Over the last few years, there's been an increase in lists of top lawyers. Examples are lists of Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyers, to Top10 DWI lawyers. The lists look impressive, but what do they really mean? Most of them are nothing more than ways to generate money, and the only requirement for being placed on the list is that you have a valid credit card.

Watch as experienced criminal defense attorney, Walter Reaves, explains why hiring from those lists might be a mistake. If you need a lawyer for your defense case, contact our office to see if we can help.

Transcript:

Over the last few years, there's been an increase in the number of legal ratings sites that exist. You have probably seen the list of the Top Five Best Criminal Attorneys or the 10 Best DUI Lawyers, or maybe the 50 Best Family Lawyers in a particular state. Most of those lists are really nothing more than money-making opportunities. Somebody's decided that they can come up with a nice, fancy seal and a certificate and convince lawyers to shell out the money to get the certificate. And the only qualification that you need, for the most part, is the ability to write a check. Just how ridiculous those ratings sites have become has been shown in a couple of cases recently where law firms or people have submitted their dogs or animals as a top attorney and gotten awards for them. So, there are a couple of the Best Dogs Lawyers in existence out there. And they've got the certificate to prove it. There are some legitimate ratings sites. Avvo is one and Martindale-Hubbell is another. And those are, for the most part, administered by third parties who take it seriously and who look at a number of different factors in issuing ratings. And the other place you can look to is board certification. The most stringent requirements any attorney can meet are board certification. And if an attorney is board-certified in a particular area, you know that they not only have the experience in that area, you also know they passed tests and other qualifications and that they can be considered an expert in that field. So don't be taken in by the Best PI Lawyer or the Best Family Lawyer. Do your research, look at the legitimate ratings sites and make your own decision.