The Benefits of Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings

For most people, the law is a mystery. It provides the framework for society to function peacefully but doesn’t really cross their minds until they have a legal matter. When a person has an accident, runs afoul of the law or proactively needs help forming a business or creating a will, however, the law suddenly becomes quite real.

At this juncture, consumers have numerous questions. They are asking “Why me?” “Who can I trust to get advice?” They feel at a loss: “I am confused about my rights, why is this happening, and what does my legal issue mean?” They realize that they don’t know enough about the law to confidently judge whether an attorney is capable of resolving their legal issue.

Peer reviews help convince consumers to hire you

Enter Martindale-Hubbell^® Peer Review Ratings™. As the name implies, peer review ratings comprise feedback from other attorneys on the ethics and legal ability of a particular lawyer. Who better than other attorneys, educated in the law and who work side by side with an attorney, to provide insight onto his or her knowledge of the law?

A majority (90%) of consumers indicate that reviews play a role in their hiring decision. Of course, legal consumers are savvy enough to recognize that they can’t choose an attorney based solely on peer feedback. They cast a broad net, utilizing a wide range of resources and criteria to make their final selection.

But that said, they put solid value behind what an attorney’s peers say about their legal ability.

Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings increase attorney referrals

Attorneys also recognize the value of Martindale’s peer reviews and ratings awards. When they need to refer business to another lawyer in a geography or practice area where they don’t know have any contacts, attorneys turn to Martindale-Hubbell peer review ratings to help them make their decision.

In 1887 the Martindale American Law Directory became the first publication to provide attorney ratings for other attorneys. Before then there was no way of truly knowing if the lawyer one was considering doing business with was trustworthy, ethical, or skilled in the legal field. Attorneys nationwide equate Martindale-Hubbell^® Peer Review Ratings™ with a reliable resource to learn about a peer’s legal ability and confirm their ethical standing.

“Whenever our firm looks for an attorney to assist us or our clients in a different jurisdiction, we always turn to Martindale-Hubbell to find the best qualified attorneys. It never fails us, because we are able to find the attorneys that local attorneys would recommend. Likewise, we receive many referrals from other attorneys who have found us on Martindale-Hubbell. It is the best known and trusted name in the legal community.”

John J. Joseph, Managing Attorney, Joseph & Joseph Co., LPA

To learn how to get started with Martindale-Hubbell peer reviews, read our post 3 Steps to getting a MH Peer Review Rating.

Martindale-Hubbell promotes attorneys’ reviews and ratings

Knowing the value of peer reviews in the hiring process, Martindale encourages attorneys to proudly display their reviews and ratings on their profiles on lawyers.com and martindale.com. The reviews and ratings badge displays regardless of subscription status. 

In search results on lawyers.com, the numbers of peer and client reviews an attorney has received display. For Martindale subscribers, their peer review rated badge also displays. Nearly 70% of consumers contact an attorney directly from the search results page so Martindale makes an attorney’s reviews highly visible.

When a consumer or referring attorney clicks through to a lawyer’s profile, they learn even more detail about their reviews and can read direct feedback from other attorneys if they have provided it.

Attorneys also can display their peer review rating in their own marketing materials, including online, in announcements, on the radio and in other marketing media. The user guidelines for doing so can be found here.

Martindale-Hubbell peer reviews and peer review ratings are an invaluable tool for attorneys to grow their client base by confirming their strong legal ability and ethical standards. Martindale’s peer reviews are user-friendly and make a distinctive, compelling statement across the web, maximizing a firm’s online marketing potential.