The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys vs. Lawyers of Distinction
The legal industry is becoming more and more competitive as time goes on. Attorneys are seeking any upper hand that will allow them to stand apart in this incredibly competitive field. The competitive nature of the industry has spawned several legal vanity organizations whose primary goal is to promote and market their members. Two such organizations are Lawyers of Distinction and The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys.
With the legal vanity field saturated with competition, Lawyers of Distinction was founded in 2014 with the aim of creating an organization which fairly and unbiasedly evaluates potential members using a series of objective criteria. Using U.S. Provisional Patent # 62/743,254, Lawyers of Distinction utilizes twelve different facts to evaluate prospective members. The standards used by Lawyers of Distinction to assess potential members includes: Honors/Awards, Reviews (Google and AVVO), Case Results, Educational Background, Published Verdicts/Settlements, Representative Clients, Special Certifications, Legal Experience, Pro Bono/Community Outreach, and Writings/Publications/Lectures. The Lawyers of Distinction website sees thousands of people visit daily and, unlike competitors, Lawyers of Distinction does not recommend specific attorneys to clients and is therefore not considered an attorney referral service.
When an attorney is accepted into the Lawyers of Distinction Organization they are provided a myriad of exclusive benefits including: Customized 14 inch x 11 inch rosewood plaque featuring the member’s name, calendar year, and area of practice; an SEO(search engine optimized) enhanced custom profile in the Lawyers of Distinction Member Directory(includes profile photo, biographical information, backlinks to an attorney’s social media and website, Google Map integration, and curated reviews from Google/AVVO/Yelp); Lawyers of Distinction logo and trademarked materials for marketing, a national press release announcing their membership for immediate publication; Membership Rosters published quarterly in print and online in such publications as USA Today, The American Lawyers, The National Law Journal, and The New York Times; Social Media announcements across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin; Brochures with business card inserts for the office; Access to the Members Only Private Facebook Group; Access to over $5000 in membership discounts with a variety of vendors such as Hilton, Marriott, Hertz, and more, and access to free; Unlimited CLE and Legal Research through a proprietary platform. Distinguished members receive an 11-inch Custom Crystal Statue in addition to the custom plaque.
Prospective members of Lawyers of Distinction can be nominated via their Steering Committee, third party nomination from a client or colleague, or they may apply directly for membership with the organization. Should an attorney be nominated by a third party, they are informed by Lawyers of Distinction who submitted their nomination.
The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, similarly, to Lawyers of Distinction, is a legal vanity organization which was created in 2013 whose goal is to objectively evaluate prospective candidates for entry into their organization and championing those who practice personal injury law by equipping Personal Injury attorneys with continuing education opportunities and listings of top ranked attorneys listed by state. The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys uses nominations to assist in finding prospective candidates who enter the nomination pool via peer nomination, third party resources and feedback.
To evaluate prospective members, The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys uses the following criteria: must be licensed and in good standing in the state, must be in private practice, must have at least 5 years’ experience in Personal Injury, must devote a significant portion of practice to Personal Injury, must be nominated by a licensed practicing attorney or one of The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys research staff members, Client reviews, Peer reviews, Total length of time practicing in personal injury, Case outcomes, Trial experience and outcomes, Published books or scholarly articles, Education, Formal personal injury training, Personal injury teaching experience, and Legal awards.
Once accepted into The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, member attorneys receive the following benefits: Attorney Profile (including your photo, biography, practice areas, and client reviews), Customizable Press Release, The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys badge displayable on their website, social media, and marketing materials. Though they share many similar benefits, The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys does not offer unlimited, free CLE and Legal Research, member discount program, social media integration, physical membership materials , or print marketing opportunities in national publications.
While Lawyers of Distinction and The National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys take differing approaches to the legal vanity market, they both offer their members a comprehensive level of exposure in a competitive legal environment.
