Blogger as "Super Lawyer"
Professor Gerry Beyer made this post on the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog on September 12, 2006; and I thank him for it:Fellow Blogger Named Super Lawyer
His post is found online here.
Neil E. Hendershot of the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania law firm of Goldberg Katzman, P.C., who authors the PA Elder, Estate & Fiduciary Law Blog, has recently been named as a "Super Lawyer" by Philadelphia Magazine. Congratulations Neil!!!
There is controversy -- and even a professional ethics ruling pending on appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court -- about the "designation" of "Super Lawyer" or the similar "Best Lawyers in America", and the designees' promotion of such titles as credentials.
For another viewpoint, read the humorous article, entitled "Whose Who's?", dated September 8, 2006, by Sean Carter, made available by the American Bar Association and posted online here.
For the record, since the time I was first so designated by that publication as a "Super Lawyer", I never paid anyone anything, never bought a book or a plaque, and never took out an ad.
That likely makes me unusual among the designees.
Update: 11/14/07:
Even though I still have not bought anything or paid any vendor, I received notification in the past few months of my continued designation as a "Super Lawyer" and as a "Best Lawyer in America".
I also found my name in a new online information service regarding lawyers, Avvo. It offers "Free ratings and profiles for every lawyer so you can choose the right lawyer", through these modules:
- Profiles for every lawyer in the state
- Unbiased Avvo Rating
- Disciplinary sanction history
- Ratings and reviews from clients
- Avvo 3-Step Guide to Choosing a Lawyer
An inquirer may search for a lawyer by law practice category, geographic area (city, state, or zip code), or name.
After searching the geographic area of Harrisburg, PA (per zip code 17101), I discovered that my current rating is 10.0 on a 10 point scale.
What is surprising (and pleasing) to me is that only my name reflects that high rating among the 1,812 lawyer names returned in my search of the Harrisburg, PA area, regardless of legal practice area.
That is quite a compliment, considering the high quality of so many lawyers practicing in this geographic area.
And that occurs despite the fact that I haven't bought anything from, or paid anything to, Avvo either!
Update: 01/15/08:
I note that SuperLawyers offers a webpage address for each attorney who has been listed in that publication. The one applicable to me is found here. On my SL bio page, there is little data, and no photo, just my address and notation of inclusion in its 2004, 2005, 2006, & 2007 issues.
