U.S. News - Best Lawyers® release 2018 "Best Law Firms" list

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Nov 01, 2017, 00:01 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, for the eighth consecutive year, announce the "Best Law Firms" rankings.

Firms included in the 2018 "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 decades of experience evaluating key institutions in society—from colleges to hospitals," says Tim Smart, executive editor at U.S. News. "Law firms perform a vital role in American life, and ranking them is a key extension of our overall mission to helps individuals and companies alike make important life decisions."

The 2018 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 U.S. Over 13,000 attorneys provided more than 1,000,000 law firm assessments, and over 7,500 clients provided more than 65,000 evaluations.

"We have been ranking law firms for eight years," says Steven Naifeh, CEO and co-founder of Best Lawyers, "having ranked individual lawyers for almost 35. This year we reviewed 13,745 law firms across the United States – across 75 practice areas – and a total of 1,911 firms received a national law firm ranking. We continue to expand our reach even as we also work to simplify the process for the law firms that provide us with the information that we use to create the rankings. We are proud that the legal profession views our law firm rankings with such serious and widespread respect."

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 its abilities, its professionalism, and its integrity.

Awards were given in 75 national practice areas and 122 metropolitan practice areas. One "Law Firm of the Year" is named in 74 nationally ranked practice areas.

The 2018 "Best Law Firms" list will be featured in two publications. The national First Tier rankings will be featured in the Fourth Edition of the "Best Law Firms" Legal Issue, which will be distributed in January to more than 35,000 C-level executives. National and metropolitan First Tier rankings will be featured in the

"Best Law Firms" General Counsel Publication, which will be distributed in December to more than 30,000 in-house counsel, and in digital format to more than 60,000 private practice lawyers worldwide.

The 2018 "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 the 23rd 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 digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars, and News & Opinion, USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings, news, and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. More than 37 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

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.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report