What Does it Mean to Be AV® Rated?
At
Samuelson Hause & Samuelson, LLP, one of our very own Long Island divorce lawyers, Wendy B. Samuelson,
has had the honor of receiving an AV® Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®.
This is an extremely notable achievement, as this recognition marks the
highest peer review rating offered to attorneys by the well-respected
organization. This rating indicates that a lawyer has been ranked as having
the highest level of professional excellence, particularly in the areas
of legal ability and ethical standards. The three Martindale-Hubbell®
Peer Review Ratings™ that are available include AV Preeminent®
(4.5-5.0), BV Distinguished® (3.0-4.4) and Rated (1.0-2.9).
How Are the Ratings Determined?
In the Professional Review Ratings™ process, attorneys are evaluated
by other members of the bar and the judiciary, according to the explanation
of the process provided on the
Martindale-Hubbell® website. The evaluators are located in similar geographic areas as the individuals
being evaluated, and they also work in similar legal practice areas. These
peer-review evaluations are carried out through Martindale-Hubbell®
surveys that are facilitated by LexisNexis, with the evaluators being
asked to rate the lawyers in the areas of General Ethical Standards and
Legal Ability. Attorneys are required to have been admitted to a bar within
the U.S. or Canada for three years or more before they can be peer-reviewed
by Martindale-Hubbell®. They are also required to be in good standing
with their bar associations.
"General ethical standards" refer to the lawyers' standards
in relation to ethics, conduct, diligence, reliability and other similar
qualities that they use in their legal careers. Once an attorney scores
"Very High" in this area, he or she can move onto the Legal
Ability portion of the evaluation, which is broken up into five categories:
- Legal Knowledge
- Legal Experience
- Analytical Capabilities
- Communication Ability
- Judgment
The legal professional being evaluated is given a rating from 1 to 5 in
each of these five areas, with the final scores determining which type
of rating the lawyer receives. The final ratings are displayed in the
Martindale-Hubbell® Law Directory, as well as on Martindale.com®,
Lawyers.com ℠ and other resources. Martindale-Hubbell® is a professional
rating service that dates more than 140 years, according to the organization.
What's the significance?
By earning AV Preeminent® Peer Review Ratings™, attorneys show
that they are held especially high esteem by their professional peers.
Third-party validation is very important, as it maintains accountability
in the legal profession. These ratings also provide a way to help consumers
identify lawyers who have been distinguished within their legal communities.
If you would like to learn more about how our AV® Rated attorney or
the rest of our legal team can assist you with a
divorce or another family law matter,
contact Samuelson Hause & Samuelson, LLP. Our skilled lawyers have more than 100 years of combined experience.