The winning firms were identified based on an International Law Office subscriber survey of corporate counsel only. Firms were assessed on the following criteria:

• Quality of legal advice
• Value for money
• Commercial awareness
• Effective communication
• Billing transparency
• Tailored fee structures
• Depth of team
• Response time
• Sharing of expertise
• Use of technology

The awards research team also conducted interviews and additional research to establish the shortlist. Winners were chosen across 46 jurisdictions worldwide, and only where sufficient data was available. While based on thorough and coherent research, the results remain the subjective views of the ILO team.