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#Top 20 law firms: Chambers UK rankings

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Chambers UK launched its 2013 UK guide on Thursday and rather than simply reporting who has been singled out for excellence, we thought we'd ask high-ranking law firms for some additional information; the kind you don't usually find in a legal directory.

In a bid to discover more about the personalities of leading legal businesses, we invited them to describe themselves by reference to dogs, biscuits and cartoon characters. As you might imagine, some (okay, most) were not playing, but a few were willing to show a lighter side. Note the marked preference for the border collie as the breed of dog leading law firms consider best represents them.

No. of rankings: 66

Top 20 position: 6

Biscuit: Caramel chocolate digestive, a modern twist on a classic.

Cartoon character: Buzz Lightyear, ambitious and dedicated, and we look out for our people too.

Dog: Labradoodle, because DWF continues to evolve, building on its solid strengths and those of other firms that it merges with.

Firm: CMS Cameron McKenna

No. of rankings: 55

Top 20 position: 11 (joint with Irwin Mitchell)

Biscuit: Mille feuille, because it's international, works on many levels and combines numerous ingredients.

Cartoon character: Tin Tin

Dog: Border collie

Firm: Mills Reeve

No. of rankings: 54

Top 20 position: 12 (joint with DAC Beachcroft)

Biscuit: Hobnob, a classic, described by Peter Kay as the Marines of the dunking biscuit world ie. they can take everything that's thrown at them.

Cartoon character: Mr Benn. on the outside looks like your classic business person in a suit, but underneath can transform into a wide variety of characters.

Dog: Border collie

Firm: Baker McKenzie

No. of rankings: 51

Top 20 position: 15 (joint with Clyde Co)

Biscuit: Any one you like; we're Bakers

Dog: [Without] border[s] collie

No. of rankings: 50

Top 20 position: 16 (joint with Squire Sanders)

Biscuit: Tunnock's Caramel Wafer - Scottish through and through yet widely admired.

Cartoon character: Top Cat because he's savvy, charismatic and a superb problem solver.

Cartoon character – Simba in The Lion King (still growing up but soon to be king of the jungle, likes to travel, not afraid of change)

Dog: Labrador (loyal to our clients, friendly firm)