Each component is scored 0–100 against a defined rubric, then weighted to produce a single composite.
Component scores are shown on every profile so the breakdown is auditable.
01
Documented case results
22% of total
Verdicts and settlements reported by the lawyer or their firm, scored against the size and recency of the result, with bonus weight for results corroborated by a third-party verdict reporter or news outlet. Larger and more recent results score higher. Co-counsel results carry half weight.
Sources:
TopVerdict.com
Verdict Search
firm-published case logs
court records
news coverage
02
Peer recognition
18% of total
Inclusion in invitation-only or peer-reviewed bodies — Inner Circle of Advocates, Lawdragon 500, American College of Trial Lawyers, AAJ board, Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Chambers, Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent, and state-bar Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums. Self-published "awards" with no peer-review component are excluded.
Sources:
Best Lawyers®
Super Lawyers®
Chambers USA
Martindale-Hubbell
Lawdragon
Inner Circle of Advocates
state-bar boards
03
Years of practice and PI focus
14% of total
Years admitted to the bar and the percentage of practice dedicated to plaintiff personal injury work. A 30-year general practitioner who handles PI 10% of the time will score lower than a 20-year attorney who handles PI exclusively.
Sources:
state bar admission records
firm-disclosed practice statistics
04
Bar standing
10% of total
Active license in good standing in the lawyer's primary jurisdiction, with no public discipline within the last 10 years. Any lawyer with an active suspension or revoked license is excluded from rankings entirely, regardless of other scores.
Sources:
state bar disciplinary records (all 50 states publish these)
05
Trial experience
14% of total
Documented jury trials taken to verdict over the last 10 years. Personal injury settlement-only practices score lower in this component; firms that try cases score higher.
Sources:
court records
verdict reporters
AAJ trial-experience disclosures
06
Client review aggregate
7% of total
Volume-weighted Google Reviews rating, capped to limit dominance by high-volume settlement mills. A firm with 200 reviews at 4.8 stars scores higher than a firm with 30 reviews at 5.0 stars; a firm with no reviews receives the median.
Sources:
Google Reviews (public)
Avvo (public)
state-bar published reviews
07
Quality of practice
15% of total
A composite assessment of the firm's day-to-day client service infrastructure and broader professional engagement, beyond case results and peer awards. Inputs include client review volume and sentiment, language access (multilingual service), intake infrastructure (24/7 availability, multi-channel communication, free consultation), professional engagement (ABOTA, NTL Top 100, AAJ board service, state-bar leadership, MCLE/CLE faculty), and firm scale. The component combines algorithmic signals with documented editorial review; the rationale for any editorial adjustment is logged in the firm's public profile notes and shown on request.
Sources:
Google Reviews aggregate
firm-disclosed languages and intake hours
professional organization rosters (ABOTA, NTL, AAJ)
state-bar leadership rosters
editorial review (per-firm rationale published)