SUPER LAWYERS
AN ATTORNEY’S GUIDE TO SUPER LAWYERS AN INSIDE LOOK AT SUPER LAWYERS Increase your visibility with Super Lawyers. This guide is designed to provide you with information to help you understand the nomination and selection process for Super Lawyers and how you can effectively participate. Additionally, learn what print and online marketing solutions are available to expand your visibility as well as how to announce your selection. CONTENTS AN ATTORNEY’S GUIDE TO SUPER LAWYERS Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Selection Process ............................................................................................................................ 4 How You Can Participate in the Process......................................................................................... 5 Distribution ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Print Solutions...................................................................................................................................7 Online Solutions .............................................................................................................................. 8 Spread the News ............................................................................................................................. 9 Frequently Asked Questions......................................................................................................10-11 Important Contacts ........................................................................................................................12 2 SUPERLAWYERS.COM MY.SUPERLAWYERS.COM SUPER LAWYERS OVERVIEW WHAT IS SUPER LAWYERS? Super Lawyers is a research-driven, peer influenced rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Our mission is to provide visibility to attorneys who exhibit excellence in the practice of law. ATTORNEYS ARE SELECTED FROM 70+ PRACTICE AREAS AND ALL FIRM SIZES, ASSURING A CREDIBLE AND RELEVANT ANNUAL LIST. Super Lawyers Magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys, and is distributed to attorneys in the state or region and all ABA-approved law school libraries. Super Lawyers Magazine is also published as a special section in leading city and regional magazines across the country. FOR YOUR REFERENCE Super Lawyers is a registered trademark. Please do not refer to yourself as a ‘Super Lawyer.’ What distinguishes Super Lawyers from other attorney rankings? • It is created methodically and objectively by combining research with peer nomination and review. • The Super Lawyers selection process has been validated by courts and bar associations. • It is an annual list, not a lifetime achievement. • It is exclusive—recognizing no more than 5 percent of each state’s attorneys in the Super Lawyers list, and no more than 2.5 percent in the Rising Stars list. • You cannot buy your way onto the Super Lawyers or Rising Stars list. FOR MORE INFORMATION (877) 787-5290 3 SELECTION PROCESS INDICATORS OF ACHIEVEMENT 1. Verdicts and settlements 7. Position within law firm 2. Transactions 8. Bar and/or other professional activity 3. Representative clients 9. Pro bono and community service as a lawyer 4. Experience 10. Scholarly lectures and writings 5. Honors and awards 11. Education and employment background 6. Special licenses and certifictions 12. Other outstanding achievements SUPER LAWYERS Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multiphase process that includes peer nominations, evaluations and our independent research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis. The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel. Since Super Lawyers is intended to be used as an aid in selecting a lawyer, we limit the lawyer ratings to those who can be hired and retained by the public, i.e., lawyers in private practice. RISING STARS The Rising Stars list is developed using the same patented multiphase process used for the Super Lawyers list selection, except: • To be eligible for inclusion in Rising Stars, a candidate must either be 40 years old or younger, or in practice for 10 years or less. • While up to 5 percent of the lawyers in a state are named to the Super Lawyers list, no more than 2.5 percent are named to the Rising Stars list. 4 SUPERLAWYERS.COM MY.SUPERLAWYERS.COM HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS Use the online tool at My.SuperLawyers.com to participate in the Super Lawyers selection process, order advertising and recognition items, and manage your online attorney profile. