Whenever law firm leaders tell me about their ambition to join the ranks of the 'global elite,' I can't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. I respect their drive, but I know that by talking about such a concept they are creating a problem for the media, and for me personally.

Because if everyone is talking about it, then we need to try to define it. While everyone thinks they belong to it, we're left to determine who truly qualifies. Which firms make the cut? Who claims to make the cut but doesn't?