The Sector Leadership Index (SLI)

The first objective scoring system for law firm industry leadership.

Law firms invest heavily in branding their industry capabilities. Clients, however, struggle to distinguish true sector leaders from well-marketed generalists. The Sector Leadership Index (SLI) was created to close that gap.

Developed by Client Sciences, the SLI is a proprietary, data-driven framework that evaluates how effectively law firms perform within specific industry sectors—not just by reputation, but by measurable commitment and capability.

The Seven Drivers of Sector Leadership

Each firm is evaluated using seven weighted performance dimensions:

  1. Industry Brand – Visibility and credibility within the sector

  2. Sector Recognition – External validation from clients, rankings, and deal flow

  3. Dedicated Sector Headcount – Lawyers directly aligned to the industry, both in number and as a percentage of overall attorneys

  4. Sub-Sector Expertise – Depth across discrete industry sub-segments

  5. Sector Investment – Financial, strategic, and organizational commitment to leadership in the sector

  6. Digital Focus – Online presence indicating depth and breadth of industry participation

  7. Industry Thought Leadership & Content – Relevance, quality, and engagement of the sector

These inputs are weighted, blended, and normalized to produce a single Sector Leadership Index Score, allowing direct comparisons across firms within the same industry sector.

What the SLI Delivers

For Law Firms

  • Competitive benchmarking by industry

  • Clear guidance on where to invest for growth

  • Credible proof points for industry branding

  • Objective data to support lateral hiring strategies

For Corporate Legal Departments

  • Fact-based law firm selection

  • Industry-aligned panel evaluations

  • Transparency beyond reputation alone

  • Stronger alignment between legal spend and industry risk

Why Sector Leadership Matters

Clients do not hire “practice groups.”

They hire law firms who understand their industry risk, regulation, and business reality.

The SLI measures that reality.