How we research and rank law firms
Every editorial ranking on AccidentLawyerReview is built on a published methodology. No hidden criteria. No pay-to-play. This page explains exactly how we do it.
Which firms we consider
For each city money page, we start by identifying every law firm that:
- Has at least one office or licensed attorney serving the target city
- Lists personal injury (or specifically truck accident) as a current practice area
- Has been in operation for at least 5 years
- Is in good standing with the State Bar
- Has a meaningful public review footprint (50+ reviews across Google / Avvo / BBB)
Firms that don't meet these criteria are excluded from the review pool — not because they're bad, but because we don't have enough data to evaluate them fairly.
Data sources
All rankings are built from publicly available data:
- Public court records. We review verdict and settlement records available through PACER (federal) and state court electronic filing systems, plus reputable news coverage of major settlements.
- State Bar Association records. Every state maintains a public attorney licensure registry showing current standing, disciplinary history, and admission dates.
- Avvo profiles. Avvo's lawyer profiles include peer ratings, client reviews, disciplinary records, and self-reported case results.
- Google Reviews / Google Business Profile. Aggregated client ratings and review counts.
- Better Business Bureau (BBB). Complaint history, resolution rates, BBB letter grade.
- Peer recognition. AV Preeminent ratings (Martindale-Hubbell), Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers — each verified through the issuing organization.
- Firm's own public disclosures. About pages, attorney bios, practice area descriptions, fee structure statements.
How we weight the criteria
Rankings are not a single number — we evaluate fit-for-purpose. A firm excellent for catastrophic injury cases may rank lower for routine slip-and-fall cases, and vice versa.
For each ranked firm, we consider:
- Track record on similar cases (~30% weight) — verified outcomes in the type of case our reader is researching
- Client experience signals (~25%) — aggregated review themes, response time, communication style
- Specialization depth (~20%) — share of practice dedicated to PI, years of experience in this specific niche
- Reputation among peers (~15%) — AV ratings, Super Lawyers, board certifications
- Bar standing and complaint history (~10%) — clean disciplinary record required, complaint patterns flagged
What we DON'T use
- Advertising spend. A firm that spends more on Google Ads doesn't rank higher with us.
- Self-reported "won case" counts without public verification.
- Paid placements in our editorial Top-5. (Sponsored placements exist, but are visually distinct and labeled.)
- SEO authority of the firm's website. We rank lawyers, not websites.
- Firms' own marketing claims without external verification.
How often we update
Every ranking is re-verified every 90 days:
- State Bar status re-checked (a firm in current disciplinary proceedings is flagged or removed)
- Recent client reviews scanned for material changes
- New publicly-reported case results added
- Recent BBB complaints reviewed for resolution status
- Page header updated with the new "Last verified" date
When we make a substantive change (a firm moved up or down, or was removed), we note it in the page's revision history.
Conflicts of interest
We may receive a referral fee when readers contact a featured firm through our site. This does not influence editorial rankings. Specifically:
- The editorial team that ranks firms does not see referral revenue data per firm.
- Firms cannot pay to move up the editorial ranking.
- Sponsored placements (when present) are visually distinct from editorial picks, labeled "Sponsored," and never replace the editorial Top-5.
- If a firm we rank in our Top-5 also sponsors a placement on the same page, we disclose this prominently.
Corrections policy
If you spot an error in our content — incorrect firm data, outdated reviewer credentials, broken citation, anything else — please contact us. We aim to verify and correct material errors within 48 hours, with a noted revision on the affected page.
Questions about our methodology
If you're a lawyer or law firm with questions about how you were ranked, or feedback on our criteria, we're open to that conversation. Get in touch.