Bandings explained

The WTR 1000 recommends who it considers to be the best of the trademark scene: only those delivering top-quality services make the cut. However, even among this elite group, in many markets it is possible to discern a degree of stratification.

While all firms and individuals included in this guide are leaders in their field, some are considered to have an edge over their competitors in terms of reputation; we have thus devised bandings to reflect this diversity at the top end of the market.

Where appropriate, recommendations in the WTR 1000 are presented in gold, silver and bronze bands; where market commentary is more limited, they are presented in “Highly recommended” and “Recommended” groups. The bands reflect the reputations of teams and professionals relative to their peers in the field, according to our research:

• Gold – Firms and individuals in the gold band are those that attract the most positive comments from sources and undertake the most sophisticated work. We have identified them as the crème de la crème; their success often hinges on reputations established over lengthy periods of time, something which enables them to secure the most high-profile, big-ticket work from the most prestigious of clients.


• Silver – These eminent practices and individuals also attract extensive feedback and showcase high-end work in their submissions. For whatever reason, though – less specialised, newer to the marketplace, smaller client base, less bandwidth and so on – their prominence in the trademark sphere does not quite match those at the apex.


• Bronze – Like their gold and silver peers, those designated bronze are praised by sources and undertake extensive trademark work. However, while those included in the bronze band are uniformly strong, their profiles are typically somewhat lower for trademark work than those of their competitors in the gold and silver bands.