What Does It Mean When a Lawyer Is Named to Best Lawyers®?
Things can be complicated when considering the various lawyers here in Illinois and Indiana, especially for those practicing personal injury law. What makes one different from the other? What are the distinctions between law firms? How do different lawyers compare to your particular interests and needs?
These are all important things to think about when you are an injured accident victim considering who is the best attorney to represent the interests of you and your family. Hiring a lawyer to pursue justice after a severe work accident or car crash is a very important decision with long-reaching ramifications for both the injured victim and their loved ones.
- For more on this process, read: How To Choose the Right Personal Injury Lawyer for You and Your Family.
Lots of Lawyers to Choose From Here in Illinois and Indiana
Numbers change all the time, but in ballpark figures there are around 75,000 attorneys actively practicing law in the State of Illinois and another 15,000 who are practicing law in the Hoosier State. See, “Changing Rolls” written by Pete Sherman and published by the Illinois Bar Journal in July 2024, and “Demographics, Profile of the Legal Profession 2024,” published by the American Bar Association.
Now, these are total figures for all sorts of practice areas, from tax law to family practice to personal injury and product liability. Not all lawyers go to a courtroom. Not all lawyers choose to advocate for victims hurt in accidents where the controversy is often very much a “David vs. Goliath” situation, where big corporations (think steel mills; trucking companies; construction companies; etc.) may have financial liability for what happened. These are the lawyers practicing personal injury law.
The number of actively practicing personal injury attorneys is smaller than the big ballpark numbers, but the practice area is one of the most popular for attorneys overall. Bottom line: there are a lot of lawyers out there for people to choose from when they are considering an attorney to help them after a catastrophic accident has changed their lives.
Awards and Accolades When Deciding on an Attorney to Represent Your Interests
It is advantageous to have a list of things to consider when choosing between lawyers. For instance, are they licensed to practice in the state where the accident happened and you got hurt? Usually, if a lawsuit has to be filed, then it must be filed in the state where the injury was sustained. In our part of the country, this means that someone in Indiana may be hurt in Illinois, and will need a lawyer licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois (or vice versa).
And one big thing to include on the list: what awards, accolades, honors have they received? Lawyers are eligible for lots of different distinctions. Allen Law Group firm founder Kenneth J. Allen, for example, has professional recognition and memberships that include the American Association for Justice (Leader’s Forum Patron); being listed in Who’s Who in American Law; and being named to the National Advisory Board of the Association of Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America, as well as being named among the 500 Leading Lawyers in America.
And among those accolades is the fact that Mr. Allen has repeatedly been selected by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers® in America for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs.
Best Lawyers® in America: Peer Review
The 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America® heralds the 32nd year the annual publication has been released to reveal a select group of attorneys who have met strict criteria in order to achieve recognition as one of the “best lawyers” in the country. Among the qualifications are the lawyer must have at least ten (10) years practicing law, having “…demonstrated exceptional skill and a well-established reputation, represents about 5% of legal professionals across the United States.” Read, “The Legal Industry Secret Behind Best Lawyers,” written by Jennifer Verta and published by Best Lawyers on August 21, 2025.
The distinction for this particular accolade is that it is obtained solely by peer review. The publication editors ask for online nominations, which are then submitted to peer review, and then finalized. The lawyers who are nominated do not pay for this. Those submitting nominations do not pay to do so.
Best Lawyers® refers to this as its “Purely Peer Review®” explaining it is a “…uniquely thorough process is designed to ensure the recognition of only the most accomplished and reputable legal professionals in their respective fields…. By focusing solely on peer evaluations, we remove external factors or biases, creating a list that is truly reflective of the legal community’s consensus.“
The publication explains their unique approach as follows:
Once a candidate is nominated, they proceed to the evaluation stage, where their performance and reputation are assessed through detailed surveys completed by lawyers who have previously been recognized in Best Lawyers.
These surveys are conducted confidentially to promote honest and unbiased feedback.
What makes this methodology particularly special is the depth and precision of our evaluation process. The surveys go beyond surface-level observations and invite respondents to provide substantive insights into their peers’ legal competencies and personal ethics.
This distinctive peer-driven approach is the foundation for our research. Lawyers themselves are often the best judges of each other’s skillsets and professionalism.
To ensure accuracy, quality and consistency, our research team meticulously analyzes and verifies feedback. This hands-on review process guarantees that only the most qualified lawyers earn recognition through Best Lawyers.
Best Lawyers® and the Attorney Selection Process
Of course, no one single award or acknowledgement or accolade should be the key factor in hiring a lawyer to fight for an injured victim and their family. There are other honors to consider, first of all. Things like being a recipient of an American Association of Justice Award or having an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating with Martindale-Hubbell should be weighed carefully by the potential client, for example.
Other important factors are things like past experience in their type of accident (how many major semi-truck crash victims have they helped?); are they “Board Certified”; the number and quality of their support staff (especially if it is to be a complex case with a number of co-defendants); and even the subtle things like how easy is the lawyer to communicate with (rapport) and gut-call, do you like them? trust them?
Being recognized by Best Lawyers® as one of the “Best Lawyers in America®” is a prestigious distinction, and one that those at our law firm who have this award are honored to have received. It is something of value for any prospective client to consider when deciding who is best to represent their legal interests.
For more, read our previous article detailing the four lawyers at our firm who were named Best Lawyers® in 2026. They are Kenneth J. Allen; Bryan L. Bradley; Otto J. Shragal; and Jeffrey L. Lund.
Also 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
- Why a Lawyer who is a Trial Attorney Is Important for Accident Victims in Personal Injury Cases
- Best Lawyers® Recognized Personal Injury Lawyers in Illinois & Indiana.
The recognition of being named one of the Best Lawyers in America® is an important one that not only inspires the recipient but helps the potential client in deciding whom to hire as their advocate when seeking justice after a debilitating or deadly accident. Please be careful out there!
