Attorney & Practice Magazine is a quarterly publication that also has a legal blog covering firm management, tech, and work-life balance. There’s not much public information about who publishes Attorney and Practice or the history of the magazine. However, the website domain was only created in 2017, so the publication seems to be reasonably new.
Attorney and Practice gives out Top 10 Attorneys and Top 10 Firms awards each year in seven practice areas. Although the name makes it seem like only 10 lawyers in each category are chosen, it’s actually 10 lawyers per state. Larger states like New York and California are further divided into regions, so hundreds of lawyers may be selected each year.
Why You Should Apply (And Why You Shouldn’t)
A&P does not accept nominations for Top 10 because it’s an invitation-only award. The magazine ostensibly has someone who identifies the top attorneys across the country each year, but they don’t disclose their selection process. The website simply says that Top 10 is “an achievement reserved for only those lawyers who have demonstrated the highest degree of excellence in his or her area of law. Because of our stringent standards, less than 1% of attorneys nationwide will receive this invitation for membership.”
So, if you’re selected, why wouldn’t you accept it? Top 10 is a pay-to-play award. At first glance, A&P seems like a legit legal publication, but it’s really a lawyer awards company disguised as a media company. Membership comes with a $275 price tag, and compared to other pay-to-play awards, Top 10 doesn’t come with as many benefits (e.g., the directory on the A&P website is pretty lackluster). There’s no transparent selection process or opportunity to submit a nomination, which makes us think that invitations are simply sent to lawyers who might be willing to pay the fee.
Attorney’s & Practices Top 10 Award Overview
Applications Due (typically): N/A
Recipients Notified (typically): Invitations have been sent in July and August in previous years.
Award Recipients: Individual lawyers and/or firms can be recognized. Generally, only one lawyer from a firm is selected each year.
Annual Award: Yes, it’s possible for lawyers to be invited multiple times.
Estimated Cost: $275
Award Recognition Promotion Options:
- Newsletter/Digital Magazine Inclusion: Yes
- Physical Magazine promotions: Yes, but note that only other Top 10 winners receive physical copies of the magazine.
- Plaques: Yes
- Physical Awards: Yes
- Press Release Options: No
- Directory Inclusion: Yes, an extremely basic directory.
- Additional Advertising Options: No
- Branded Bragging rights: Yes, you do get use of the Top 10 logo.
Requirements:
- Expertise: There are no guidelines about how lawyers are chosen, but invited lawyers must be practicing in one of these areas: family law, personal injury, criminal defense, DUI defense, immigration law, workers’ compensation, or estate planning.
- Years of Legal Experience: A&P doesn’t specify.
- Limit on # of Attorneys Nominated from Firm?: Attorneys can’t be nominated, but it seems that A&P only invites one attorney per firm.
- Case Results/Outcomes? A&P doesn’t mention that case results are taken into account during the selection process.
- Recommendations/Nominations? No recommendations or nominations needed.
- Other?
How to Win
A&P doesn’t allow lawyers to submit any materials or even request an invitation. If you’re really interested in being invited into Top 10, you can write to them through the website’s contact form. There’s no guarantee anyone will respond, but it’s the only way to get on their radar if you haven’t already been invited. Once you are invited, it’s just a matter of paying the $275 fee.
The Bottom Line
Attorney and Practice Top 10 is a pay-to-play award masquerading as a competitive award from a legal publication. Even if you’re in the market to buy an award, A&P’s lack of transparency is worrisome.