Is Super Lawyers Worth It?

Super Lawyers is a legitimate, long-running peer-recognition publication — attorneys are nominated and rated by other attorneys through a multi-step evaluation process, not selected through client votes or a paid application. Whether it's "worth it" for a given firm depends less on whether the recognition is real (it is) and more on how you use it: as one credibility signal alongside client reviews, not a replacement for them. That framing matters because the two most common mistakes firms make with Super Lawyers point in opposite directions — dismissing it as a pay-to-play vanity listing, or treating a Super Lawyers badge as if it does the same job as a strong base of credibility signals beyond awards: client reviews. Neither is accurate. Here's how the selection process actually works, what it costs, and where it fits next to the reviews that are doing a different kind of work for your firm. How the Super Lawyers selection process works Super Lawyers uses a multi-phase process that combines peer nominations, independent research by its research staff, and peer evaluations within practice areas . Attorneys can be nominated by peers or can nominate themselves for consideration, but self-nomination alone doesn't result in selection — it starts a review process that includes evaluation by other lawyers, not a vote by the nominee's own clients or firm. Only a limited percentage of attorneys in a state are selected in a given year , which is part of why the recognition carries weight with other attorneys familiar with how competitive it is. A separate, related list — "Rising Stars" — covers younger attorneys or those earlier in their careers under a similar peer-evaluation framework . Selection to either list is specific to a given year and practice area; it isn't a permanent title the way a bar admission is, which is why you'll see attorneys list specific years ("Super Lawyers, 2021–2024") rather than claiming the designation indefinitely. Does Super Lawyers charge a fee? Selection itself isn't something an attorney buys. Being named to the list doesn't require payment . Where money does change hands is afterward: Super Lawyers, like several peer-recognition publications, sells optional marketing packages to selected attorneys — profile pages, print magazine features, digital badges, plaques — once they've already been selected . That's a legitimate, separate commercial product, but it's a distinct transaction from the selection process, and conflating the two ("you have to pay to get on the list") misdescribes how it works. Super Lawyers vs. Best Lawyers: what's actually different Best Lawyers runs on a similarly peer-review-driven model — attorneys are evaluated by other lawyers in their jurisdiction and practice area, and a smaller subset is named to its separate, more selective "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" or regional lists . The two organizations are genuinely separate, with different evaluation criteria, different selection rates, and no overlap in ownership . Being selected by one doesn't imply or guarantee selection by the other, and firms sometimes see attorneys named to one list and not the other within the same practice area and region — that's a normal outcome of two separate review processes, not a sign either list is less credible. Neither is a substitute for Martindale-Hubbell's AV Preeminent rating, which runs on its own separate peer-review methodology and tiering system — see our dedicated breakdown of how the Martindale-Hubbell AV rating works if you're weighing all three against each other. What a Super Lawyers listing is actually worth to a firm The honest answer is that it's a secondary credibility signal, not a primary one. Peer recognition carries real weight with other attorneys — the people most likely to send you referral work, or to assess your standing when you're brought in as co-counsel — because they understand how competitive and peer-driven the selection process actually is. A prospective client searching for a divorce attorney, by contrast, is less likely to understand the mechanics of peer selection and more likely to weigh it as one more "looks credible" signal alongside a firm's actual client reviews, years in practice, and how the website reads overall. That's the practical reason a Super Lawyers badge works better as a supporting detail — a line on an attorney bio page, a badge in a footer — than as the centerpiece of a firm's marketing. The centerpiece, for most prospective clients, is still a current, specific set of client reviews on Google and a directory site or two, which answer a different question entirely: not "do other lawyers respect this attorney" but "what's it actually like to be this attorney's client." Advertising awards and peer recognitions: what varies by state Most state bars permit referencing a Super Lawyers or Best Lawyers selection in advertising, but several require disclosing the name of the organization, a general description of the selection methodology, or specific language if the organization isn't universally recognized as independent and neutral . A firm advertising in more than one state should treat this as a per-state check rather than a single national policy, since a disclosure line that satisfies one state's bar can be insufficient in another. None of this is legal advice — a managing partner or ethics counsel should sign off on the exact wording before it goes on a website or in an ad. Our deeper guide on attorney advertising rules for reviews and testimonials covers the broader Rule 7.1 framework these award-advertising rules sit inside, including why labeling an award clearly as a peer selection — never blended into a star-rating display — is the safer default everywhere. Using awards and reviews together instead of choosing one A firm doesn't have to pick between chasing peer recognitions and building a base of client reviews — they do different jobs and reinforce each other when both are current. A Super Lawyers badge signals peer standing to other attorneys and sophisticated referral sources; a steady stream of specific, recent client reviews signals "what it's actually like to work with us" to the much larger pool of people finding a firm through a Google search or an AI assistant. A firm that has one without the other is missing half its credibility picture — an attorney with a strong Super Lawyers history and only two client reviews from three years ago looks less active than the recognition alone suggests. The practical move is treating both as ongoing, not one-time: renew and update award-year citations as new selections come in, and keep asking every client for a review at the close of every matter, the same way, regardless of outcome — covered in detail in our guide on how to get more Google reviews. Frequently asked questions Do you have to pay to be named a Super Lawyer? Selection itself isn't a paid outcome . Separate, optional marketing packages are sold to attorneys after they've already been selected, which is a different transaction from the selection process. Is Super Lawyers more prestigious than Best Lawyers? They're run by separate organizations with separate methodologies, and neither is universally regarded as more prestigious than the other . Treat a selection to either as a meaningful, peer-driven recognition rather than ranking the two organizations against each other. Can I say "named a Super Lawyer" without specifying the year? Check your state bar's current advertising rules before deciding — selections are year- and practice-area-specific, and some states require citing the specific year or years an attorney was actually selected rather than an open-ended claim . Should a small or solo firm bother pursuing Super Lawyers recognition? It can't be purchased or guaranteed through effort alone, so it's not something to build a marketing plan around the way you would a review-request program. A solo or small firm generally gets more reliable return from a consistent base of client reviews and a strong Google Business Profile than from pursuing peer-recognition lists, which depend on factors outside the firm's direct control. Every review from Google, Avvo and Facebook in one inbox → Try Tailwind free. Tailwind runs $5 a month per tool, or $50 a month for the Full plan covering every tool, with the first month free and no card required to start.