Martindale-Hubble "A" Rating The Mardindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings help in-house counsel and other sophisticated buyers of legal services identify, evaluate and select the most appropriate lawyer for a specific task at hand. Lawyer Ratings serve as an objective indicator that a lawyer has the highest ethical standards and professional ability and are used by buyers of legal services to justify their hiring decisions. AV® Peer Review Rating — An AV® certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment - a testament to the fact that a lawyer's peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence. A lawyer must be admitted to the bar for 10 years or more to receive an AV® rating. Brett Godfrey and Keith Lapuyade, the founding partners, as well as other senior practitioners such as David Struthers and Edmund Noel have held the "AV" rating for many years. This provides the firm with an overall "A" rating. Further, the firm has been listed for many years in the Martindale-Hubbel Bar Register of Preeminent Counsel. Avvo Ratings Brett Godfrey and Keith Lapuyade have each received "Excellent" or higher ratings with the new Avvo rating service.