Also, Alder IP is the proud winner of a Client Choice Award 2015 for the best patent firm in Australia as voted by our clients and reported by Lexology. Client Choice recognises 414 winners across 68 jurisdictions worldwide. Client Choice also recognises winners at state and province level in the United States and Canada. This year, 187 winners across 37 US states and four Canadian provinces have been recognised. ILO and Lexology’s research begins with a readership survey of International Law Office (ILO) and Lexology in-house counsel subscribers. Clients are asked to rate individual lawyers and law firms on the following client service criteria: quality of legal advice, value for money, commercial awareness, effective communication, billing transparency, tailored fee structures, response time, sharing of expertise and use of technology. To ensure that the results cannot be influenced, law firms are not informed when this initial round of research is conducted. The results of this survey are used to draw up shortlists for each work area. Shortlisted candidates are then invited to submit up to five referees. The research team conducts follow-up interviews and additional research where necessary. While based on thorough and coherent research, the results remain the subjective views of the Client Choice team.