Is Martindale-Hubbell AV Rating Really Worth It in 2024?

Until recently, law firms relied on the Martindale-Hubbell directory to find local counsel across the U.S. However, with the rise of online resources, finding information about lawyers in any city has become much easier. Today, firms focus on reaching clients directly, using tools like digital marketing for lawyers.

With limited budgets, firms must decide where to invest their resources. This has led some to question, "Is Martindale-Hubbell worth it?", especially given the time needed to earn an AV rating. Learn more about how to get a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating and whether this prestigious Martindale rating is right for your practice in today's legal community.

The History Behind Martindale-Hubbell

Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system was created in a different era, starting in 1868, and became a trusted method for evaluating lawyers. Before the internet, Martindale's directory helped attorneys find peer-reviewed local counsel across cities, offering valuable insight into unfamiliar lawyers and firms.

When considering whether Martindale-Hubbell is worthwhile for your practice, note two points. First, peer review ratings were designed for lawyers, not clients, to evaluate a lawyer's professional standing for referrals. Second, while the AV rating remains highly respected among attorneys, Martindale-Hubbell is no longer the only source for information in today's connected world.

How Martindale-Hubbell Ratings Work

Martindale-Hubbell bases its attorney ratings on peer reviews. Your ratings come from surveys of other lawyers who rate your legal ability and professional ethics. This distinguishes Martindale-Hubbell’s attorney ratings from:

• Legal profile ratings like on Avvo
• Client review ratings like on Google or Yelp

The idea behind these ratings is that other lawyers want to know what your peers think of your legal ability and ethical standards. Attorneys are more likely to be persuaded by a rating from your colleagues and judges than by algorithms or random clients. Client reviews are also crucial as they bolster credibility and build an attorney's online presence.

When you work with co-counsel, opposing counsel, and judges, they have an inside view into how you practice law. And fellow lawyers have the insight to evaluate you as a lawyer.

While a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating reflects your professional standing, it doesn't replace the need for positive client reviews. However, this peer review rating offers a unique perspective not found in other rating systems, helping build trust and boost your online visibility for potential clients.

How is the Martindale-Hubbell Rating System Composed?

Martindale-Hubbell uses surveys of your peers in the legal profession to determine your peer review rating. The peer review ratings process involves collecting feedback from references and other lawyers, confirming ethical standards, and rating attorneys in different categories such as Legal Knowledge, Analytical Capabilities, Judgment, Communication Ability, and Legal Experience. These surveys go to attorneys who know you well enough to rate your legal ability and general ethical standards. These lawyers may include:

• Attorneys in your legal field, regardless of their geographic location
• Attorneys outside your legal field familiar with your work
• Judges familiar with your work

These surveys ask your peers from the legal community to provide feedback on your ethical standards. The survey then asks these other attorneys to rate you on a scale of one to five in five categories of legal ability:

• Legal experience
• Legal knowledge
• Communication ability
• Analytical capabilities
• Judgment

The company uses these surveys to calculate your peer rating.

The Old Rating System

Formerly, the company had three levels of awards based on your score and your years of practice.

Attorneys with "C" ratings were considered "fair" in legal abilities, while "B" ratings were given to those rated "good" or better with at least five years of experience. "A" ratings went to attorneys rated "very good" with over ten years of experience.

Martindale-Hubbell also added a binary ethics rating. If you received a "V" rating, it meant your peers rated your ethical standards as "very high."

Thus, a lawyer could have six different peer review ratings as a result of the survey process:

• AV rating (very high legal abilities and ethical standards)
• A rating (high legal abilities)
• BV rating (good legal abilities and very high ethics)
• B rating (good legal abilities)
• CV rating (fair legal abilities and very high ethics)
• C rating (fair legal abilities)

An AV rating was the highest rating possible under the old system.

