Florida Bar Board Certified Criminal Trial Specialist versus "Super Lawyers" and the Martindale-Hubble “AV Rating”

Florida criminal law is a competitive business just like any other professional service. If someone is the greatest lawyer in their field, yet have no clients, economically they lose. Yet if a mediocre lawyer is profitable, they win. Money isn’t the most important thing in the world, but for many, it ranks up there with oxygen. This is not ideal; it’s just how it is.

Lawyer rating systems marketed by law firm vendors are affected by the necessity to market legal services. Always remember this critical fact when selecting a lawyer in any field. There have been what I consider to be bogus attempts to pad lawyer resumes with labels such as "Super Lawyer" and an even older scam such as the Martindale-Hubble "AV Rating."

A Florida criminal lawyer is an expert (a specialist) or is not. There is no middle ground:

Florida Bar Certified Trial Specialist

* Must take an advanced written test created by other certified experts

* Must have a minimum number of legal cases tried to completion

* Must have a certain number of cases of a “serious and complex nature” tried to completion

* Must complete Continuing Legal Education (CLE)

* Peer Review requirements

* “Certified attorneys are the only lawyers allowed to identify or advertise themselves as Florida Bar Board Certified, specialists or experts.” – The Florida Bar

* Board Certification is recognized by the Florida Bar for a lawyer’s expertise and competence.


Martindale-Hubble “AV Rating”

* No testing

* No trial requirement

* No complexity requirement

* No CLE requirement

* Peer Review requirements

* Any lawyer meeting the legal vendor’s criteria can identify themselves as “AV
rated.”

* An AV Rating is not recognized by the Florida Bar – for anything.

Peer Review Requirements

Check out this gem straight from the Martindale-Hubble website:

"What is the role of the Martindale-Hubbell Ratings Specialist in the rating process?
Peer Review Ratings Specialists work closely with Martindale-Hubbell's larger law firm clients to educate, engage and assist their lawyers in the Peer Review Process and the marketing opportunities surrounding the Peer Review Ratings."

Let me tranlate that one for the general public - have all of your friends in the legal profession scratch your back and you will scratch theirs. There are no exams, no CLE requirements, and best of all, Martidale-Hubble has sold this pap to large law firms for so long, that many lawyers actually believe it!

I am not a "Super Lawyer" nor am I "AV Rated" by some marketing division of a vendor of legal publications. I never will be, either: Like many of my colleagues, I am a Board Certified Expert in Florida Criminal Trial Law. None of us can promise you a "win."

That may not be what our "pratice advisors" want us to tell you, but the public needs the truth, not a slick advetising campaign. "Super Lawyer" designations and "AV Ratings" are not even recognized by the Bar. They are little more than slick marketing to make you feel better. These "rating systems" imply a golden results in a legal field where we cannot promise a particular result.

Actually, experience has prove that telling it like it is consitutes the best marketing strategy.

Respectfully submitted,

Stephen G. Cobb
CobbLawFirm.com