It is a peer reviewed legal rating system designed to help buyers of legal services select the most specific attorney for a specific task. Personal injury lawyers in Georgia are reviwed using this system. Ethical standards and professional ability are the two main criteria evaluated. Other factors such as self reporting professional credentials and performance data are also factored into the reviews. The lawyers of Link & Smith, P.C. are Atlanta auto accident attorneys specializing in personal injury and wrongful death cases and have a high Martindale-Hubbell rating.
These Peer Review Ratings reflect a combination of achieving a Very High General Ethical Standards rating and a Legal Ability numerical rating. For lawyers rated with the this methodology reflect the following:
General Ethical Standards Rating
Is about adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability, diligence and other criteria relevant to practicing law. In order to progress with these evaluating ratings lawyers must meet a “Very High” criteria rating, then they are evaluated for ability.
Legal Ability Ratings
For lawyers rated with this methodology, Legal Ability ratings will now indicate professional ability within a specific area of practice. Legal Ability ratings are based on performance in five key areas, rated on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest). Think of this the way doctors have areas of specialty in their own practices. You wouldn’t go to a brain surgeon for a heart transplant, would you?
These areas are:
* Legal Knowledge – Lawyer’s familiarity with the laws governing his/her specific area of practice(s) * Analytical Capabilities – Lawyer’s creativity in analyzing legal issues and applying technical knowledge * Judgment – Lawyer’s demonstration of the salient factors that drive the outcome of a given case or issue. * Communication Ability – Lawyer’s capability to communicate persuasively and credibly * Legal Experience – Lawyer’s degree of experience in his/her specific area of practice(s)
The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings
After a lawyer’s General Ethical Standards and Legal Ability Ratings are confirmed, his/her ratings are aggregated to create an overall numeric rating for each rated Area of Practice. The numeric rating determines the Peer Review Rating, which includes a rating term and may include a Certification Mark:
AV® Preeminent™ (4.5-5.0) – An AV® certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.
BV® Distinguished™ (3.0-4.4) – The BV® certification mark is an excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. A widely respected mark of achievement, it differentiates a lawyer from his or her competition.
Rated (1.0-2.9) – The Peer Review Rated designation demonstrates that the lawyer has met the very high criteria of General Ethical Standing.
We at Link and Smith, P.C. are proud to acknowledge our rating of AV for Preeminent standards within the law profession.We are committed to excellence in the practice of law. We are your personal injury lawyer in Georgia.
The lawyers at Link & Smith, P.C. are experts at helping anyone involved in an accident. Claims involving wrecks need to be handled by experienced accident lawyers familiar with complicated insurance issues that often arise in such a case.

