Brinkmeier Law Group LLC Recognitions

AV® Peer Review Rating

For over 15 years Alan J. Brinkmeier has held the prestigious AV® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The AV® rating is the highest such peer review rating available to any individual lawyer.

The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings is a national system and is based on the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary, including both those who are rated and those who are not. Martindale-Hubbell representatives conduct personal interviews to discuss lawyers under review with other members of the Bar. A compilation of these opinions from various sources is necessary to form a consensus, and lawyers under review are sometimes asked to provide professional references to assist with the process. In addition, confidential questionnaires are sent to lawyers and judges in the same geographic location and/or area of practice as the lawyer being rated. Members of the Bar are instructed to assess their colleague's legal ability and general ethical standards.

There are two components to Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings:

General Ethical Standards Rating

The General Ethical Standards Rating denotes adherence to professional standards of conduct and ethics, reliability, diligence and other criteria relevant to the discharge of professional responsibilities.

The General Recommendation Rating is:
V - Very High

A lawyer must receive a General Ethical Standards Rating before his or her review can proceed to the next step.
Legal Ability Ratings

Legal Ability Ratings take into consideration the standard of professional ability in the area where the lawyer practices, the lawyer's expertise, and other professional qualifications. If a lawyer's practice is limited or specialized, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are based on performance in those specific fields of law.

Legal Ability Ratings are:
C - Good to High
B - High to Very High
A - Very High to Preeminent

When both categories of Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings are confirmed, a lawyer receives an CV®, BV® or AV® Rating.

CV® Peer Review Rating

The CV® certification mark is a good first rating for lawyers and a definitive statement of their above-average ability and unquestionable ethics. This is the maximum rating a lawyer can receive who has been admitted to the bar from 3-4 years.

BV® Peer Review Rating

The BV® certification mark is an excellent rating for a lawyer with more experience. This is the maximum rating a lawyer can receive who has been admitted to the bar from 5-9 years.

AV® Peer Review Rating

An AV® certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment - a testament to the fact that a lawyer's peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence. A lawyer must be admitted to the bar for 10 years or more to receive an AV® rating.

Super Lawyers®

For almost five years Alan J. Brinkmeier has held the prestigious Super Lawyers designation in Illinois. The final published list of Super Lawyers represents no more than 5 percent of all the lawyers in the State of Illinois. The lists are published annually in state and regional editions of Super Lawyers magazines and in inserts and special advertising sections in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers. All attorneys selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers, regardless of year, can be found on superlawyers.com.

Those selecting attorneys for Super Lawyers employ a rigorous, multiphase process. Peer nominations and evaluations are combined with third party research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis.

The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel. Since Super Lawyers is intended to be used as an aid in the selection of a lawyer, we limit the list to attorneys who can be hired and retained by the public, i.e., lawyers in private practice and Legal Aid attorneys.

The Super Lawyers selection process involves three basic steps: creation of the candidate pool; evaluation of candidates by the research department; and peer evaluation by practice area.

Final Selection

Candidates are grouped into four firm-size categories. Those with the highest point totals from each category are selected. This means solo and small firm lawyers are compared with other solo and small firm attorneys, and large firm lawyers compete with other large firm lawyers. Five percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers.

Before Publishing

The research staff checks each candidate's standing with the local licensing authority. Each candidate is asked to aver that they have never been subject to disciplinary or criminal proceedings.

Final Internet searches are performed on each candidate to ensure there are no outstanding matters that would reflect adversely on the lawyer. We also contact each lawyer to ensure accuracy of all published information.

Avvo Rating®

Avvo recognized Alan J. Brinkmeier with a Superb 10.0 rating - the highest rating for practicing lawyers in the nation.

Why the Avvo Rating® can help you find the right lawyer?

It's unbiased. Because ratings are calculated using a mathematical model, all lawyers are rated by the same standards.
There's no favoritism. At Avvo, all lawyers are treated equally. They can't pay to change their ratings, and Avvo doesn't play favorites to lawyers we know.
It's developed by legal experts for non-experts. The model used to calculate the Avvo Rating was developed with input from hundreds of attorneys, thousands of consumers, and legal experts.
It's easy to understand. With simple ratings from 1 to 10 or "Attention" and "No Concern," Avvo hopes to make clearer the murky process of understanding lawyers' backgrounds.

But keep in mind that the Avvo Rating is not intended to be the only thing you use in choosing a lawyer. It is only one tool in an effort to provide a snapshot evaluation of the lawyer's background, so that you can more effectively compare the available background information of different lawyers. Also keep in mind that the Avvo Rating is based only on the information collected about a lawyer, and Avvo's opinion is based on that information. That is one reason Avvo also provides a forum for both clients and other lawyers to offer their own opinions about a lawyer. Although those opinions may not be perfect either, they at least give you different sources to get started.

And of course, Avvo's mathematical model has not met the lawyer in person. Because of this, our system can't measure subjective factors like personality and communication style. Also, because Avvo doesn't believe there is yet an accurate way to score it, the Avvo Rating does not take into account a lawyer's performance on particular cases or matters.

In short, neither the Avvo Rating, or the information within a lawyer's profile, is all you need to know to choose the right lawyer. It is not. It is only one of several tools you should use to choose the right lawyer for you.

Information contained in this website is general and not intended as legal advice. Visiting this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship; legal advice should be obtained before acting upon information contained in this website. Please note that sending an inquiry to our firm does not constitute engagement of our firm or establishment of an attorney-client relationship.