The definitive answer on asking for a Super Lawyers nomination? Don't do it!
Last week I raised a reader’s question about how to turn down a request for a Super Lawyers or Legal Elites nomination he didn't want to give without damaging an otherwise good referral source. I asked for your thoughts and received this response directly from Super Lawyers.
Cindy Larsen, Director of Research and Editorial at Super Lawyers, a Thompson Reuters Service, explained the nomination process this way.
Super Lawyers sends an e-mail notification to lawyers reminding them when they are accepting nominations. In that email, they state the following:
“A word about "campaigning" i.e., soliciting votes for Super Lawyers: Don't do it. It's against the rules (and could result in your disqualification), it doesn't work, we can detect it and it doesn't reflect well on you or your firm. Besides, the nomination process is merely the first step in our multiphase methodology. You’re much better off making sure we have up-to-date information on your practice because our research department will review this information and consider it in the selection process.”
Ms. Larsen went on to explain that Super Lawyers tracks who votes for whom, and if they have evidence that a lawyer has campaigned for nominations they will disqualify the lawyer from consideration for that year. The nomination process is confidential so any lawyer soliciting nominations would never know whether or not he/she received those nominations.
The bottom line from Ms. Larsen: only nominate lawyers who are deserving of the designation.
Thanks so much, Cindy for taking time to respond to our reader’s question.
Until next time,
Robin
