Ever heard of Super Lawyers? If you’re a lawyer looking to stand out for your hard work, more likely than not the answer is yes. Each year, thousands of attorneys are recognized by Super Lawyers for their achievements – but what does this distinction truly mean? As a legal marketing agency focused on results, our team at Comrade Digital Marketing set out to answer that question for our clients.
Around 5% of attorneys in each state earn the Super Lawyers designation according to a rigorous selection process involving peer nominations and evaluations. This reflects legal excellence at the highest levels. For clients researching attorneys for their most important legal needs, recognition by Super Lawyers offers reassurance that they are engaging top-rated counsel.
To help you better understand Super Lawyers and what it can do for you, our expert team is here to break down everything your law firm needs to know about this prestigious designation. We’ll define what it is and how super lawyers and rising stars are selected. We’ll discuss whether being on having the badge really helps legal professionals from a general point-of-view and SEO standpoint. Our goal is to provide you with a balanced, objective evaluation of Super Lawyers, enabling you to make an informed decision about the value it holds for your law firm.
What Is Super Lawyers?
Super Lawyers is a rating service that identifies outstanding lawyers in various practice areas across the United States through peer nominations and evaluations. It’s like a “best of” list for lawyers, aiming to help clients find the right legal expertise for their needs.
The selection process focuses heavily on peer endorsements from other practicing lawyers and judges. Those who meet high standards are recognized through inclusion in regional and practice-specific Super Lawyers lists. Furthermore, attorneys don’t pay to be considered or included – the entire process is non-commercial.
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What Are Super Lawyers Rising Stars?
Super Lawyers Rising Stars is a special designation within the Super Lawyers rating system, recognizing the top up-and-coming legal talent in the United States. It’s a spotlight on the next generation of legal leaders, highlighting attorneys who are making their mark early in their careers. The rising stars selection process mirrors Super Lawyers but focuses on this subset that shows future potential.
To be eligible, candidates must either be 40 years old or younger or have practiced law for 10 years or less. While up to 5% of lawyers in a state can be named Super Lawyers, only 2.5% are chosen for the Rising Stars list, making this distinction even more prestigious.
How to Join Super Lawyers [Selection Process]
So, how do you become a Super Lawyer? Year after year, Super Lawyers selects top attorneys through a meticulous evaluation of merit, peer recognition, and professional excellence. Their rigorous selection process, detailed below, ensures that only a small portion of attorneys in each state are included in the Super Lawyers list.
1. Nominations: The Starting Point
The selection process begins with nominations, where lawyers enter the candidate pool through formal nominations by their peers or by being identified by the Super Lawyers research department. There are 3 different formats the nomination process can take:
Formal nominations: Each year, Super Lawyers invites lawyers in each state to nominate their peers who they believe are outstanding in their field. Nominations can be made for attorneys within the same law firm, but these nominations only count if they are matched by at least one nomination from an attorney outside the firm. Out-of-firm nominations carry more weight than in-firm nominations.
Research process: Super Lawyers’ research team actively seeks out lawyers who have achieved notable honors, results, or credentials that demonstrate their expertise and peer recognition. This includes reviewing a proprietary list of databases and online sources, such as legal publications and professional organizations.
Informal nominations: Throughout the year, Super Lawyers receive nominations from clients, marketing directors, and attorneys who are not eligible to formally nominate (those not licensed to practice in the same state as the nominee). While these nominations carry no points, they ensure that the nominated attorneys are added to the candidate pool for evaluation.
2. Independent Research: A Deeper Dive
Super Lawyers’ research department conducts a thorough evaluation of each candidate based on 12 key indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement:
Verdicts/Settlements
Transactions
Representative Clients
Experience
Honors/Awards
Special licenses/certifications
Position within the law firm
Bar and/or professional activity
Pro bono and community service
Scholarly lectures/writings
Education/employment background
Other outstanding achievements
These indicators are not weighted equally, and some carry a higher maximum point value than others. Building a strong profile in these areas requires a commitment to providing exceptional legal services, actively growing your practice through marketing, and engaging in legal and community activities.
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3. Peer Evaluation: The Blue Ribbon Review
The third step in the selection process involves a peer evaluation by practice area. Candidates with the highest point totals from the nomination and research phases are invited to serve on a “blue ribbon” panel for their specific practice area. These panelists then review and rate other candidates in their area on a scale of one to five.
4. Final Selection: The Top 5%
Candidates are grouped into four firm-size categories: solo/small firm, medium firm, large firm, and government/non-profit. The attorneys with the highest point totals from each category are selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers. Five percent of the total lawyers in each state are chosen for the Super Lawyers list, with their standing checked with local licensing authorities.
Before the final list is published, Super Lawyers conducts a comprehensive verification process:
Licensing verification: The research staff confirms the candidate’s standing with the local licensing authority.
Disciplinary and criminal checks: Each candidate is asked to confirm that they have never been subject to disciplinary or criminal proceedings.
Internet searches: Final internet searches are conducted to ensure there are no outstanding matters that could reflect negatively on the lawyer.
Information accuracy: Super Lawyers contacts each selected attorney to verify the accuracy of all published information.
The final published list of Super Lawyers represents no more than 5% of the lawyers in a state. These lists are published annually in state and regional editions of Super Lawyers magazines, as well as in inserts and special advertising sections in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers.
