At Best Lawyers®, we offer two distinct categories of individual professional recognition: “Best Lawyers” and “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch”.
The Best Lawyers honors were created to recognize established attorneys, typically partners or senior members of law firms with extensive experience and a long-standing reputation.
However, as younger professionals began making significant contributions earlier in their careers—handling complex cases, leading innovations in emerging areas of law and demonstrating leadership—we saw a growing demand for a platform to acknowledge this very talented group.
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch awards were created in 2020 to fill this gap, offering recognition for lawyers in their first five to nine years of practice who exhibit excellence in their legal work.
By recognizing both emerging and established lawyers, Best Lawyers promotes a holistic view of legal excellence throughout an attorney’s career.
A Bold Launch Amid Uncertainty and Rapid Growth
Launching an all-new award category during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic was both ambitious and transformative. However, the response from the legal community was immediate and overwhelmingly positive.
In the first year alone, over 5,000 lawyers participated in the research process of The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America. Over the last five years, engagement has grown each year and more than doubled this past year with almost 13,000 individuals voting in the US.
For law firms, having lawyers recognized in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch awards signals to clients and peers that the firm is nurturing a new generation of high-performing, innovative attorneys.
These recognitions showcase the firm's commitment to cultivating future leaders, which helps enhance the firm’s credibility and reputation in the legal community. It also provides an advantage in attracting new clients, as they seek dynamic legal teams equipped with emerging talent.
“The introduction of awards for lawyers earlier in their careers into the Best Lawyers universe signaled a new era for our organization, one that I am particularly proud of,” said CEO Phillip Greer. “This expansion allowed us to evolve our business to highlight the individual accomplishments of younger attorneys, along with the changing attitude within the profession itself—one that values expertise, innovation and results in addition to years of practice.”
Recognizing Consistent Excellence
As we begin research efforts for the next editions of The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch awards, many candidates are now ready to transition to the more prestigious Best Lawyers recognition. After five years of recognizing this emerging talent, numerous attorneys have reached a pivotal point in their careers, where promotion or tenure makes them eligible for evaluation under the Best Lawyers process.
For lawyers with 10 or more years of experience, this transition reflects their growth from early promise to delivering consistent, high-level performance. These attorneys have built strong reputations among peers and clients, handled complex cases and often taken on leadership roles within their firms or legal communities.
This transition marks their growth from emerging talent to established professionals, whose contributions are now deserving of the distinguished Best Lawyers recognition.
From Emerging Talent to Best Lawyers: When It’s Time to Move Up
While Best Lawyers and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch awards both honor legal excellence, they target different stages in an attorney’s career. Here’s how to determine when a lawyer is ready to advance:
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
- Who: Lawyers with 5-9 years of experience, demonstrating promising legal talent but not yet at senior levels.
- Purpose: Recognizes early-career professionals who exhibit significant potential, innovation, and skill, while still establishing themselves as leaders.
- Criteria: Based on peer reviews, focusing on recent accomplishments, high-quality work, and a promising future.
- Career Stage: Early to mid-career, typically within the first decade of practice.
Best Lawyers
- Who: Well-established attorneys with 10+ years of experience, often in senior roles.
- Purpose: Recognizes consistent high-level performance, leadership, and substantial contributions to the legal field.
- Criteria: Exclusively based on peer reviews, often honoring involvement in landmark cases and recognized expertise.
- Career Stage: Mid- to late-career, usually after a decade of practice.
Understanding these distinctions helps firms evaluate when it’s time to advance their lawyers from Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch to Best Lawyers, supporting their growth and enhancing the firm’s standing.
Take Action: Support Your Nominees' Advancement
If your firm has nominees ready to advance from the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch to the Best Lawyers awards, use the tools available in your Best Lawyers administrative account to manage this process seamlessly.
Log in now to access resources for transitioning nominees or making new submissions.
For assistance with transferring your nominees, or submitting new nominations, you can also contact us at info@bestlawyers.com or nominations@bestlawyers.com.