The Current Rating System

Martindale has changed its peer review ratings to have only three levels. Instead of individual letter grades for legal abilities, the current ratings use descriptors. Under the current system, an attorney can earn a peer review rating of:

• AV preeminent rating (highest rating)
• Distinguished rating (excellent rating)
• Notable (strong rating)

Roughly speaking, an AV preeminent rating corresponds to an AV rating. But a distinguished rating seems to include the BV rating plus B-rated lawyers with "excellent" ethics. Likewise, the notable rating seems to include the CV rating plus C-rated lawyers with "strong" ethics.

Can a Lawyer be Reviewed by Clients Using Martindale-Hubbell Ratings?

Wondering how to get a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating? The Martindale-Hubbell peer review process does not include reviews by clients. Only members of the legal community can submit surveys for the company’s peer review process.

The company still calls its peer review process the “gold standard in attorney ratings.” However, it also acknowledges that peer review scores may provide valuable information to other lawyers but only limited information to potential clients.

Since 2017, Martindale-Hubbell has offered clients the ability to submit lawyer reviews through the company’s online directory. These can be seen in the Martindale lawyer search. A lawyer receives a “Client Reviewed” badge for use on the lawyer’s website after receiving their first review.

Additionally, the company gives ratings to firms that receive multiple positive reviews from clients on the company’s website. The ratings are based on the number of reviews received and the average score. The average client rating is crucial as it determines the level of recognition a firm can achieve.

Client review rating awards recognize and reward attorneys or law firms based on their client reviews and ratings. The awards include Platinum, Gold, and Silver levels, depending on the number of client reviews received and the average client rating maintained.

Platinum

Platinum means an attorney received at least ten reviews with an average score of 4.5 out of 5.0.

Gold

An attorney receives a gold rating for receiving at least six reviews with an average score of 4.2 out of 5.0.

Silver

Attorneys receive a silver rating if they receive at least three reviews with an average score of 4.0 out of 5.0.

How to Get a Client Review Rating

To get a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating, you must have a profile on Martindale's website. You must direct your clients to your profile on the website. There, they will search for your name in the category for the legal issue you handled for them. 

For example, if you have a personal injury law practice, they will search for your name in the personal injury category.

Once they find your name in the search results, they will complete a survey that asks them to rate you on a scale of one to five in four categories:

• Quality of service
• Communication ability
• Responsiveness
• Value for money

Reviewers can also leave comments with their reviews. According to Martindale-Hubbell, the client's review, including the comments, will appear on the site within 24 hours after submission.

Remember that these Martindale-Hubbell reviews are for individual lawyers, not law firms. If multiple attorneys in your firm worked on a client's case, each individual attorney must ask for an independent review.

The review rating published on Martindale's website is the average of all review scores received over the preceding two years.

Check out our resources on reputation management for attorneys to learn about the consequences of bad reviews and how to deal with them.

The Benefits for Law Firms of Getting Martindale-Hubbell Ratings

Martindale-Hubbell peer review ratings offer substantial digital marketing benefits for you and your law firm. Achieving an AV rating signals professional excellence and is widely respected by other attorneys.

Colleagues recognize the rarity of Martindale's highest lawyer's rating, making them more comfortable referring cases to you. They trust you possess both the legal skills and ethical standards to competently handle their clients’ matters.

Even if potential clients don’t fully understand the ratings process, earning the highest rating impresses them. It reflects your reputation for excellence and integrity, helping to outweigh any negative reviews and strengthening your firm's credibility.

Martindale-Hubbell review ratings from clients can also persuade potential clients of your legal knowledge and expertise. A prior client's experiences with your work indicate how you will handle a new client's case.

According to consumer surveys, 77% of potential customers always or regularly read online reviews when looking for local businesses. Your potential clients expect you to have reviews. And nearly half of them trust online reviews of you and your law firm as much as they trust personal recommendations.

Your Peer Rating Can Also be Used on Other Platforms

In addition to the impact ratings have on a potential client, Martindale-Hubbell ratings can also positively impact your digital marketing.

Martindale-Hubbell owns several platforms, including Lawyers.com, Avvo, and Nolo. Your Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating will appear across the company's network of platforms. The more places you appear, the easier it is for consumers to find you. 

