Seriously, does anyone under 35 years old know what this means? I don’t and yet it’s regularly in attorney classified ads. Hello?
Featured Sites
Recent Comments
- Joe Flanders on The NEW Solo in Chicago
- MICHAEL-KNIGHT-MARREN on Profile: Jeffrey Steinback
- Russell Knight on So I Answered this Craigslist Ad…
- Russell Knight on So I Answered this Craigslist Ad…
- Waiting for the magic date? | Marketing Tips for Lawyers on Book Review: The Reluctant Rainmaker…A Guide for Lawyers who Hate Selling
Recent Posts
Archives
Categories
- Arbitration
- ARDC
- billing
- blogging
- civil procedure
- civility
- CLE
- client counseling
- client selection
- Conferences
- contempt
- Cook County
- customer service
- entrepreneurship
- ethics
- family law
- finance
- Kingdom lawyering
- law firm management
- law school
- leadership
- Legal News Round-Up
- litigation
- marketing
- new client prospects
- officing
- Opposing lawyers
- practice areas
- Productivity
- referrals
- SIC's Greatest Hits
- technology
- Uncategorized
- UPrinting





Martindale has really lost its way. Or perhaps it is just the ability to look up for free what you once had to buy. We gave up our subscription this year. My firm is AV rated, but that is only because of my partner’s old rating. I doubt anyone cares, and we certainly do not use it in our marketing.
I just laugh a bit if you look at all the classifieds in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin how many still include the “AV” rating. I simply don’t know what it means.
I’m an attorney under 35 and I have no idea what it means or how it’s assigned, except I know Martindale has a hand in it. I’ve come up with the following:
Attorney; Valiant
Absolutely Villainous
Alternatively Valued
Amazingly Vacuous
Appeaser Virtuoso
Appallingly Vapid
Am I close?
The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings service, which evaluates lawyers and law firms in the United States and Canada, is based on the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary, including both those who are rated and those who are not.
There are two components to Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings:
1. General Ethical Standards Rating
The General Ethical Standards Rating denotes adherence to professional standards of conduct and ethics, reliability, diligence and other criteria relevant to the discharge of professional responsibilities.
The General Recommendation Rating is:
V – Very High
A lawyer must receive a General Ethical Standards Rating before his or her review can proceed to the next step.
2. Legal Ability Ratings
Legal Ability Ratings take into consideration the standard of professional ability in the area where the lawyer practices, the lawyer’s expertise, and other professional qualifications. If a lawyer’s practice is limited or specialized, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are based on performance in those specific fields of law.
Legal Ability Ratings are:
C – Good to High
B – High to Very High
A – Very High to Preeminent
When both categories of Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are confirmed, a lawyer receives an CV®, BV® or AV® Rating.