lawyer

LAWYER RANKINGS

Some states and some localities have referral services that will at random refer an individual to a lawyer who has developed a certain area of expertise in a specific field, such as Domestic, Bankruptcy, Landlord/Tenant, etc. Additionally, there are certain services that will rank lawyers or rate lawyers, such as the ratings system we apply to lawyers listing on our site. However, caution should be used in viewing any ratings assigned to a lawyer or law firm within any publication since such ratings may be politically motivated. Some services look at the number of years a lawyer has practiced. Sometimes special ratings are given to lawyers who are members of large firms. Therefore, if a lawyer is not rated as highly by some of these various services, it does not necessarily mean that the lawyer is not extremely skilled or well qualified for that particular purpose. These sources of lawyer rankings may be helpful, as is the case with our ratings system that ranks a lawyer or law firm on their Internet and computer savvy in order to establish how technologically advanced the firm and their services may be, but these ratings should be a secondary matter in the process of selection.

The primary considerations in selecting a lawyer should be whether the client feels comfortable with the lawyer selected and if he is confident that the lawyer is competent in his field of expertise. Much depends upon an individual's judgment, and many times a lawyer is hired on the basis of referrals from other individuals who have for one reason or another experienced a lawyer/client relationship as a result of work performed. The client must feel very comfortable with the lawyer and must feel confident that the lawyer selected is the one who can capably handle the client's needs. Some of the questions that would be helpful to most individuals in selecting a lawyer include the following:

• Has the lawyer handled matters like this one before?
• Approximately how many matters like this has the lawyer handled previously?
• Does the lawyer specialize in the area of law in which the client is interested (e.g. Corporations, Contracts, Domestic, Criminal, etc.)?
• Will the client be charged for the first consultation?
• How much does the lawyer charge per hour?
• How many hours does the lawyer believe it would take to complete the task?
• Does the lawyer object to the client obtaining information about the subject matter before visiting with the lawyer? If so, for what reason?
• What is a contingent fee, and what percentages does the lawyer charge?
• Are there any government licensing fees or filing fees for this type of work?
• Are there any statutory guidelines for this type of work?
• Does the lawyer provide the client with a written contract or a letter confirming employment? If so, can the client see an example?
• Does the lawyer have any references?
• When did the lawyer graduate from law school?
• Has the lawyer ever been admonished or cited by an ethics committee? If so, for what reason?
• Has the lawyer ever had any complaints filed against him? If so, for what reason?
• Has the lawyer ever lost his license and, if so, for what reason?
• Does the lawyer object to the client asking these questions? If so, for what reason?
• Does the lawyer (recognized by his peers for his expertise) receive referrals from other lawyers relative to this particular area of law (Corporations, Contracts, Domestic, etc.)?
• Is the lawyer licensed in any other state or has he ever been?
• Has the lawyer ever received any honors; if so, identify and describe the honors.
• Has the lawyer ever published? If so, identify the publications and area of publication.
• Does the lawyer advertise? If so, why and where does he advertise?
• Has the lawyer worked with any other lawyers or firms to whom the client may be referred for evaluation of a lawyer?
• Does the lawyer refer work to other lawyers in other areas of the law where the lawyer is not an expert?
• Identify some of the seminars the lawyer has attended during the past several years and what have been the areas or topics of discussion?

If, after asking these questions, you are still uncertain about your choice of legal counsel, we suggest you contact your local Bar Association.

ATTORNEY RATINGS PROFILES

Avvo Launches Website That Rates and Profiles Every Lawyer

Seattle June 5, 2007 Seattle-based Avvo, Inc. today launched www.avvo.com. the only website that rates and profiles every lawyer so consumers can choose the right lawyer. Consumers have never before had access to the level of information and guidance Avvo provides, including the Avvo Rating, disciplinary sanctions and client ratings. The launch of the free website marks the first time attorney ratings have been available for every attorney and the first time that detailed profiles and disciplinary information for those attorneys have been available in a single place.

The most critical piece of guidance Avvo provides is the Avvo Rating, which is Avvo's assessment of how well a lawyer could represent a client. The rating is based on a proprietary mathematical model applied equally to each lawyer to analyze information Avvo has about them, including their experience, disciplinary sanctions and professional achievements. The Avvo Rating was developed with input from legal experts, hundreds of lawyers and thousands of consumers.

To gather detailed and often hard-to-find information on attorneys, Avvo scoured state courts, bar associations and lawyers' websites to collect information on lawyers' experience, practice areas, professional achievements and disciplinary sanctions. In addition, consumers can submit client ratings and lawyers can endorse each other and upload content to their profiles so that users can see a complete picture of any attorney.

LAW FIRM RANKINGS

U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers to Rank Law Firms: Venture to include America s Best Law Firms and Best Law Firms to Work For

Washington D.C. July 7, U.S. News Media Group, the nation's leading source of rankings and service journalism, and Best Lawyers, the leading survey of lawyers worldwide, today announced the expansion of the U.S. News signature America's Best series to include rankings of law firms. The venture will kick off with an announcement sent to more than 35,000 lawyers across the United States, followed by a detailed survey that will be conducted this fall.

The U.S. News/Best Lawyers Law Firm rankings will evaluate more than 3,000 law firms across the United States using a wide range of objective data as well as individual assessments from more than 40,000 private practice lawyers, 20,000 clients, and thousands of law firm employees. The results of this evaluation, as well as articles about legal careers and the law, will be featured in a variety of print and online products focused on both consumers and legal professionals.

U.S. News has more than two decades of experience in providing the public with the most accurate and in-depth rankings of a wide range of institutions, including our America s Best Law Schools rankings, said Tim Smart, Executive Editor of U.S. News World Report. This experience, coupled with our growing reputation as a leading career information resource, makes these law firm rankings a logical next step.

The law firm rankings will be featured on USNews.com. Starting this fall, the site will also host Best Lawyers search engine, which contains profiles of 51,315 individual lawyers worldwide, covering 78 legal specialties and based on more than 4.2 million evaluations of leading lawyers by their peers at the top of the legal profession.

SELECTING A LAWYER

Find a lawyer

There are many ways to find a lawyer. Even your local telephone book is bound to list virtually every lawyer in your community. But word-of-mouth and reputation are often key factors. Here at WORLD Law Direct we recommend only lawyers that we guarantee offer the highest quality service at prices that are reasonable. Additionally, all of our recommended lawyers are responsive to their clients, creative in their solutions and have demonstrated records of finding the best legal solutions for the lowest cost. If you ever have a problem with one of our recommended lawyers we will solve that problem for you--guaranteed. If you don't find a lawyer matching your needs below, contact us, we may be able to help you

• U.S. lawyers and law firms listed by state and practice area
• International lawyers and law firms listed by country