I would like to find the best criminal attorney in my area, which is an area where the biggest towns have about 50,000 people. I know a very prominent attorney who has practiced for a long time and is active in the state bar association, however, he is a personal injury attorney, not criminal. How likely is it that he will be a keen judge of the best criminal attorneys in the area?
I have asked a range of people for advice of the best criminal attorney in the area and gotten different answers.
" a very prominent attorney who has practiced for a long time and is active in the state bar association" is likely to know many lawyers in the area by reputation, and quite a few personally, and have a fair idea of who has a good reputation in a particular area. Such a person might well know who to ask to get more detailed information than s/he knows personally.
Also, many states and localities in the US have legal referral services run by the bar association or some other non-commercial group. These will not indicate who is the "best" but should provide a listing of competent lawyers in active practice in a given field or sub-field of law.
