Before selecting a law firm or a lawyer to represent you, research the lawyer and the lawyer’s firm. Look for the “Trusted Law Firm Honoree” Mark on a lawyer’s website and ask them if their law firm is a Trusted Lawyer Honoree for the current year, is listed at TrustedLawFirms.com and on The Trusted Lawyers Network.

TRUSTED LAW FIRMS SELECTION PROCESS

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

STEP 1: GETTING CHOSEN FOR REVIEW

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

Formal Nominations: Once a year, we invite lawyers in each state to nominate law firms for review and inclusion in that year’s list of Trusted Law Firms. In addition, readers, clients and former clients may also nominate law firms or attorneys 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 Law Firms System. We also prohibit law firms and lawyers from engaging in “campaigning” or solicitation of nominations from other law firms or lawyers.

Staff Research Nominations: Our lawyer-led research staff searches for law firms who have attained certain honors, results or credentials, which indicate a high degree of peer recognition or professional competence. For example, we look at a law firm’s lawyer certifications as specialists in a particular area of practice, or admissions to prestigious colleges or academies, e.g., The American College of Trial Lawyers. The staff identifies these credentials by reviewing a proprietary law firm and lawyer database and online sources, including national and local legal trade publications. During the research process, we discover outstanding law firms who have been overlooked in the nomination process. These may include: law firms and 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 LAW FIRMS

Our research department then evaluates each law firm in the candidate pool based on a list of indicators which each have a proprietary point value. These indicators include but are not limited to:

Verdicts/Settlements
Online Reviews
Ethics and Bar Complaints
Representative Clients Experience Honors/Awards
Special licenses/certifications Position within the law firm
Bar and/or professional activity
Law Firm website quality including ease of use
Pro bono and community service
Scholarly lectures/writings
Education
Employment background
Other achievements

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

STEP 3: FINAL SELECTION

Trusted Law Firm Candidates are grouped into four firm-size categories. Those with the highest point totals from each category are selected. This means solo and small law firms are compared with other solo and small law firms, and large law firms are compared with other large law firms. Between 15 to 20 percent of the total law firms in the state are selected for inclusion in that year’s list of Trusted Law Firms. Before publishing the final list of Trusted Law Firm Honorees for that year,  the research staff checks each candidate’s standing with the local licensing authority. Each candidate is 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 law firm.

We also contact each lawyer to ensure accuracy of all published information. Publication The final published list of Trusted Law Firms for each year represents no more than 12 to 15 percent of the law firms in the state. 

All law firms who accept their nomination can be found on TrustedLawFirms.com and are given a non-exclusive license to use the Trusted Law Firm Logo for 12 months.  

Removal Requests

Trusted Law Firms has a special Review Process where peers and members of the public can submit removal requests. However, these requests are reviewed confidentially.  Other types of lawyer disciplinary actions administered by the appropriate bar or judicial authorities may also be grounds to remove a law firm. While Trusted Law Firms will search bar-admitting authorities for disciplinary information, Trusted Law Firms 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, law firms and their attorneys who no longer meet the stringent standards of Trusted Law Firms generally will be removed from TrustedLawFirms.com after we receive the request and it has been appropriately vetted.