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Tell us about your accomplishments • Update your attorney information • Complete data verification Nominate your peers Comment on and evaluate other lawyers • Recommend outstanding peers • Notify us about attorneys we should consider (this is not considered a formal nomination) Order Advertising and Recognition Items online Manage your online attorney profile • Udate your contact information • View your online attorney profile analytics • Upgrade your online profile ATTORNEY NOMINATION GUIDELINES • In-firm nominations are counted only if you nominate an equal or greater number of lawyers outside of your firm. • You may nominate a maximum of 21 lawyers (they are limited to seven in-firm nominations, seven out-of-firm nominations, and seven Rising Stars nominations). • No “campaigning” or soliciting nominations from other lawyers is allowed. Those nominations may be disregarded and lead to disqualification. • Base your nominations on first-hand knowledge, rather than reputation—e.g., opposing counsel, co-counsel or someone you have observed in court or during a transaction. The nomination process is the first step of a multiphase selection process. Nominations will remain confidential. BLUE RIBBON PANEL Approximately one-third of the attorneys selected last year will be invited to evaluate other attorneys in their practice area as additional validation of the Super Lawyers list. If you are selected to be on the Blue Ribbon Panel, you will receive an email with instructions on how to evaluate the nominees in your state and practice area. Participating on this panel involves no meetings and a minimal time commitment. A lawyer’s contribution as a Blue Ribbon panelist is an important step in our research process. All responses are confidential. If you are selected to be on the Blue Ribbon Panel, you will not see your own name appear on the evaluation list. However, your name will appear on a list reviewed by other Blue Ribbon panelists within your practice area(s). FOR MORE INFORMATION (877) 787-5290 5 DISTRIBUTION Attorneys named to the Super Lawyers list gain unprecedented visibility with the Super Lawyers publishing model. PRINT DISTRIBUTION SUPER LAWYERS MAGAZINE SPECIAL SECTIONS IN CONSUMER PUBLICATIONS SUPER LAWYERS BUSINESS EDITION SUPER LAWYERS SPECIAL EDITIONS 33 ISSUES 54+ CITY & REGIONAL MAGAZINES ANNUAL PUBLICATION 12 REACHING 1.05M ATTORNEYS REACHING NEARLY 20M CONSUMERS REACHING 55K+ EXECUTIVES AND IN-HOUSE COUNSEL AND GROWING, REACHING 10M+ CONSUMERS ONLINE DISTRIBUTION SUPERLAWYERS.COM 1.2M PAGE VIEWS GENERATED EACH MONTH; 4X MORE TRAFFIC GENERATED FOR LAWYERS WITH PAID PROFILES 6 SUPERLAWYERS.COM MY.SUPERLAWYERS.COM PRINT SOLUTIONS PLATINUM PROFILE Platinum Profiles provide editorial-style visibility with custom photography and copywriting provided by Super Lawyers. Platinum Profiles are offered in a wide variety of layouts and sizes to fit your brand and budget. HALF PAGE FULL PAGE DISPLAY ADVERTISING Display Advertising allows impact and flexibility regarding the design of the advertisement. The firm may provide camera-ready ads, or Super Lawyers can assist with design (additional fees apply). HALF PAGE FULL PAGE ASK SUPER LAWYERS PRINT ADVERTISING Ask Super Lawyers Print Advertising is an advertorial-style Q&A meant to showcase an attorney’s expertise in a specific area of practice. HALF-PAGE DISPLAY FULL PAGE PLATINUM STANDARD PROFILE A Standard Profile will highlight your practice with a full-color photo and biography, and is available in one-third page and one-ninth page sizes. IMPACT LISTING An Impact Listing highlights your practice within the Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. Impact Listings will appear in all publications in which you are listed. JOHN R. SMITH ATTORNEY AT LAW Anytown • 123‑456‑7890 www.lawfirmname.com ONE-THIRD PAGE Contact your Associate Publisher for more information. Learn more at SuperLawyers.com/Advertising FOR MORE INFORMATION (877) 787-5290 7 ONLINE SOLUTIONS ONLINE ATTORNEY PROFILES Every attorney selected to a Super Lawyers or Rising Stars list from any year will appear on SuperLawyers.com with a free basic online attorney profile. To significantly enhance your online visibility, upgrade to a Premium Online Attorney Profile or Expanded Online Attorney Profile. SUPER LAWYERS TOPSPOTS PREMIUM ONLINE ATTORNEY PROFILE Super Lawyers TopSpots provide exclusive top-three placement of a Premium Online Attorney Profile in the SuperLawyers.com attorney directory. ASK SUPER LAWYERS ANSWER PAGE Showcase your expertise online with an Ask Super Lawyers Answer Page. This advertorial spin on a traditional question-and-answer set uses optimized content to direct consumers with a specific legal issue to your personal Answer Page. PREMIUM ONLINE FIRM PROFILE The Super Lawyers Premium Online