U.S. News - Best Lawyers® releases 2014 "Best Law Firms" list

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, for the fourth consecutive year, announce the 2014 "Best Law Firms" rankings.

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Firms included in the 2014 "Best Law Firms" list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

"U.S. News has more than two decades of experience in providing the public with the most accurate and in-depth rankings of a wide range of institutions, including our Best Law Schools rankings," says Tim Smart, Executive Editor of U.S. News & World Report. "Law firms are an integral part of our rankings and a natural accompaniment to the law school rankings."

The 2014 rankings are based on the highest number of participating firms and highest number of client ballots on record. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top 4 percent of practicing attorneys in the US. Over 12,000 attorneys provided over 330,000 law firm assessments, and almost 7,000 clients provided close to 20,000 evaluations.  In addition, to provide personal insight, a new Law Firm Leaders Survey was implemented in the decision-making process.

"Because we combine hard data with peer reviews and client assessments," says Steven Naifeh, President and Co-Founder of Best Lawyers, "more and more clients inform us ours are the most thorough, accurate, and helpful rankings of law firms ever developed."

Ranked firms, presented in tiers, are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale.  Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.

Awards were given in 74 national practice areas and 120 metropolitan practice areas.  One "Law Firm of the Year" is named in 87 of the ranked practice areas.

The 2014 "Best Law Firms" list will be featured in two publications, distributed later this month. The national first-tier rankings will be featured in the first edition of the "Best Law Firms" Legal Issue, which will be distributed to over 30,000 C-level executives. National and metropolitan first-tier rankings will be featured in the "Best Law Firms" General Counsel Publication, which will be distributed to more than 30,000 in-house counsel and in digital format to more than 60,000 private practice lawyers worldwide.

The 2014 "Best Law Firms" rankings can be seen in their entirety by visiting bestlawfirms.usnews.com.

ABOUT "BEST LAW FIRMS"
The U.S. News – Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer listed in 19^th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America^© list for that particular location and specialty.

ABOUT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis, which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Personal Finance, Education, Travel, Cars and Public Service/Opinion, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. U.S. News & World Report's signature franchise includes its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its annual "Best" series of consumer Web guides and publications that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, mutual funds, health plans and more.

ABOUT BEST LAWYERS
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected attorney ranking service in the world. For more than 30 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the attorneys best qualified to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Best Lawyers lists are published in leading local, regional and national publications across the globe. The Best Lawyers in America list recognizes the very best lawyers in each practice area and metropolitan region in the country.

http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com

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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report