When searching for legal representation, prospective clients are often faced with a difficult question: how do you evaluate an attorney's qualifications and reputation before hiring them? While referrals, online reviews, and bar association records all provide useful information, one of the most established and respected measures of attorney quality is the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating.
What Is Martindale-Hubbell?
Martindale-Hubbell has been providing lawyer ratings and legal information for over 150 years. Founded in 1868, the organization maintains one of the oldest and most comprehensive legal directories in the United States. Its peer review rating system is recognized across the legal profession as a credible and objective measure of an attorney's professional abilities and ethical standing.
Unlike consumer review platforms, Martindale-Hubbell ratings are based on evaluations from other attorneys and members of the judiciary who have direct professional knowledge of the rated lawyer's work. This peer-based approach provides an assessment rooted in firsthand experience rather than public perception alone.
What the AV Rating Means
The AV Preeminent rating is the highest rating available through the Martindale-Hubbell system. The designation has two components:
- "A" represents the highest level of legal ability. This rating reflects the assessment of the attorney's legal knowledge, analytical capabilities, judgment, communication ability, and overall legal experience as evaluated by peers.
- "V" stands for "Very High" general ethical standards. This component confirms that the attorney adheres to the professional standards of conduct expected by the legal community and the courts.
The AV Preeminent rating is not something an attorney can purchase or apply for. It is earned solely through the confidential evaluations of fellow legal professionals.
Only a select percentage of attorneys nationwide achieve the AV rating, making it a meaningful distinction in the legal profession.
How Ratings Are Determined
The Martindale-Hubbell rating process involves several steps. When an attorney becomes eligible for review, Martindale-Hubbell identifies lawyers and judges who are familiar with the attorney's work. These reviewers are asked to provide confidential assessments of the attorney's legal ability and ethical standards.
Reviewers evaluate the attorney across multiple criteria, including legal knowledge in their area of practice, analytical capabilities, judgment, communication skills, and adherence to ethical standards. The responses are compiled and analyzed by Martindale-Hubbell's editorial staff, and a rating is assigned based on the aggregate of peer feedback.
Because the rating is based on the opinions of professionals who have observed the attorney in practice, it provides a perspective that is difficult to obtain through other means. Attorneys cannot influence or manipulate their own ratings, which helps maintain the integrity of the system.
Why the AV Rating Matters to Clients
For someone seeking legal representation, the AV Preeminent rating serves as an independent verification of an attorney's professional standing. While no single metric can capture everything about an attorney's practice, the AV rating provides confidence that the lawyer has been recognized by their peers as highly competent and ethical.
Choosing an attorney is one of the most important decisions a person can make when facing a legal matter. The stakes involved in workers' compensation claims, personal injury cases, and real estate transactions demand a level of experience and professionalism that directly affects outcomes. A peer-reviewed rating offers a data point that goes beyond marketing and self-promotion.
Gregg R. Margre holds the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, reflecting decades of legal practice and peer recognition. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1995 and a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, Mr. Margre has built a reputation for providing thorough and effective legal representation to clients throughout Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.