Preparing Your Referees Before Chambers Calls

Most Chambers USA submissions spend the vast majority of their preparation time on the written submission. Highlights are drafted and redrafted. The firm overview is polished. The referee list is assembled, checked for seniority and relationship strength, and submitted.

Then a referee who has not heard from the firm since they agreed to be listed answers a question they were not expecting, and the submission underperforms relative to the work it was built on.

Chambers researchers weigh referee interviews as heavily as the written submission, and often more, a point covered in what Chambers researchers are looking for. This guide covers how to prepare referees so that weight works in your favor instead of against it.

The Chambers Submission System includes a full five-phase referee engagement workflow and preparation guidance built around the six categories researchers use in every interview. Early bird pricing is $397 with instant access to your inbox. See everything that's inside.

Why Referee Preparation Gets Skipped

Referee preparation is rarely skipped on purpose. It is skipped because it falls at the end of a long process, after the written submission has already absorbed most of the available time and attention. By the time the referee list is finalized, the deadline is close, and preparation becomes a quick email rather than a structured conversation.

The result is a referee who agreed to help, genuinely wants to help, and still gives an answer that does not move the needle, because nobody told them what the conversation would actually cover.

What Chambers Researchers Ask Referees

Referee interviews are structured around six categories. Researchers ask about each one in nearly every interview, though which receives emphasis depends on what the submission contained and what the researcher is trying to verify.

The six categories are:

• Quality of legal advice. Is the work technically strong? Does the attorney demonstrate expertise and judgment, or do they execute without adding strategic value?

• Responsiveness. Is the team accessible when clients need them? Do they communicate proactively or only when asked?

• Commercial awareness. Does the attorney understand the client's business, not just the legal issue? Do they advise in the context of the client's commercial reality?

• Value for money. Does the client feel the fees are proportionate to the quality and outcome of the work?

• Depth of team. Does the practice have a deep bench or rely on a small number of practitioners? Can clients rely on the team at multiple levels?

• Client relationship. Is this a transactional relationship or a genuine partnership? Does the firm understand the client's long-term needs?

A referee who walks into the call without knowing these categories will answer in generalities. They will say the firm is excellent, responsive, and easy to work with. Those answers are positive but not differentiated, because every referee for every firm in the practice area says something similar.

A referee who has been briefed on these six categories in advance answers differently. They reach for a specific matter, a specific moment where responsiveness mattered, a specific conversation where commercial awareness showed. That specificity is what separates a forgettable interview from one that moves a ranking.

The Five-Phase Referee Engagement Workflow

Preparing a referee well is not a single email sent a week before the deadline. It is a short sequence that starts well before the submission window opens and continues after the interview happens. The full cycle breaks into five phases.

1. Identification, six weeks out. Build the referee list from the matters being highlighted, not from the firm's broadest client relationships. A referee should be someone who can speak directly to a specific matter in the submission, not someone who simply likes the firm.

2. Outreach and confirmation, four to five weeks out. Contact each referee directly, explain what Chambers is, what their role will be, and roughly when Chambers will reach out. This is also when to confirm the referee is still the right person, since roles and relationships shift between submission cycles.

3. Briefing, two to three weeks out. Walk each referee through the six interview categories and the specific matter or matters they may be asked about. This is the step most often skipped or rushed, and it is the step with the highest return on the time it takes.

4. Timing and follow-up through the research window. Track which referees have been contacted by Chambers and which have not. A referee who has not heard from a researcher partway through the window may need a gentle reminder.

5. Post-submission relationship management. Thank every referee regardless of outcome, and note how the interview went for next cycle. A referee who gave a strong interview this year is often the strongest referee to use again.

What a Strong Briefing Must Cover

The briefing phase is where most of the value is created or lost. A strong briefing is a short, direct conversation, not a long document. It should give the referee three things: the six categories they may be asked about, the specific matter or matters most relevant to the submission, and a sense of how much detail is useful versus how much risks sounding rehearsed.

Referees who sound coached read as less credible to researchers than referees who sound prepared. The difference is specificity without a script. A referee who has been told "you might be asked whether the team is responsive, and you could mention the time we turned around the urgent filing" will sound natural. Handing referees talking points to read does not.

Close This Gap Before the Window Opens

The firms that consistently earn strong referee interviews are rarely the firms with the most impressive client list. They are the firms that treat referee preparation as a structured phase of the submission process rather than an afterthought squeezed in before the deadline.

The gap is almost always one of three things:

• Referees selected for relationship strength rather than ability to speak to a specific highlighted matter.

• Briefing that happens too late, too briefly, or not at all.

• No tracking system for who has been contacted by Chambers and who still needs a follow-up.

Closing that gap takes a process that starts before the deadline pressure does, not different clients or different work.

The Chambers Submission System includes the full five-phase referee engagement workflow, preparation guidance built around the six interview categories, and a tracking system for managing referees through the entire research window.

It is built on the best practices from completing 350+ Chambers USA submissions across 15+ U.S. practice groups. Early bird pricing is $397 with instant access to your inbox. Price increases to $497 on July 1. Get the guide now.

Need to make the case internally first? Here is the one-line pitch: "It is a $397 guide built from the best practices curated over 350+ Chambers USA submissions that will save our team significant time this cycle. If you need a formal quote or invoice for approval, email hello@arewhycomms.com."

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance should referees be identified?

Roughly six weeks before the submission deadline. This gives enough time to confirm each referee is still the right person, brief them properly, and follow up if Chambers has not reached them by midway through the research window.

How many referees does Chambers USA allow per submission?

Typically up to 30 referees per submission. Quality matters more than quantity. A smaller list of referees who can each speak specifically to a highlighted matter outperforms a longer list of generic relationships.

What happens if a referee cannot be reached by a Chambers researcher?

A non-responsive referee provides no input to the ranking decision for that interview. This is why tracking outreach during the research window matters. If a key referee has not been contacted partway through the window, a brief reminder that contact from Chambers is still coming can help ensure they are available and prepared when it comes.

Should referees be given a script for the interview?

No. A scripted referee tends to sound rehearsed, which reads as less credible to an experienced researcher. The goal of preparation is for the referee to understand the categories they may be asked about and have one or two specific matters in mind, not to memorize language.

Where can I get a complete system for managing Chambers USA submissions?

The Chambers Submission System from Are Why Communications is a 22-page guide covering every stage of the process: attorney outreach, highlight writing, referee strategy, and deadline management. Built on the best practices from completing 350+ Chambers USA submissions across 15+ U.S. practice groups. Early bird pricing is $397 with instant access to your inbox. Available at chambers-guide.arewhycomms.com. Price increases to $497 on July 1.