Methodology and GuidelinesAs the world of work continues to evolve and new challenges arise in the post-pandemic era, the annual IEL Elite guide recognises leading international, regional, national, and boutique practices that have offered market-leading, cutting-edge advice to employers over the past 12 months.IEL’s independent research is carried out annually during a four-month period. To appear in IEL Elite, firms must demonstrate a depth of expertise, market presence, and a high level of advisory, disputes, and transactional work from across a broad spectrum of employment and labour law issues.How to participateLaw firms are invited to participate through a short submission process. A submission document is available on request.The next deadline for submissions is May 2026 (deadline will be confirmed January 2026). Completed submissions are sent via email. Only one submission document is necessary per firm, regardless of the number of offices providing matters for consideration. It is not necessary for every office to provide a full submission.Firms are asked to provide a minimum of ten standout instructions from the last year (May 2025 to April 2026), demonstrating a mix of complex contentious and non-contentious work.What work to includeWhen reviewing firms’ submissions, IEL will consider the complexity and value of the work and who the client is. Firms should clearly identify why each matter was important, either to the client, their industry, or the broader employment and labour landscape.Please clearly label any confidential information in red. Firms will not be penalised for only including confidential information.A note on confidentiality: IEL Elite submissions are saved separately from other documents, with access only granted to a select number of IEL employees. None of the information included is used for any purpose other than informing the IEL Elite research and the IEL Elite write-up. Any information included in the IEL Elite write-up is vigorously checked and cross-referenced against submission forms for potential confidentiality breaches prior to publishing.Broadly, the matters relied upon should fall within the following specialisms:Business reorganisationExecutive compensationData protection and privacyDisputesDiversity, equity, and inclusionHealth and safetyIncentives and benefitsLabour relationsPensionsWhistleblowing and investigationsParticular weight will be given to cross-border matters, where applicable.Firms with international or regional practices should provide the best work from across their office network. Successful firms will have the work of individual offices recognised in a more substantive editorial where applicable.Other information to includePractice developments. This can include, but is not limited to, hires, promotions, and expansion of specialisation, as well as new clients, geographical growth, investment in new technology, and other innovations that benefit employers around the globe.Key points of contact in the team. For example, regional or national heads, or leaders of sub-practice groups.InterviewsFollow-up interviews, lasting between 45 mins and one hour, will be arranged where appropriate.Should your firm be offered an interview, we would advise a maximum of two partners attend. Partners should be prepared to talk about their practice’s standout work and provide observations on market trends and competitors.Breakdown of guideAs the world of work continues to evolve and new challenges arise in the post-pandemic era, the annual IEL Elite guide recognises leading international, regional, national, and boutique practices that have offered market-leading, cutting-edge advice to employers over the past 12 months.IEL’s independent research is carried out annually during a four-month period. To appear in IEL Elite, firms must demonstrate a depth of expertise, market presence, and a high level of advisory, disputes, and transactional work from across a broad spectrum of employment and labour law issues.Successful firms are included under one of three categories:INTERNATIONAL LEADERS (physical location/right to practice in two or more global regions)REGIONAL LEADERS (physical location/right to practice in several jurisdictions within a global region)NATIONAL LEADERS (physical location/right to practice in one jurisdiction*)*firms with a significant foothold in one jurisdiction and a small offering in another may also be classified in the national leaders categoryIEL RECOMMENDS IEL recommends are lists of select firms from those that have hit the threshold for inclusion in IEL Elite, that stood out in the annual research for their receipt of exceptional market feedback, demonstrated mastery of cross-border mandates, or sheer market presence. For full descriptions of each Recommends list, please see below. Global Elite: Firms in this category are based across more than one global region, and have an extensive, leading international presence through office locations and/or top-tier internationally focused employment teams that demonstrate impressive skill in coordinating large multi-country mandates from key hubs. These teams regularly advise on projects covering several jurisdictions, and receive substantial recognition for their standing on the global stage.Leading cross-border coordinators: Firms in this category are adept at acting as a point of contact for global clients seeking support in huge mandates spanning tens of jurisdictions. These teams demonstrate exceptional skill in both coordinating and consolidating practical advice on large multi-country compliance projects, transactions, or investigations, and – importantly – demonstrate the market knowledge to pool the best talent in on each project – often from outside of their own organisation or international alliance. International footprint: Firms in this category are able to leverage an extensive global network to service clients on large multijurisdictional mandates.These teams are based across most global regions, allowing multinationals ease of access across one organisation on large multijurisdictional projects.Standout team*: Firms in this category are domestic market leaders or key regional players – either as part of full-service offerings or as dedicated labour and employment boutiques. These are go-to teams for international or foreign firms without a local presence, that grasp the subtleties of translating domestic legislation to non-local audiences and aligning the same with the requirements of multinationals. Firms on this list have consistently received outstanding market feedback on the team (or more than one member of the team) over several years’ IEL Elite research.IEL Awards lists: For more information about the nomination process for the IEL Awards, please contact awards@internationalemploymentlawyer.com. *Non-submitting firms are unable to qualify for this listHow we get our resultsThe results of the IEL Elite research are based on:Analysis of work carried out by leading teams, where applicable. We recommend firms submit to give the most accurate overview of their practices for our consideration.Interviews with prominent experts around the world to inform our research on what market-leading work looks like.Feedback from those in the know – the prominent experts interviewed, as well as IEL’s readership, which we invite to recommend teams for inclusion.Market presence and recognition – teams that do not have a presence in international directories or forums – either external to IEL or within IEL – will not be featured in the IEL Elite. Kindly note we do not accept client feedback compiled by or provided via firms.IEL reviewThe IEL Elite guide recognises the world’s leading practices, rather than individuals. As a result, not all partners or other senior practitioners will be included in our review.Names included in the IEL Elite review are –Heads of practice (at national, regional, international level)Partners leading publishable work on the submission*New partners – through partnership promotions or lateral hires, or other news that would warrant their inclusionPartners that have featured in IEL in the past year – in our surveys and/or in community pieces*Please note not all partners leading publishable work will be included in the write-up – this is subject to our discretionResearch timelineResearch will begin April/May 2026. Results published in November 2026.For more information, please contact our Head of Research Amy Barnicoat-Hood.