What Is the Best Lawyers® Recognition and How Are Attorneys Selected?
There are many different ways to discover the right lawyer to represent you and your loved ones after a serious or catastrophic accident, where one or more parties may have breached legal duties of care and caused your harm.
Justice in our civil system does not force the wrongdoers to come forward and admit their responsibility (even if they are well aware they are at fault). Instead, it is the job of the injured victim to pursue legal claims for damages alongside dealing with the injury aftermath (think financial, medical, psychological), no matter how overwhelming this might be.
Experienced personal injury lawyers understand that the right fit between counsel and client is very important, and injured victims are encouraged to ponder carefully which lawyer or law firm should be hired to act as their advocate. It may be one of the most important decisions in a lifetime.
How do you find that right fit? There are many considerations, of course. Sometimes, for instance, the client and the lawyer share a common bond, like a worker hurt on the job who feels a natural camaraderie with Kenneth J. Allen, a 30-year member of the Carpenter’s Union who worked as a Piledriver and Millright (UBC), Teamster (IBT), and RR Trackman (BMWE) before becoming a trial attorney and founder of the firm.
Sometimes, it comes from researching the backgrounds, education, and expertise of several law firms online before making contact and ultimately, a hiring decision. For more, read our earlier discussion in How To Choose the Right Personal Injury Lawyer for You and Your Family.
One of the factors that may be important in considering legal representation is how other attorneys perceive that lawyer or law firm. Having an advocate known to be adept in the courtroom and with savvy negotiation skills is particularly valuable when dealing with insurance company defense counsel, for instance.
Accordingly, it is with gratitude and honor that Allen Law Group shares that the following attorneys here at our law firm have been recognized by their peers in the latest edition of Best Lawyers®.
What is Best Lawyers®?
Best Lawyers® is an international legal publication company that gathers nominations of attorneys from their fellow legal practitioners (“peer-reviewed”) and then evaluates the nominees through the information contained in the nominations as well as feedback from other lawyers practicing in the same field.
This is done every year, and not every lawyer that is nominated will be recognized. Best Lawyers in America® recognition is specific to defined practice areas, such as personal injury law.
For more details, read our accompanying article detailing more about the Best Lawyers® distinction.
Four Allen Law Group Attorneys Recognized in Latest Best Lawyers®
Four attorneys practicing law here at Allen Law Group achieved recognition as being among the Best Lawyers® in their field. They are:
1. Kenneth J. Allen
Firm founder Kenneth J. Allen has been recognized in Best Lawyers® since 2012 in the category (“practice area”) of Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. Mr. Allen has appeared as counsel for the plaintiff in over 100 trials and published appellate court decisions. His cases have been listed among the country’s “Top 10 Verdicts” and “Top 10 Settlements” and recognized in such publications as USA Today; Wall Street Journal; Vanity Fair; Crane’s Chicago Business; Chicago Sun Times; LA Times; Boston Globe; Chicago Tribune; The Times Of Northwest Indiana; and the New York Times.
Mr. Allen was recognized as Lawyer of the Year – Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (South Bend, 2021).
- Learn more at Mr. Allen’s biography page at BestLawyers.com.
2. Bryan L. Bradley
Senior partner Bryan L. Bradley has also achieved recognition for several years as being one of the Best Lawyers in America®, having been recognized since 2018 in the Practice Areas of Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs. He is particularly known for his work in heavy truck and bus crash litigation and catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death matters.
This year, Mr. Bradley has been named Lawyer of the Year – Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (South Bend, 2026).
- Learn more at Mr. Bradley’s biography page at BestLawyers.com.
3. Otto J. Shragal
Since 2022, KAL equity partner Otto J. Shragal has been recognized by his peers as among the Best Lawyers® in both the Practice Areas of Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs and in Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs. Mr. Shragal is particularly involved in representing union workers, tradespeople, and others who have been seriously injured on the jobsite or in our local steel mills or factories.
- For more, see Mr. Shragal’s biography page at BestLawyers.com.
4. Jeffrey L. Lund
In 2026, trial attorney Jeffrey L. Lund enters the distinguished group of attorneys recognized by their fellow lawyers in the Best Lawyers® recognition with the awarded practice area of Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. Mr. Lund is admitted to practice law in both Indiana and Illinois, and focuses his practice in the areas of personal injury; wrongful death; job-site accidents; and transportation injuries.
For more, see Mr. Lund’s biography page at BestLawyers.com.
The Inspiration of Recognition: Serving Those Hurting and Suffering Due to the Actions of Another
The nomination process for Best Lawyers does not include payment of any kind for its determinations, nor does it involve queries to clientele for their testimonials on past representations. It is solely recognition from other attorneys of the particular lawyer’s acumen within our practice areas and regional market.
It is a humbling and encouraging thing to be included in this year’s Best Lawyers listings. (For more, read our accompanying article on this publication.) Alongside our firm’s accolades as a whole, as well as other achievements and honors bestowed upon our attorneys (e.g., Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, Litigation Counsel of America, Leadership in Law-Distinguished Barrister), this recognition fuels our dedication to those who have been harmed in preventable accidents caused by the neglect or disrespect of others in their legal duties of care and safety.
For more on choosing a lawyer or law firm after an accident or injury, see:
- Questions To Ask When Choosing A Personal Injury Lawyer In Illinois Or Indiana
- What To Look For in a Personal Injury Lawyer in Indiana or Illinois.
Our law firm is dedicated to helping accident victims and their loved ones in seeking justice after serious injuries where investigations all too often reveal the harm was preventable if legal duties had been met. It is our sincere honor and privilege to do so. Peer recognition of our efforts is both humbling and inspiring in our future endeavors. Please be careful out there!
