Martindale Hubble AV Rated
The law offices of Keller and Keller are honored to possess this distinguished title. Since 1936, our offices have upheld the virtues of honesty, compassion, and excellence in relation to the work we have done for countless clients. As an AV rated firm, it is our pledge to continue displaying the same esteemed qualities to each client's case, no matter the size or complexity.An "AV" rating identifies a lawyer and firm with very high to preeminent legal ability and is the highest reflection of expertise, experience, integrity and overall professional excellence. Martindale-Hubbell ratings are established by attorneys for attorneys and as it states, "clearly indicates a demonstration of the highest professional and ethical standards."
For over 130 years, Martindale-Hubbell has been the most respected source of authoritative and dependable information about members of the legal community in the Unites States, Canada and throughout the world.
More about the Martindale-Hubbell rating...
Generations of lawyers have relied on Martindale-Hubbell as the authoritative resource for information on the worldwide legal profession. Martindale-Hubbell has a history spanning more than 133 years. The Martindale-Hubbell Legal Network is currently powered by a database of over one million lawyers and law firms in 160 countries.
An integral part of Martindale-Hubbell's service to the legal community is the Lawyer Rating system, which evaluates lawyers and law firms in the U.S. and Canada based upon peer review.
Martindale-Hubbell's Ratings are considered invaluable when evaluating a lawyer. When making referrals or looking for counsel in another jurisdiction, lawyers need to have confidence in the individual under consideration. by reviewing the Ratings, they can select counsel with superior ethics, as well as the desired level of professional experience.
The Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register lists only the most distinguished law practices - those that have achieved the prestigious AV C rating in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. The AVC signifies the highest levels of legal ability-a preeminent rating. The AVC denotes a high adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability and diligence and indicates the attorney has been practicing for many years and recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity. This rating is the result of a peer review system based upon the confidential opinions of practicing attorneys and members of the judiciary.
Martindale-Hubbell's Ratings are considered invaluable when evaluating a lawyer. When making referrals or looking for counsel in another jurisdiction, lawyers and consumers need to have confidence in the individual under consideration. By reviewing the Ratings, they can select counsel with superior ethics, as well as the desired level of professional experience.
Ratings attest to a lawyer's legal ability and professional ethics, and reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and Judiciary. The Ratings are part of a century-long tradition and are exclusive to Martindale-Hubbell.
A lawyer or client may evaluate a colleague by considering the Rating, together with other data in the Professional Biography - such as practice areas, bar memberships, professional affiliations, education and clients. The Rating completes the professional profile, providing additional insight into who might be the right choice for that particular legal matter.
Ratings are established by lawyers for lawyers. The legal community respects the accuracy of Ratings because it knows that its own members - the people best suited to assess their peers - are directly involved in the process. The Martindale-Hubbell Ratings system is based on the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary, including both those who are rated and those who are not.
Martindale-Hubbell representatives conduct personal interviews to discuss lawyers under review with other members of the Bar. A compilation of these opinions from various sources is necessary to form a consensus, and lawyers under review are sometimes asked to provide professional references to assist with the process.
In addition, confidential questionnaires are sent to lawyers and judges in the same geographic location and/or area of practice as the lawyer being rated. Members of the Bar are instructed to assess their colleague's legal ability and general ethical standards.
Legal Ability Ratings- Legal Ability Ratings take into consideration the standard of professional ability in the area where the lawyer practices, the lawyer's expertise, and other professional qualifications. If a lawyer's practice is limited or specialized, Ratings are based on performance in those specific fields of law.
Legal Ability Ratings are:
C - Good to High
B - High to Very High
A - Very High to Preeminent (our partners and firm rating)
General Ethical Standards Rating- The General Ethical Standards Rating denotes adherence to professional standards of conduct and ethics, reliability, diligence and other criteria relevant to the discharge of professional responsibilities.
The General Recommendation Rating is:
V - Very High (our partners and firm rating)
A lawyer will not receive a Legal Ability Rating unless he or she has been endorsed for a "V." When both categories of Ratings are confirmed, a lawyer receives a CV, BV or AV Rating.
An AV Rating shows that a lawyer has reached the height of professional excellence. He or she has usually practiced law for many years, and is recognized for the highest levels of skill and integrity.
The title of "Super Lawyer" is an elusive distinction that illustrates supremacy in an individual attorney's craft--Keller and Keller's professional staff includes attorneys that this honor has been bestowed upon. The insurance companies will retain highly skilled attorneys in their case against you, and you should do the same.
HOW SUPER LAWYERS ARE SELECTED
Law & Politics performs the polling, research and selection of Super Lawyers in a process designed to identify lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Lawyers is a comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys, representing a wide range of practice areas, firm sizes and geographic locations. Only 5 percent of the lawyers in each state or region are named Super Lawyers.
SURVEY OF LAWYERS
Each year Law & Politics sends a ballot to the active lawyers in the state or region who have been in practice five years or more. The ballot asks lawyers to nominate the best attorneys they've personally observed in action. The intent is to discourage votes based purely on reputation. Lawyers may nominate others in their firm, but only if they nominate an equal or greater number of attorneys from other firms.
Each vote a candidate receives carries a point total, with votes from lawyers outside the nominee's firm weighted greater than votes from within the firm.
Law & Politics monitors balloting for indications of manipulation, and eliminates such ballots from consideration.
THE BLUE-RIBBON PANEL REVIEW
The nominees are grouped into more than 60 practice areas. Those nominees with the highest point totals from each practice area are invited to serve on the blue ribbon panel. Each blue ribbon panelist reviews and scores a list of nominees from their primary practice area.
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
Interviews and contacts: Throughout the selection process, Law & Politics meets and corresponds with hundreds of law firms in the state to identify the top lawyers in those firms.
Independent research: The Law & Politics attorney-led research team actively searches for outstanding attorneys to complement the statewide survey of lawyers. The research team evaluates prospective candidates on more than a dozen indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement as a supplement to the balloting and blue ribbon panel review. Civic service and pro bono activities are also considered.
Data verification: Each candidate is contacted to verify the lawyer's professional information, including primary area of practice. No Super Lawyer candidate will be selected unless all information is verified prior to publication.
Good standing review: Law & Politics reviews the discipline record of each candidate and verifies that the lawyer is active and in good standing with the appropriate licensing authority.
THE FINAL SELECTION PROCESS
Candidates are divided according to firm size and geographic location. Top candidates from each group are selected as Super Lawyers. In addition to attorneys in private practice, Super Lawyers include prosecutors, in-house counsel, and public service lawyers.As Recognized by Indiana Super Lawyers. Read the Article. Forum membership acknowledges excellence in advocacy, and provides members with a national network of experienced colleagues for professional referral and information exchange in major cases. Members must have acted as principal counsel in at least one case in which their client has received a verdict, award or settlement in the amount of one million dollars or more.
The organization was founded in 1993 and its membership is limited to a small percentage of trial lawyers across the country. The practice areas of the members include personal injury, products liability, malpractice, construction, environmental, employment, insurance, business and other types of litigation.
The purpose of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum is to certify the accomplishments of trial lawyers who have achieved large awards so that they may benefit from that recognition, and so that colleagues and clients will be aware of such accomplishments.