Firm Profile provides instant online visibility for your entire firm. Choose from three design templates, each with six pages of content. SUPER LAWYERS VIDEO Super Lawyers Video provides flexibility and creativity to help you create a portfolio of videos for any attorney at your firm (at least one of the videos must be for an attorney selected to a Super Lawyers or Rising Stars list). Full-Day or Half-Day shoots are available. Jane Doe rated by Super Lawyers Attorney Jane Doe describes her personal injury focused law practice. Order all online products at My.SuperLawyers.com 8 SUPERLAWYERS.COM MY.SUPERLAWYERS.COM SPREAD THE NEWS SUPER LAWYERS ATTORNEY BADGES Showcase your accomplishment online with a personalized Super Lawyers attorney badge. Attorneys selected to a Super Lawyers or Rising Stars list from any year have the exclusive opportunity to display this badge on their website, blog or other online property at no cost. Badges are also available for special milestones, such as a 5 or 10-year anniversary with Super Lawyers, being included on a Top List or being featured in Super Lawyers Magazine. To get your personalized Super Lawyers badge, go to your Super Lawyers online attorney profile and click the link at the bottom that reads “Download your Super Lawyers Personalized Badge.” SUPER LAWYERS PROMOTIONAL KIT Announce your selection to a Super Lawyers or Rising Stars list with help from our complimentary promotional kit, including templates for press releases, emails, blog posts and social media posts. Also includes language on how to announce a 5 or 10-year anniversary with Super Lawyers or inclusion to Super Lawyers Business Edition. 2015 EDITION Contact your Associate Publisher for your copy of the Super Lawyers Promotional Kit today. SUPER LAWYERS PROMOTIONAL KIT GROW YOUR LEGAL NETWORK AND CONNECT WITH US TODAY! VISIT SuperLawyers.com/Social FOR MORE INFORMATION (877) 787-5290 9 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS NOMINATION Who is entitled to nominate? To be eligible to make nominations, an attorney must be licensed and practicing in the state where he or she wishes to nominate. Can I nominate myself? No. How do I nominate attorneys for Super Lawyers? If you are a practicing attorney, visit My.SuperLawyers.com. In the nominations section you can add comments to your nominations and rate each attorney you nominate on 12 different criteria. To see a list of states where nominations are being accepted, go to SuperLawyers.com/about/ nominations.html. If you are not a practicing attorney, send an email to [email protected] with comments and suggestions on attorneys we should consider for inclusion. These “informal nominations” carry no point value in our lawyer-rating system, but will ensure that the attorneys are placed in our candidate pool for further evaluation. Can I nominate a lawyer from another state? Our nomination page at My.SuperLawyers.com is designed to accept only in-state nominations. However, you may comment on and evaluate lawyers from other states by clicking the “Comment on/Evaluate Lawyers” tab at the top of the My.SuperLawyers.com home page. These comments and evaluations will be treated as “informal nominations” which carry no point value in our rating system, but will ensure that the attorneys are placed in our candidate pool for further evaluation. May I nominate via paper ballot? Yes. Go to Downloads.SuperLawyers.com/pdf/ SLRS_Web_Ballot.pdf. Print, complete and fax your ballot by the printed deadline. 10 Can you confirm that you received my ballot? If you completed your ballot online and provided us with your email address, you will receive confirmation by email. We are unable to confirm receipt of paper ballots. I want to know who nominated me. Will you tell me? No. We maintain strict confidentiality over the balloting process. ONLINE PROFILES How can I change the information displayed in my online attorney profile? If you have an Expanded or Premium Online Attorney Profile on SuperLawyers.com, you can update the information displayed using the Profile Manager on My.SuperLawyers.com. You must be logged in to use the Profile Manager. Any changes will be visible on your profile page and will be reflected in the SuperLawyers.com search results within 24 hours. How can I add/update my photo on my profile page? If you already have a photo, you can change it at any time. Once logged in to My.SuperLawyers.com, use the Profile Manager to add or change your photograph. The pixel size is 128x160 if you want to resize it yourself—if not, the Profile Manager will resize your photograph for you. If your profile page does not contain your photograph, then you must first upgrade to a Premium Online