LAWYER RATINGS
In this post I will discuss one aspect of finding a good lawyer,
specifically lawyer ratings. When looking for a lawyer many people have
no idea whether their lawyer is highly rated, skilled, experienced, or
well regarded by their peers. Often the only thing that potential
clients have to base their decsion on is the lawyers advertising, or
their web site, both of which may be self promoting. Some lawyers join
lawyer referral services, such as the popular 800-doctor/lawyer referral
services advertised on television and billboards. However those
referral services do not normally rate lawyers on their skill, ability,
ethics, or professional standards. Lawyers join such 800-referral
services by simply paying a fee, similar to advertsing in the yellow
pages.
There are however some well established lawyer rating organizations,
one which dates back to 1868. Below I discuss the some rating systems.
Before choosing a lawyer based upon their advertisements, I suggest that
you review their ratings on AVVO, Martindale Hubbell, and
SuperLawyers
.
.
AVVO
Launched in 2007, Avvo has developed a rating scale for lawyers based
upon a proprietary algorithm. Avvo provides listings to which attorneys
can submit their own profiles and histories. Avvo goes far beyond a
peer-review system and only considers the opinions of other lawyers as
one of many factors in evaluating an attorney. In particular, Avvo has
been praised for providing a level of transparency in the legal
profession that has not previously existed. For example, if a lawyer has
been disciplined by the state bar association, that information is
posted prominently on the lawyer's profile. Not surprisingly, this has
generated great anger and even some failed lawsuits from
previously-disciplined lawyers, but most members of the general public
would consider this information to be relevant in evaluating a lawyer's
credentials. Additionally, if a lawyer has a habit of taking money from
clients without doing any meaningful work, those clients can now make
their complaints publicly known very easily. And if the lawyer has
answered questions posted to the Avvo site, those answers are linked
from his or her Avvo profile so that people can see the kind of advice
typically given out by the attorney.
Avvo gives each attorney a numerical score on a scale of 1 to 10
based on the information in that attorney's profileAccording to the
website, the directory includes more than 90% of licensed attorneys in
the United States. Avvo lawyer profiles are aggregated from public
records provided by state bars and additional attorney licensing
entities
The listings may also include client reviews, disciplinary actions,
and peer endorsements. Based upon these reviews the lawyers are rated on
a scale of 1 - 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best, for the
following categories: Experience, Industry Recognition, Professional
Conduct.
MARTINDALE-HUBBELL
LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell is an information services company to
the legal profession that was founded in 1868. The company publishes the
Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, which provides background information
on United States lawyers and law firms. Martindale-Hubbell is owned by
LexisNexis. The Martindale Directory was first published in 1868 by
James B. Martindale, a lawyer and businessman.
Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings reflect a combination of
achieving a Very High General Ethical Standards rating and a Legal
Ability numerical rating.
General Ethical Standards Rating
The General Ethical Standards rating denotes adherence to
professional standards of conduct and ethics, reliability, diligence and
other criteria relevant to the discharge of professional
responsibilities.
Those lawyers who meet the "Very High" criteria of General Ethical
Standards can proceed to the next step in the ratings process.
Legal Ability Ratings
Legal Ability ratings indicate professional ability within a specific
area of practice. Legal Ability ratings are based on performance in
five key areas, rated on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the lowest and 5
being the highest). These areas are:
•Legal Knowledge - Lawyer's familiarity with the laws governing his/her specific area of practice(s)
•Analytical Capabilities - Lawyer's creativity in analyzing legal issues and applying technical knowledge
•Judgment - Lawyer's demonstration of the salient factors that drive the outcome of a given case or issue.
•Communication Ability - Lawyer's capability to communicate persuasively and credibly
•Legal Experience - Lawyer's degree of experience in his/her specific area of practice(s)
Additional Feedback - Martindale-Hubbell
Peer Review Ratings allow reviewers to provide optional Additional
Feedback on the lawyer under review. Additional Feedback is displayed
anonymously in conjunction with the review results to the lawyer under
review
SUPER LAWYERS
Another lawyer rating may be found under Superlawyers.
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more
than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer
recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is
multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and
peer evaluations.
Bar associations and courts across the country have recognized the
legitimacy of the Super Lawyers selection process. Most recently, the
New Jersey Supreme Court upheld the findings of a Special Master
assigned by the court to, among other things, examine the details of the
process. In his July 2008 report, the Special Master lauded our
lawyer-rating process, stating: " The Super Lawyers selection process is
a comprehensive, good-faith and detailed attempt to produce a list of
lawyers that have attained high peer recognition, meet ethical
standards, and have demonstrated some degree of achievement in their
field."
The selection procedures employed by Super Lawyers are very
sophisticated, comprehensive and complex. Super Lawyers does not permit a
lawyer to buy one’s way onto the list, nor is there any requirement for
the purchase of any product for inclusion in the lists or any quid pro
quo of any kind or nature associated with the evaluation and listing of
an attorney or in the subsequent advertising of one’s inclusion in the
lists.Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a rigorous, multiphase
rating process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with third
party research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer
recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made on an
annual, state-by-state basis.
The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse
listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for
attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel. Since Super Lawyers
is intended to be used as an aid in selecting a lawyer, we limit the
lawyer ratings to those who can be hired and retained by the public,
i.e., lawyers in private practice and Legal Aid attorneys.
The Super Lawyers selection process involves three basic steps:
creation of the candidate pool; evaluation of candidates by the research
department; and peer evaluation by practice area.
For more information or for a free consultation, contact Scott and
Fenderson, PA Injury and Family Law Attorneys, by calling 727-321-0099
or view our web site www.scottandfenderson.com
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