What Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer review rating actually measures, who decides it, and how to use it when you’re choosing a lawyer.
For 12 consecutive years, I have held Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent rating, the highest peer review rating a lawyer can receive for legal ability and ethical standards. I’m proud of that. But a badge on a website only means something if you know who awarded it, how, and whether money changed hands. So let me show you exactly how this one works, because the answer to that last question is the whole point: it can’t be bought.
What is the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating?
AV Preeminent is the highest rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings system, and it is decided entirely by other lawyers and judges. It signifies that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards. Roughly 10 percent of attorneys hold it.
Martindale-Hubbell is not a new player handing out trophies. The directory traces back to 1868, and it began publishing attorney ratings in 1887, making it the oldest lawyer rating system in the United States. The name “AV” comes from the original scale: an “A” was the top grade for legal ability, and a “V” meant peers certified the lawyer’s ethics as “Very High.” You had to earn both. That two-part structure still defines the rating today.
Who decides the rating? Not me, and not Martindale-Hubbell’s sales department.
The reviewers are practicing attorneys and sitting judges. That includes lawyers I’ve worked alongside and, importantly, lawyers I’ve gone up against. Martindale-Hubbell surveys attorneys in my geography and practice areas and asks them to evaluate two things:
- Ethical standards. Peers must confirm the lawyer’s ethics before any rating is awarded. No confirmation, no rating.
- Legal ability, scored in five categories: legal knowledge, analytical capabilities, judgment, communication ability, and legal experience.
A lawyer has to reach a minimum threshold of qualifying responses before any rating issues, and you cannot review yourself. Think about what that means in a courtroom profession. The people rating me include opposing counsel, the lawyers whose clients sat across the table from mine. When the attorneys you’ve fought say, year after year, that you operate at the highest level of skill and ethics, that is a different kind of endorsement than a paid ad.
Can the AV Preeminent rating be bought?
No. Martindale-Hubbell’s peer review ratings cannot be purchased, and payment to Martindale-Hubbell does not influence whether or what rating issues. The rating is generated solely by survey responses from other members of the bar and judiciary. A lawyer can pay to advertise a rating once earned, the same way a restaurant can frame a good review, but the rating itself comes only from peers.
That distinction matters because legal marketing is full of look-alike badges. Some “top lawyer” plaques are pay-to-play: write a check, get a logo. Peer review ratings work the other way. I don’t pick the reviewers, I don’t see the individual responses, and I can’t buy the outcome. Twelve straight years means that verdict has been re-earned, not renewed like a subscription.
Why 12 consecutive years matters more than one
Any lawyer can have a good year. A rating maintained for 12 straight years, through hundreds of cases, opposing counsel, and courtrooms across Texas, is a track record, not a moment. Ratings aren’t permanent. Peers can be surveyed again, and the standing has to hold up. Mine has, every year since 2014.
What the rating does not mean
Let’s be honest about the limits. An AV Preeminent rating measures how other lawyers and judges assess my skill and ethics. It is not a prediction about the outcome of your case, and it isn’t a guarantee. No ethical lawyer can promise you a result, and you should walk away from any lawyer who does. What the rating tells you is how I practice: prepared, straight with the court, straight with opposing counsel, and straight with you.
How to verify any lawyer’s rating yourself
Don’t take my word for it, or anyone’s. Do this before you hire:
- Look up the lawyer on martindale.com. Ratings are published on the attorney’s profile. You can see mine there. https://www.martindale.com/attorney/mr-mikel-colby-lewis-45552925/
- Confirm the license. Check that the lawyer is in good standing with the State Bar of Texas at texasbar.com. It takes two minutes.
- Ask how the badge was earned. If a lawyer displays an award, ask who decides it and whether it can be purchased. The answer tells you a lot.
- Ask who will actually handle your case. Credentials belong to a person, not a lobby wall. Make sure the rated lawyer is the one doing the work.
Talk to a lawyer his peers rated at the highest level, 12 years running
If you’ve been injured in Texas, or you’re in a business or insurance dispute, the consultation is free and there’s no fee on injury cases unless we win. Check the rating first. We’d rather you trust us because you looked. Call The Law Offices of Colby Lewis at (866) 265-2948 or contact us online.
This article is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice. AV Preeminent® is a certification mark of MH Sub I, LLC, used under license; peer review ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the bar and judiciary and are not a guarantee of a particular result. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.