Attorney Profile or Expanded Online Attorney Profile. Contact your Associate Publisher or call 1-877-787-5290 for more information. How can I link to my profile page? Do you provide graphics to use on my website? Every profile page contains a link to a personalized Super Lawyers attorney badge that you can place on your site. The necessary HTML is presented as a block of code that can be easily copied and pasted into any webpage. SUPERLAWYERS.COM MY.SUPERLAWYERS.COM FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How can I have my blog headlines appear on my profile page? You can add this information to your Profile using the Profile Manager on My.SuperLawyers.com. For this feature to work you need to enter the URL for your blog’s RSS or Atom feed. research and advertising. The names of all attorneys selected by Super Lawyers are published in our print publications and at SuperLawyers.com at no charge whether attorneys advertise or not. Advertising sales do not begin until after the selection process is completed. SUPER LAWYERS SELECTION How many lawyers make the list? The Super Lawyers list recognizes no more than 5 percent of attorneys in each state. The Rising Stars list recognizes no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in each state. To be eligible for inclusion in Rising Stars, a candidate must either be 40 years old or younger, or in practice for 10 years or less. If I have been selected to a Super Lawyers list, can I refer to myself as a “Super Lawyer”? A lawyer on our list is not a “Super Lawyer,” or a “Rising Star.” Rather, “he or she has been named to the 2015 Minnesota Super Lawyers list or 2015 Minnesota Rising Stars list.” When used properly, the term is not descriptive or comparative. Instead, it’s a fact-based statement, and as such, is protected speech. If I am notified that I have been selected, is there anything I need to do? Yes, please complete the data verification online at My.SuperLawyers.com or return the paper form sent to selected attorneys with your notification. This will ensure you will be listed. I was listed in Super Lawyers last year but not this year. What happened? We perform a new round of balloting and Blue Ribbon Panel review each year, so the list undergoes some degree of change from year to year. Being listed one year does not guarantee that you will be published the following year. Why don’t you list non-private practice lawyers such as public defenders, prosecutors and in-house counsel? As a lawyer rating service, Super Lawyers is intended to be a resource to help in the selection of legal counsel. As such, we limit the list to attorneys who can be hired and retained by the public, i.e., lawyers in private practice and Legal Aid attorneys. I have a national litigation practice and don’t try local cases. I’m afraid I’ll be overlooked in the balloting. What can I do? Our research team evaluates candidates on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Be sure to keep your profile up-to-date on My.SuperLawyers.com, because our researchers will be notified each time an update is made. This is very important for making yourself visible during the research process. GENERAL How do I make sure I receive email from Super Lawyers? We currently send email with the following ‘From’ address: [email protected]. If you whitelist these addresses, you should receive all of our main bulk mailings. Can I pay to be published in Super Lawyers? No. We maintain strict separation between FOR MORE INFORMATION (877) 787-5290 11 IMPORTANT CONTACTS EDITORIAL Do you have an interesting story for Super Lawyers? The editor welcomes suggestions for articles: Email: [email protected] RESEARCH Do you have questions about the Super Lawyers or Rising Stars selection process or about nominations? ADVERTISING/SALES To purchase or inquire about advertising in Super Lawyers, call: (877) 787-5290 and press 1 OTHER QUESTIONS Please call and press the appropriate number from the directory: (877) 787-5290 Email: [email protected] OFFICE LOCATIONS RECOGNITION ITEMS & GIFTS For Super Lawyers Recognition Items and Gifts, please contact: Eagan, MN Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters 610 Opperman Drive Eagan, MN 55123 Email: [email protected] ONLINE PROFILE SERVICE If you have questions about online profiles, please call: Bellevue, WA Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters 155 108th Ave NE Suite 600 Bellevue, WA 98004 (302) 444-9504 Newark, DE Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters 256 Chapman Road Oxford Building #201 Newark, DE 19702 March 2015 Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters
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