Before selecting a lawyer, look for the “Board Certified” Certification Mark on a lawyer’s website and ask if they are listed on BoardCertifiedAttorneys.com.

THE BOARD CERTIFIED SELECTION PROCESS

Every year, the staff at Trusted Lawyers performs an exhaustive analysis using a propriety Legal Scoring Algorithm ™ combining Artificial Intelligence, Search, and Human Intelligence to select Trusted Lawyers from law firms of all sizes throughout the United States.

STEP 1: GETTING CHOSEN FOR REVIEW

Our Trusted Lawyers Review Process is completed every year to maintain the integrity of the review process. There are two ways lawyers enter the Trusted Lawyer Review Process: (1) after being formally nominated by a peer or, (2) if identified by our lawyer-led Trusted Lawyers Human Intelligence Department during the research process.

Formal Nominations: Once a year, we invite lawyers in each state to nominate peers for review and inclusion in that year’s list of Trusted Lawyers. In addition, readers, clients and former clients may also nominate lawyers for review. We have built in protections that prevent lawyers from being able to game the system. Moreover, because the final selection is based on our Human Intelligence Review Team, we can detect any “gaming” of the Trusted Lawyers System. We also prohibit lawyers from engaging in “campaigning” or solicitation of nominations from other lawyers.

Staff Research Nominations: Our lawyer-led research staff searches for lawyers who have attained certain honors, results or credentials, which indicate a high degree of peer recognition or professional competence. For example, certification as a specialist in a particular area of practice, or admission to prestigious colleges or academies, e.g., The American College of Trial Lawyers. The staff identifies these credentials by reviewing a proprietary list of database and online sources, including national and local legal trade publications. During the research process, we discover outstanding lawyers who have been overlooked in the nomination process. These may include: lawyers with national litigation practices who rarely appear in the courts of their home jurisdiction; lawyers in smaller firms or from smaller communities; and lawyers practicing in less visible or highly specialized practice areas.

STEP 2: INDEPENDENT RESEARCH BY TRUSTED LAWYERS

Our research department then evaluates each lawyer in the candidate pool based on a list of indicators.  Each indicator has a proprietary point value. These indicators include:

Verdicts/Settlements 
Online Reviews
Ethics and Bar Complaints
Representative Client Experience 
Honors/Awards
Special Licenses/Certifications 
Position within the Law Firm
Bar and/or Professional Activity
Pro Bono and Community Service
Scholarly Lectures/Writings
Education
Employment Background
CLE Presentations
Other Achievements

All indicators are not treated equally; some have a higher maximum point value than others. We may also contact specific lawyers and ask for references.

STEP 3: FINAL SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION

Trusted Lawyer Candidates are grouped into four firm-size categories. Those with the highest point totals from each category are selected. This means solo and small firm lawyers are compared with other solo and small firm lawyers, and large firm lawyers are compared with other large firm lawyers. Between 6 to 8 percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion in that year’s list of Trusted Lawyers. Before publishing the final list of Trusted Lawyer Honorees for that year, our research staff checks each candidate’s standing with the local licensing authority. Candidates are asked to aver that they have never been subject to disciplinary or criminal proceedings. Final internet searches are performed on each candidate to ensure there are no outstanding matters that would reflect adversely on the lawyer.

We also contact each lawyer to ensure accuracy of all published information. 

PUBLICATION: The final published list of Trusted Lawyers who accept their nominations represents no more than 6 to 8 percent of the lawyers in the state in each practice area. The lists are published every year on TrustedLawyers.com.

Only lawyers who are Trusted Lawyers Honorees can be found on TrustedLawyers.com.  

Every year, Trusted Lawyers performs the same review to ensure that every lawyer listed maintains the high standards set by Trusted Lawyers.

Removal Requests

Trusted Lawyers has a special Review Process where peers and members of the public can submit removal requests. However, these requests will only be honored for any disbarred or suspended lawyers, who are then automatically removed as soon as Trusted Lawyers is notified by a state bar confirming the action. Other types of lawyer disciplinary actions administered by the appropriate bar or judicial authorities may also be grounds to remove a rating. While Trusted Lawyers will search bar-admitting authorities for disciplinary information, Trusted Lawyers also reserves the right to investigate information from the bar or the judiciary regarding rated lawyers that may impact the ethical standards of a rated lawyer. While there is no guarantee on removal timing, lawyers who no longer meet the stringent standards of Trusted Lawyers generally will be removed from TrustedLawyers.com after we receive the request and it has been appropriately vetted.