USA is the fifth most litigious country by capita, with a litigation rate of 74.5 per 1,000 people. That the country has always seen a surplus in law practitioners is no surprise. Nearly all states, except Wisconsin and Nebraska, are reported to produce more lawyers than they need. In 2009 the country produced twice as many lawyers as there were requirements. New York is known for recording the greatest legal surplus till date, followed by the states of California and New Jersey.
According to reports the number of lawyers per capita by BEA Region in 2017 include, New England – 53.2, Mideast -73.7 Great Lakes -35.8, Plains -35.3, Southeast -30.1, Southwest -29.8, Rocky Mountains -32.5 and Far West -39.2. ABA law schools have issued more than 1.8 million law degrees and the state bars have issued lawyer licenses to over 2.2 million. A recent population survey states that 1.1 million lawyers were professionally engaged in the US during 2017.
While filing a case or being involved in one – the thing that gains utmost importance is the competence of the attorney or lawyer. For ages good lawyers have succeeded in bringing justice in the courtrooms and have saved the lives of millions. The opposite has also happened at the hands of incompetent ones. Ensuring public access to outstanding lawyers are the rigorous selection processes in which conduct comprehensive peer-review assessments create a reliable, inclusive and varied listing/rating of brilliant attorneys for those looking for legal counsels. The selection processes are known to be extremely painstaking and each aspirant is appraised on numerous parameters of peer acknowledgment and professional accomplishment. These stringent selection methods help protect, safeguard and augment the civil justice system of the country thus re-establish the image of this age old profession. The diversity of the profiles enlisted in these processes guarantees easy access for advocacy on an extensive range of legal and political issues.
With over 35,000 new lawyers entering the workforce every year, law is possibly the most crowded sector in the US. “To remain in the competition attorneys and lawyers have to spend handsomely for self marketing which in itself is a fairly expensive affair clocking some thousands of dollars per month” said Jason Brodsky , Founder of Lawyers of Distinction. As a viable solution to this ever increasing problem lawyers of the country are now opting for memberships of organizations like Lawyers of Distinction to stay ahead of the competition by securing credibility from external sources.
Lawyers of Distinction, an organisation founded in 2015 that undertakes meticulous measures to select candidates, is already making a commendable contribution in creating a vibrant pool of excellent attorneys in the US. Review and vetting process from the company’s selection committee is the cornerstone of the selection process. The nomination, which is free of charge, ensures a mere entry and is no way a guarantee to acquiring a membership. Each application passes through the litmus test of a final review before the membership is confirmed. The acknowledgement of a law professional as a Lawyer of Distinction comes after an objective and subjective appraisal of the attorney’s capabilities.
The indicators taken into account while rating the candidates include his/her years of experience, academic performance, disciplinary accounts, professional success and industry acknowledgment. Besides, “input from a number of attorneys and lawyers, clients and industry experts also form an integral part of the process” said Jason Brodsky .
The efficacy of such selection processes distinctly lies in promoting a just and efficient judicial system, and in providing assistance to lawyers in their labours to warrant justice in the country’s numerous courtrooms. These procedures also provide attorneys with relevant information, specialized professional aid and a countrywide network that facilitates the law practitioners to represent their clients with utmost efficiency and expertise. Besides, they ensure that you have the right kind of people for doing the right kind of job.
This July Jacob Emrani, a Lawyers of Distinction member and a self-proclaimed Laker fan – made it to the headlines when by putting up some billboards he succeeded in convincing Lebron James to join the Los Angeles Lakers. James left his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers to team up with Lakers. Emrani’s acumen as a lawyer did what the Lakers were unsuccessful in doing for last five years.
The rigorous selection methods in US are fast emerging as a flawless way of identifying worthy, skilled and extremely competent lawyers. They also encourage a better advocacy and ethical yardstick in the country’s legal affairs and support community participation through membership. Last but not the least such processes are strongly instrumental in creating a better judiciary by obtaining pertinent positions on issues or legislation which affect the judicial loss or benefit, along with the ones having an effect on the US litigation practices.
