Super Lawyers Process Meets Iowa Ethics Standards

Iowa is known in legal ethics circles as one of the most, if not the most restrictive jurisdictions in the country when it comes to lawyer advertising. So an OK by the Iowa Bar Assocation means a lot to us.   

The Iowa Bar's Committee on Ethics and Practice Guidelines took a close look at the selection process for the Super Lawyers list as well as that of Best Lawyers in America.  On October 31, the Committee issued an opinion stating that:

...the peer review process engaged by Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America is deemed to have met the criteria established by the Committee in Ethics Opinion 07-04... Consequently an Iowa lawyer may include in their marketing and advertisements that they are rated by either publication, their rating and the meaning thereof.

These opinions set a simple and practical standard for judging a bona fide ratings process:  that it is open to all Iowa lawyers, regardless of whether they subscribe or otherwise pay for service, that all lawyers have the potential to be rated, and that they are rated by a number of peers familiar with their work.

You can read the full opinion here."