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.

As design-build project delivery methods continue to gain ground in the U.S. construction industry, the DBIA Project and Team Awards have become one of the most coveted — and most misunderstood — recognitions in AEC. In this episode of Spill the Ink, host Steven Gallo sits down with Praful Kulkarni, director of integrated services at CannonDesign and chair of the National DBIA Awards Committee, to pull back the curtain on the judging process. Praful shares what separates winning submissions from the rest, the most common mistakes firms make and why the marketing team should lean on the project manager to help tell the full story.

• What the DBIA Project and Team Awards are and how they differ from Architecture Institute of America (AIA) or Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) awards programs

• The three core evaluation areas judges use to score every submission: design excellence, process and teaming

• The biggest mistakes firms make when assembling their submissions — and how to avoid them

• Why the project manager, not just the marketing team, needs to be involved in the application

• Industry trends Praful is watching, including design-build's continued growth and the surge in data center construction

Praful Kulkarni has dedicated his career to sparking change within the AEC industry. As a young architect, he recognized the fragmented nature of traditional design and construction and the inefficiencies that came with it. He founded his own integrated firm in response, gkkworks, to unite design excellence and construction innovation. In 2018, gkkworks merged with CannonDesign, strengthening one of the most progressive integrated design firms in the world.

Praful is a champion for single-source collaborative design and delivery methods that help ensure certainty in project cost, schedule and quality outcomes. He has a pulse on the latest innovations within the industry, specifically, he is a tireless advocate for progressive design-build and its ability to foster heightened levels of collaboration across owners, designers and builders.

Praful was the DBIA National Chair in 2017 concentrating on Progressive Design Build initiatives and currently serves on the National Board for CMAA and as the Chair the Awards Committee for the National DBIA.

• Learn more about CannonDesign at cannondesign.com

• Visit DBIA at dbia.org — entries for the 2025 Project and Team Awards are due June 1

• Connect with Praful Kulkarni on LinkedIn

• Follow CannonDesign on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Steven Gallo 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.

The Chambers and Partners guide is one of the most trusted resources in the legal industry, used by in-house counsel worldwide to find and evaluate outside counsel. With roughly 350,000 legal professionals interviewed globally each year across 1,800 practice areas in the U.S. alone, the rankings carry significant weight in how firms are perceived and how work is awarded.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," James Haggerty and Kush Cheema, both USA research directors at Chambers and Partners, join Michelle Calcote King to discuss the attributes that define a great submission. They share practical guidance on selecting referees, structuring matter highlights and approaching the process with strategic intentionality. James and Kush also discuss broader market trends — from the surge in boutique and mid-market firm participation to how major law firm mergers, market consolidation and AI adoption are reshaping how Chambers evaluates and ranks firms.

• How the Chambers USA guide serves as a critical resource for in-house counsel making hiring decisions and narrowing their outside counsel options.

• Why demand growth is shifting toward mid-market and smaller firms and what that means for firms evaluating their competitive positioning.

• How Chambers handles submissions and rankings during and after major law firm mergers, and why firms shouldn't panic about steep drops.

• What clients are telling Chambers researchers about AI adoption, billing efficiency and the potential shift away from the billable hour.

• The most common submission mistakes firms make and how to structure matter highlights for maximum impact.

• Why selecting the right referees — not just the most senior ones — can make or break a firm's ranking outcome.

• How smaller and boutique firms can leverage the Chambers process to stand out in local and niche markets through programs like Chambers Spotlight.

• The strategic approach that distinguishes top-performing submissions, from championing breakout attorneys to aligning referees with highlighted work.

Kush Cheema is the North America Research Director at Chambers and Partners. He joined Chambers as a research analyst in 2015 and is now based in the company's New York office. He oversees external outreach to the US and Canadian legal market.

James Haggerty is the USA - Operations Research Director at Chambers and Partners. Having joined Chambers as an analyst in 2015, James has led US research from the company's head office in London since 2021. He heads a team of up to 100 analysts researching the world's leading legal market.

• Check out Chambers and Partners

• Follow Chambers and Partners on LinkedIn and Facebook

• Connect with Kush Cheema on LinkedIn

• Connect with James Haggerty 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.