WIPR Leaders revamps selection process for 2025 edition

Global listing of world’s IP experts undergoes a ‘significant transformation’, shifting from a volume-based listing to a selective and research-driven platform.

WIPR Leaders is introducing a new selection process to ensure its annual listing reflects the very best of the IP legal profession.

The revamped approach will focus on quality over quantity, ensuring that only top-tier lawyers are featured and reinforcing its role as a trusted global referral network within the IP legal community.

Baron Armah-Kwantreng, Rankings editor at WIPR, described the previous directory as being “like an overgrown garden” due to the large number of profiles that accumulated during the ten years of its existence.

“Our vision is for WIPR Leaders to be the digital counterpart of the vibrant global IP legal community that attendees experience at events like the INTA Annual Meeting,” explained Armah-Kwantreng.

“When an IP counsel at a global corporation needs expert advice in a foreign jurisdiction, they should be able to turn to WIPR Leaders with confidence, knowing they will find the best practitioners.”

To improve value, the new WIPR Leaders directory will invite firms to nominate their standout lawyers rather than submitting long lists of names. The selection process will also include peer and client recommendations, which will be published alongside profiles to provide a more informative assessment of lawyers' capabilities in the eyes of the IP community.

“If firms want their lawyers to be featured, they must engage with the research process each year,” said Armah-Kwantreng. “Simply submitting a list of names is no longer sufficient. We are looking for the cream of the crop—those practitioners who are the true shop-window lawyers of their firms.”

The evolution of WIPR Leaders is an ongoing process, with the 2025 edition setting a new standard that will continue to rise in the coming years.

Focus on quality over quantity

Recognising the potential of WIPR Leaders as a ‘sleeping giant,’ the WIPR Rankings team has overhauled the methodology, moving towards a more selective and research-intensive process.

“Leaders is transitioning from a volume-based listing to a high-calibre showcase of the best IP lawyers globally,” said Armah-Kwantreng. “With the focus now on quality over quantity. We are refining the list to feature only those practitioners who are truly at the top of their field.”

Law firms around the world are responding positively to WIPR's new approach to Leaders. Global Top 50 law firms and national champions are warming to the new research rigour and have been reviewing their lists to send in reduced numbers of nominations drawn from their top lawyers.

These law firms also like the suggestion of nominating perhaps unsung heroes from their global networks.

As WIPR Leaders 2025 prepares for publication, firms and lawyers are encouraged to participate actively, ensuring that the list remains a true reflection of the best IP talent worldwide. The result will be a more trusted, authoritative, and indispensable tool for in-house counsel, law firms, and IP professionals across the globe.

"If anybody wants to engage with Leaders, then they’re getting involved with a different product," said Armah-Kwantreng. "This isn’t what it was three years ago, and next year will be more rigorous again."

Access the WIPR Leaders survey here.

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