no insight about who are most valuable to the firm, why now, their most recent strategies and what business are they developing. 

Another not-all-that-meaningful ranking is size in terms of lawyer headcount. A highly specialized boutique can knock the stuffing out of a much larger firm without that bench of talent. Likely given how AI will take over low-value tasks size could matter even less and less.

Meanwhile British comic John Oliver who did brilliant takedowns of McKinsey and Elon Musk can do likewise about the ranking of Harvard. The ranking becomes the platform for the current high-profile spanking.

In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com)

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