Benefits of Super Lawyers for Law Firms
Let’s talk about the benefits of Super Lawyers for law firms. It’s not just about a fancy badge, right? It’s about what this recognition can actually do for your practice.
One key benefit is the credibility it provides both individual attorneys and their law firms as a whole. We all know clients want to feel confident they’re hiring someone qualified for the job. Super Lawyers selection shows that attorney’s peers — other experienced lawyers who likely see them as competition — recognize their skills and track record. That speaks volumes when you’re trying to win new clients.
It’s also important because it comes from an independent third party; not something the attorney pays for themselves. Credentials that have to be earned through evaluations, not bought, will always hold more weight in my view.
Super Lawyers goes beyond the regular reviews by basing it solely on peer reviews.
Another major plus is the marketing opportunities it creates. Of course, small firms need ways to get their name known as much as big firms. Super Lawyers gives them proven credentials to highlight through their website and other materials. Larger practices can boost their reputation and find new clients looking specifically for recognized legal talent in their offerings. The publicity can really help any size firm looking to grow.
In addition, our experts also believe the evaluation process is beneficial. It measures real experience in different areas of law and achievements like published works or volunteer efforts. To clients, seeing how extensively an attorney was vetted probably builds more trust than a simple “award” designation by itself. The criteria shows clients that the attorney distinguishes themselves in very tangible ways.
Super Lawyers Disadvantages
Super Lawyers isn’t a perfect system. There are some downsides to consider, and it’s important to be aware of them before making any decisions about whether to pursue a Super Lawyers award.
When potential clients turn to the internet to search for a lawyer, they’ll very likely encounter Super Lawyers profiles near the top of local search results. And we all know that top placement sways people. The psychological bias to click the top links is strong.
So you could argue this gives Super Lawyers attorneys an outsized advantage that may not always align with who’s truly the best match. Clients could default to hiring them based on visibility alone before weighing all options.
That links to another concern around ensuring a level playing field. If certain lawyers face an inherent ranking boost just through Super Lawyers, are others able to reasonably compete for the same clients? It might discourage some capable attorneys from the process.
As we discussed before, being editorially favored by Google doesn’t guarantee someone has the right niche experience. Other top local lawyers could be a better fit but get overlooked.
There’s also the argument that the designation alone may not equal real-world results. Just because peers view an attorney favorably doesn’t prove their rates of success. Some measures of direct client feedback could lend more perspective.
Does Being on Super Lawyers Actually Help?
At the end of the day, there’s no definitive answer on whether or not being listed on Super Lawyers can truly help attorneys. Much depends on how individual attorneys leverage their listing. As the Super Lawyers directory has a large online presence, inclusion provides additional exposure that some clients may perceive positively. However, not all prospective clients view Super Lawyers as a true indicator of skill or merit.
Attorneys listed on Super Lawyers can directly promote their inclusion on their website and other marketing materials. But simply being listed provides no automatic marketing value – attorneys need to actively advertise their inclusion.
Super Lawyers selection criteria focus on peer reviews and achievements. However, the process is not transparent, and peer reviewers’ biases cannot be discounted. Inclusion also says little about an attorney’s actual ability to handle specific cases. Some attorneys view Super Lawyers more as a marketing scheme than a true merit-based honor.
Who Benefits More SEO-Wise: You or Them?
Instead of just thinking about the direct impact a Super Lawyers badge can have for your business, consider the more nuanced perks, including the upsides for your SEO strategy. Super Lawyers benefit more directly through increased backlinks to their site. When a legal professional includes the Super Lawyers badge on their website, the provided embed code often links directly back to the Super Lawyers main website. This passes some amount of link equity and helps their site rank better in search engines.
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However, lawyers can also benefit from the SEO aspect. Being included in the Super Lawyers directory itself provides an authoritative backlink to the lawyer’s profile page on Super Lawyers. This can help their online presence and search rankings to a degree. If Super Lawyers ranks highly for relevant legal terms, it could pass some relevance to the lawyer through this connection.
At the same time, directly including the Super Lawyers badge on a law website risks sending some traffic away. Clients may click through to browse other lawyers featured on Super Lawyers and potentially find another option they like better. While this may not happen often, even one lost case could outweigh the SEO benefits.
Is Super Lawyers Worth It? Our Verdict
Whether you’re convinced of Super Lawyers or not, based on our extensive research, we believe that the site provides a valuable designation for many in the legal profession. However, Super Lawyers is ultimately a for-profit business. Its revenue depends on attorneys promoting and advertising their listings. Relying too heavily on the lawyers and rising stars badges for business development may not be as effective as focusing efforts on your own targeted digital marketing strategies.
Let’s face it – in today’s competitive market, general recognition alone does not guarantee growth. Instead of solely focusing on the honors of being a super lawyer, investing your marketing dollars with an expert agency can better help establish authority and foster genuine connections with potential clients. This is where Comrade Digital Agency can help. We develop fully customized and comprehensive campaigns tailored to each client’s unique needs and goals. Services may include custom-built websites, SEO, PPC, and more – all with ongoing support, guidance, and performance reporting.
If you’re ready to take your legal marketing results to the next level, let’s discuss how Comrade can help your practice succeed.
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