Best Lawyers
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Use it free to find or vet a highly regarded attorney . the peer-review signal is real and has run since 1983.
New check
Comparison
Best Lawyers vs Super Lawyers
Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers both land on Depends.
Super Lawyers
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Consumers hiring a lawyer should use it free; it's a peer-reviewed attorney directory.
| Compare | Best Lawyers | Super Lawyers |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Consumers vetting high-stakes attorneys | Litigation and personal-injury firms chasing credibility |
| Who it's not for | Anyone buying software . it's a directory, not a tool | Small firms not yet selected . you cannot pay to get listed |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁹ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No evidence found | No support evidence in sources |
| Public sentiment | No independent user reviews of the guide itself were found; evidence is law-firm press releases touting their own inclusions.⁴ | Practitioner sentiment on Reddit is mixed, with lawyers questioning how much Super Lawyers recognition actually drives business.16 |
| Biggest gotcha | Listing is free, but fee-based firm profiles and logo licensing exist . ask prices up front⁴ | Pricing is opaque; expect sales negotiation for Premium Profiles, TopSpots, and Spotlights.14 |
Pick Best Lawyers when
- Consumers vetting high-stakes attorneys
- In-house counsel shortlisting firms
- Big-firm marketing teams chasing credentials
When Best Lawyers is not a fit
- Anyone buying software . it's a directory, not a tool
- Solo lawyers expecting a paid listing to drum up clients
- Consumers wanting client reviews or fee data . peers vote, clients don't
- Small firms without an established peer network for nominations
Pick Super Lawyers when
- Litigation and personal-injury firms chasing credibility
- Consumers vetting attorneys
- Firms already selected for the lists
- Regional visibility building
When Super Lawyers is not a fit
- Small firms not yet selected . you cannot pay to get listed
- Buyers wanting self-serve marketing with published prices
- Teams needing trackable, measurable lead-gen ROI
- Anyone expecting the badge alone to bring clients
Sources
- Best Lawyers . official homepagebestlawyers.comofficial
- Best Law Firms . official sitebestlawfirms.comofficial
news
review
news
- ABA Studies 'Super,' 'Best,' and Other Lawyer Rankingsnewyorklegalethics.comreview
- Burns White awards page (first published 1983)burnswhite.comnews
- Best Lawyers profile (founded 40+ years ago)rocketreach.coreview
- Best Lawyers security pagebestlawyers.comsecurity
- Troutman Pepper awards and recognitionstroutman.comnews
- Super Lawyers homepagesuperlawyers.comofficial
- The Super Lawyers Selection Processsuperlawyers.comofficial
- Attorney FAQsuperlawyers.comofficial
- Premium Online Attorney Profilesuperlawyers.comofficial
- Compare Online Attorney Profilessuperlawyers.comofficial
review