John-Russell Bart Pate

The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings process is the gold standard due to its objectivity and comprehensiveness. Lawyers solicited for peer reviews include both those selected by the attorney being reviewed and lawyers independently selected by Martindale-Hubbell. All reviewers are verified as attorneys through Martindale-Hubbell's extensive attorney database. Only attorneys practicing at least three years and receiving a sufficient number of reviews from non-affiliated attorneys are eligible to receive a Rating.

What are the different Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings?

AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies that a large number of the lawyer's peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.

Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.

Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.

Lawyers who have received peer reviews after 2009 will display more detailed information, including practice areas, summary ratings, detailed numeric ratings and written feedback (if available). Details for individual reviews received before 2009 are not displayed.

Attorneys that receive reviews from their peers, but not a sufficient number to establish a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, will have those reviews display on our websites.

For more information on Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings™, please visit our Ratings Page on Martindale.com and our Frequently Asked Questions

The Client Review Rating score is determined through aggregation of validated responses. People who submit reviews are clients of law firms who hired a lawyer within the last year, whose matter is not pending and who want to share their experience of that lawyer or law firm with other potential clients. Reviewers can be anyone who hires a lawyer including in-house counsel, corporate executives, small business owners and private individuals.

Martindale-Hubbell validates that the reviewer is a person with a valid email address. As part of the review process, respondents must affirm that they have been a client of the lawyer or law firm identified within the past year, although Martindale-Hubbell cannot confirm the lawyer/client relationship as it is often confidential. The content of the responses are entirely from client reviewers.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome and Martindale-Hubbell accepts no responsibility for the content or accuracy of any review.

For more information on Martindale-Hubbell Client Review Ratings, please visit our Client Review Page.