DISCLAIMERS & TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE

How many attorneys are selected for membership to America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®?
In keeping with the name of our organization, only 100 attorneys in each state* are selected each year for membership among America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®.

*Southern California, Northern California, Southern Texas, Northern Texas, Southern Florida, Northern Florida, New York City, Upstate New York, and Washington D.C. are all separated into individual regions due to the significantly greater number of attorneys in each of those regions.

Can attorneys buy their way into America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®?
No. Attorneys cannot buy their way into membership. Every attorney selected for membership among America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® must pass through a thorough multi-phase screening process (See Selection Methodology for more information about the selection process).

How are attorneys selected for membership to America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®?
Candidates for membership are initially identified through third-party research or peer nominations by other elite attorneys in the community. Once a candidate is identified, they are carefully screened through third-party research and analysis involving proprietary algorithms applying multi-criteria decision making methods to create a Pareto efficiency frontier. These algorithms assess a broad array of criteria and data for each candidate, including (but not limited to) the attorney’s lifetime legal achievements, professional experience, significant case results and/or verdicts, peer reputation, client satisfaction, other notable honors, media notoriety, and community impact, among many other proprietary factors.

The Pareto efficiency frontier created by the analysis of these criteria establishes a measure for each attorney that indicates the relative effectiveness of the attorney in comparison to other attorneys in the community. Through Qualitative Comparative Analysis, the most efficient and effective attorneys are then identified for selection among America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®. See Selection Methodology for more information about the selection process.

Why wasn’t I selected for membership to America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® this year?
All attorneys selected for America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® each year must pass through a thorough multi-phase screening process. If you were not selected this year, it means that either (1) you were not among the Top 100 Criminal Defense attorneys in your state* based on the comprehensive criteria of our multi-phase screening process and Qualitative Comparative Analysis [See Selection Methodology for more information about the selection process], or (2) our third-party candidate research did not locate enough public information and data about you and your professional accomplishments in order for a complete analysis to be conducted. To help ensure that no worth candidates are missed for consideration, we invite peer nominations from any attorney online using the form below or on our homepage.

Given that less than one-half percent (0.5%) of attorneys in the United States will be selected each year for membership among America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®, there are certain to be many great, well-respected attorneys who are not selected among the 100 for their state* each year. We apologize if you believe you should have been selected for membership, but have not been selected. Ultimately, selection for any award, honor, or exclusive membership organization is always subjective in nature, as the underlying data can often be subjective, but we have developed a comprehensive multi-phase selection process with sophisticated proprietary algorithms and Qualitative Comparative Analysis in an effort to ensure the most objective and balanced selection process possible.

*Southern California, Northern California, Southern Texas, Northern Texas, Southern Florida, Northern Florida, New York City, Upstate New York, and Washington D.C. are all separated into individual regions due to the significantly greater number of attorneys in each of those regions.

Can I nominate an attorney I believe is deserving of membership to America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®?
Yes. You can nominate any attorney for any state using the form below or on the homepage of this site. While we appreciate the nomination of deserving attorneys in order to help bring them to our attention, any attorneys nominated must still pass through the same rigorous multi-phase research and screening process to determine if they merit selection to America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®. See Selection Methodology for more information about the selection process.

How can I accept my membership selection to America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®?
Once an attorney has been selected for membership among America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®, he or she must complete and return the mailed Acceptance Form along with the annual membership dues, or the attorney may complete the online Acceptance Form here and pay the annual membership dues online by credit card.

Can I use the seal/logo for America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® if I am not a member?
No. The seal/logo for America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® is trademark and copyright protected, such that it may only be used with the express permission of America’s Top 100 LLC. Only active members of America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® may use the seal/logo for advertising and marketing purposes, as long as they do so within the requirements of their respective state bar associations and professional rules of conduct.

Once I pay my membership dues, how can I get access to the seal for America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys®?
Once you submit your Acceptance Form along with your annual membership dues, access to the seal/logo for America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® will be emailed to the email address provided on your Acceptance Form along with instructions for its use.

If it has been more than 2 weeks since you returned your Acceptance Form and paid your membership dues and you still have not received an email with access to the seal/logo, please notify membership@americastop100attorneys.com so that we may send you access to the seal/logo.

In what ways can I use the seal/logo for America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® once I am granted access to its use through my membership?
Members of America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® are authorized to use our trademarked seal/logo on their website, social media, email signatures, letterhead, print advertising, and for other similar purposes to the extent allowed by your state bar association and professional rules of conduct. If you are concerned about whether a particular use of the seal/logo is authorized by America’s Top 100 LLC, you may email us at membership@americastop100attorneys.com.

Members are advised to consult the advertising rules for their state bar association and the Rules of Professional Conduct for their state prior to using the seal/logo in public materials to ensure their compliance with all rules and requirements of ethical conduct for their state. America’s Top 100 LLC cannot be held liable for any use of our seal/logo that is noncompliant with your state bar association’s requirements and/or the Rules of Professional Conduct.

What happens if I do not accept my selection or I do not return my Acceptance Form before the due date indicated in my selection letter?
Selections for membership among America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® are extended in stages in order of ranking based on the selection methodology explained here. If an attorney selected for America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® decides not to accept their selection within the time allotted in their selection letter and/or fails to submit their Acceptance Form and membership dues within the allotted time, then their space among America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® will be offered to the next most qualified attorney based on our Selection Methodology.

If any attorney who was selected for membership returns their Acceptance Form after the due date indicated in their selection letter and after all 100 spaces for membership in their state* have been accepted by other qualified attorneys, then said attorney will have forfeited their membership among America’s Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys® for that year and their membership dues will be returned to them.