In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King sits down with Barnaby Merrill, US editor at Legal 500, to unpack everything legal marketers need to know about one of the industry's most established rankings programs. Barnaby walks through what makes a strong submission, how referee feedback actually influences ranking decisions and why firms new to the process may be closer to a strong ranking than they think. He also shares what's new with the US Elite rankings — a partner-led, jurisdiction-specific program now in its second year — and explains how Legal 500's data is increasingly shaping the answers AI tools serve up when corporate clients search for outside counsel.

• What Legal 500 looks for in matter highlights — and what to leave out

• How referee feedback factors into rankings (and why low response rates aren't the dealbreaker firms fear)

• The biggest misconception about breaking into the rankings for the first time

• What's different about the US Elite rankings: partner-led, interview-driven and jurisdiction-specific

• How Legal 500's rankings are surfacing in AI-generated law firm recommendations

Barnaby Merrill is the United States editor at Legal 500. He has been at Legal 500 since 2019 and took on his current role in 2023. In this role, he oversees all research into the US private practice market, including the national Legal 500 United States and the state and city-based US Elite rankings, which are in their second year having launched in February 2025. Barnaby is passionate about the US legal market in all its forms, with a strong interest in the intersection between client service and market growth with a view to the long-term future of law firms.

• Check out Legal500

• Follow Legal500 on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

• Connect with Barnaby Merrill on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink.

Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.

Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more.

To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at info@rep-ink.com today.

Why AEC Firms Keep Getting Client Experience Wrong and How to Fix It

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Steven Gallo sits down with Jerry Gennaria, president and CEO of TOKY, a full-service branding and design consultancy, to unpack why most AEC firms treat client experience and culture as separate problems — and what that disconnect is actually costing them.

They dig into how to make the business case for investing in both employee and client experience, what it looks like to start measuring something that feels intangible, and why culture will override process every single time.

• Why client experience and employee experience are rarely connected in AEC firms — and why that's a problem

• How to make the data-driven business case for investing in culture and client experience

• Where to start if your firm has never tackled this before, and how to establish a measurable baseline

• How to trace feedback patterns back to root causes — and why a toddler's favorite question is the key

• About TOKY and its "branding from within" philosophy

Author of the upcoming book, Branding from Within, and host of The Intangible Brand podcast, Jerry Gennaria leverages 30 years of experience in strategy and communications to help professional service firms more effectively tell their story, build a stronger business, and reach their full potential.

Jerry leads TOKY, a branding and strategy firm, serving organizations in the Built Environment (AEC). His pragmatic approach delivers actionable insights and frameworks to help marketers and business leaders move past the tropes to build a stronger brand experience.

• Check out TOKY.com

• Follow TOKY on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

• Connect with Jerry Gennaria on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink.

Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.

Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more.

To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at info@rep-ink.com today.

In this episode of Spill the Ink, Michelle Calcote King talks with Michael Rafalowich, Managing Editor and Head of Research at Benchmark Litigation, the leading intelligence platform dedicated to identifying and ranking top litigators and litigation firms across the U.S. and Canada. He shares what's new for the 2027 cycle, including expanded local market coverage and a newly built research team, and offers candid advice on what separates a strong submission from one that gets lost in the pile.

• What is Benchmark Litigation and what makes it unique

• What's new for the 2027 Benchmark Litigation cycle

• What law firms most commonly get wrong in submissions and interviews

• How interviews factor into the rankings process, and who should be in the room

• Why human judgment remains central to Benchmark's integrity, even as AI reshapes the legal industry

Michael Rafalowich is the Managing Editor and Head of Research at Benchmark Litigation, where he has been the driving editorial force behind the publication since its inception. A digital media professional and investigative journalist by background, Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Kean University, where he graduated magna cum laude. His expertise spans research, editorial, marketing communications and business development. Before his current role, he held research and editorial positions at Euromoney Institutional Investor. He is based in New York.

• Check out Benchmark Litigation

• Follow Benchmark Litigation on LinkedIn

• Connect with Michael Rafalowich on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink.

Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.

Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more.

To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at info@rep-ink.com today.