What will AFL do that is not already accomplished by the American Colledge of Trial Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Martindale Hubbell, the International Society of Barristers, the State Bar's Certification Process, etc.,etc.?

  
 
 
What we do that the others cannot is identify excellence in both cognitive and outreach terms. We will identify excellent public lawyers, as well as those in a private fee-based practice. We will recognize the needs of private and public clients, public agencies and the indigent community. In sort, the breadth of our membership speaks to the difference in what we hope to accomplish.
Some of the organizations included in this question are validating entities; others are pure marketing plays. Being listed in one might be personally satisfying, and at the same time not economically rewarding. Or, one might bring new paying clients to a law firm, but offer little authenticity as a measure of quality lawyering. And none of them are comprehensive enough to include the judiciary or the broader legal profession beyond lawyers in private practice. AFL believes that its membership selection process, which will occasionally look to the vetting done by some of these other organizations, will take validation one-step further. Ours is a local list, internally generated but not designed solely to generate business. It is a business minder as well as a binder.

Validation from AFL membership will be the list itself. It doesn’t focus just on litigation, isn’t overpriced, doesn’t require bar association approval, and won’t subject its members to the negative aspects of paid client solicitations. Most importantly, our Sustaining Members support our aspirational goal--the creation of The Arizona Law Institute

  • ·         The American College of Trial Lawyers is unquestionably the most exclusive organization in American law. Induction as a Fellow in Arizona is reserved to about 86 of the approximate 21,000+ lawyers in the state (approximately four-tenths of one percent). The fact that the ACTL exists is no argument that AFL should not. AFL will likely include most of the ACTL Fellows, but the more important question is who are the top trial lawyers in Arizona, in addition to the ACTL’s 86 Arizona Fellows?
  • ·         Martindale Hubbell is a highly regarded organization that has done an excellent job of identifying a good many highly capable and ethical lawyers in Arizona. That said, we also know that many excellent Arizona lawyers are not in big firms, are not Lexis-Nexis subscribers, and never made that enviable “A-V” cut. It does not apply to judges, prosecutors, public defenders, or in-house counsel. Enough said.
  • ·         Super Lawyers is very different from AFL. It publishes special media supplements in leading newspapers and city and regional magazines across the country. It is high-class legal advertising, and serves a useful purpose in our society. But the difference between AFL and the Super Lawyer model is validation, not advertising.
  • ·         The Arizona State Bar Board of Specialization certifies lawyers in a half-dozen ethically recognized areas of practice. It is a worthy public effort and needs the support of all members of the Arizona bar. It is, by its very nature, limited to about 5% of the Arizona bar. Certified specialists form a strong group within AFL. But we take a wider view of excellence.