More importantly, since Martindale-Hubbell owns multiple platforms, your peer and client ratings badges will automatically appear with your profile across these sites. This boosts your lawyer's reputation and helps with search engine optimization (SEO) for your law firm.

When search engines assess websites, they rank them higher if authoritative sites link to them. By being featured on Martindale's network, you gain valuable backlinks from high-authority platforms. This increases your website’s chances of ranking higher in search results on Google and other search engines, helping you meet the minimum threshold for top placements.

Cons of Martindale-Hubbell Ratings for Attorneys

While a Martindale-Hubbell rating, especially a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating, can enhance an attorney's reputation, there are several cons to consider:

• Limited reach: Martindale-Hubbell's audience is smaller compared to more modern legal directories, reducing visibility.
• Cost: Participating in the rating system and maintaining a profile can be expensive for smaller law firms or solo practitioners.
• Bias: The rating system relies heavily on peer reviews, which may introduce bias or limit opportunities for younger attorneys to be rated.
• Time-consuming: Obtaining an AV rating requires a lengthy process of gathering peer evaluations, which may not offer immediate benefits.
• Focus on senior attorneys: Younger lawyers may find it difficult to gain recognition due to the system’s emphasis on established attorneys.

How a Law Firm Becomes Part of the Martindale-Hubbell Rating System

You don't need to subscribe to Martindale-Hubbell to receive Martindale ratings from peers and clients, but you must create an attorney profile. This profile enables other attorneys to find and submit peer ratings for you, along with written feedback. You’ll also gain access to Martindale’s peer reference nomination tool.

Additionally, you can create profiles for your law firm and the other attorneys within it. Having multiple AV-rated attorneys enhances your firm’s visibility in legal directories and rating systems, showcasing professional excellence. Once your profile is set up, you can begin collecting peer ratings and establish your presence in Martindale's legal services network.

1. Contact Martindale's Customer Support Team to Request a Rating of Your Legal Ability and Ethical Standards

You need access to the peer reference nomination tool to submit your peer references to Martindale-Hubbell. You get access by contacting the company's customer support team by phone or email message. You can find Martindale's contact information on its website.

Martindale's customer service team will email you a link to access the nomination tool.

2. Compile and Submit Your Peer References Using the Peer Reference Nomination Tool

Attorneys seeking a Martindale peer review rating will need to create a list of peer references. To submit them through Martindale’s peer reference nomination tool, references must:

• Have profiles on Martindale-Hubbell’s website
• Include current email addresses in their profiles

If a reference lacks a profile, they can create a free one. For outdated contact info, either ask Martindale to update it from public sources or have the reference update it. Martindale recommends at least 18 references, but ideally, 20 to 25, to ensure accurate client review ratings and a strong Martindale rating for your legal representation.

3. Contact Your Peer References

After submitting your peer references to the Martindale-Hubbell database, the company will send them an email with a survey link for your rating score. Martindale-Hubbell advises contacting your references beforehand, as this increases the likelihood of responses.

Martindale-Hubbell recommends that you contact your peer references after submitting their names in the tool. According to Martindale, your colleagues are more likely to respond to the email and submit ratings if you contact them first. 

Submitting over 18 references allows some margin for non-responses, ensuring you gather enough feedback for a rating in the legal industry.

Martindale-Hubbell FAQs

Attorneys often ask the same questions as they contemplate whether it is worth pursuing a Martindale-Hubbell rating from peers and clients. Some common questions and their answers include:

Is Martindale-Hubbell Worth It?

Determining if pursuing a Martindale-Hubbell rating is worth your time depends on your goals and clients. While an AV rating can enhance your credibility in the Martindale-Hubbell law directory and set you apart as outside counsel, clients seeking personal legal help may value peer reviews less and prefer testimonials from individuals in similar situations.

The process of obtaining a legal ability rating is quick and could yield substantial business. However, if you already rely on referrals or have a niche practice, you may not need the additional visibility.

For more advice on whether Martindale-Hubbell is worth it or to boost your presence through SEO services for law firms, contact us today!