How law firms are chosen and ordered

Is this area of law the firm's main work?

First, what the firm actually does. A list takes in law firms that practice its area of law as their main work, and those that handle it every day come before those that take such cases now and then. Large firms with offices in many cities are included too. Document preparers and other non-lawyers, bail bond companies, courts and government offices are left out, and so are websites that only collect cases to pass them on to other firms. The immigration lists only include licensed attorneys, never notarios or immigration consultants.

The car accident pages are for injury firms that handle crash claims as a regular part of their work, and the DUI pages are for defense firms that take drunk and impaired driving charges week after week. Inside a city list, the truck accident, medical malpractice, child custody and probate buttons show the firms that say they take those cases.

What clients have said, over the years

Then we look at what former clients have said about each firm in public, comments anybody can look up and judge on their own. A firm with a long, even record weighs more here than a newer one with a burst of praise in its first months.

What the firm explains before you call

We also go through what each firm publishes about itself, on its website and its official profiles. Are its attorneys named, with the states where they hold a license? Is it clear how the firm charges, whether the first consultation is free, which languages its staff speak and who will work on a case day to day? Firms that answer these questions openly are easier to compare.

Independence

We alone decide where each firm sits, judging on merit, and each list gets a fresh look now and again. Being included costs a firm nothing, and money does not bend the criteria. Firms that are already listed can add Pro, which puts their phone, website, attorneys and fee details on their page, or Top, which gives them one of the three opening spots of a list. Either plan is labeled wherever it shows. A listing is not an endorsement, and we never take a cut of any legal fee.

Worth checking before you hire

Search for the lawyer with the state bar or the state's highest court to confirm an active license and see any public discipline. If a lawyer says they are certified in an area of law, check which body certified them: some states, such as Texas, Florida and California, run their own certification programs. Ask for a written fee agreement that says how the fee works and who pays case costs, and find out which deadlines apply to your matter. Seen something wrong on one of our pages? Tell us through the contact page.