U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® Release 2013 "Best Law Firms" Rankings

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers have released the 2013 "Best Law Firms" rankings, providing a comprehensive view of the U.S. legal profession that is unprecedented both in the range of firms represented and in the range of qualitative and quantitative data used to develop the rankings.

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The third edition of these rankings features law firms given consistently impressive performance ratings by clients and peers. Achieving a high ranking is a special distinction that signals a unique combination of excellence and breadth of expertise.

The rankings, presented in tiers, showcase more than 10,000 law firms ranked nationally or by metropolitan region. Firms were ranked nationally in one or more of 80 legal practice areas and by metro or state in 118 practice areas.  One "Law Firm of the Year" is named in 79 of the nationally ranked practice areas.

The mission of "Best Law Firms" is to help guide referring lawyers and clients — from the country's largest companies requiring corporate legal advice to individuals seeking counsel regarding personal legal issues.

"The 'Best Law Firms' rankings are now in their third year, and the reaction to the rankings from the legal profession and from legal clients continues to be very gratifying," says Steven Naifeh, president of Best Lawyers.  "Because we combine hard data with peer reviews and client assessments, more and more clients inform us that ours are the most thorough, accurate, and helpful rankings of law firms ever developed."

The national first-tier rankings will be featured in U.S. News & World Report's Money issue, on newsstands November 20, 2012. The national and metropolitan first-tier rankings are featured in the "Best Law Firms" standalone publication, which is being distributed to more than 30,000 general counsel and in digital format to more than 60,000 private practice lawyers worldwide. The rankings in their entirety are posted online at http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com.

"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 schools rankings."

About the U.S. News & World Report  

U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform, digital 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, Money, 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 "Best" series of consumer guides 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 peer-review publication in the legal profession. For over thirty years, the company has helped lawyers and clients find legal counsel in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. The 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America includes 41,284 lawyers covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia and is based on more than 4.3 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. Best Lawyers also publishes peer-reviewed listings of lawyers in nearly 70 other countries, covering many of the world's major legal markets. Best Lawyers lists are excerpted in a wide range of general interest, business and legal publications worldwide, reaching an audience of more than 17 million readers.

SOURCE U.S. News & World Report