Determining Your Attorney’s Qualifications

There are several ways to determine the professional qualifications of your attorney and his or her firm.

The nationally recognized Martindale Hubbell Law Directory rates attorneys and firms on their ability and professional attributes. An “AV” rating is the highest. The “A” signifies the “highest levels of legal ability,” while the “V” denotes “very high adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability and diligence.” Other ratings include “BV,” “CV,” and no rating. ShounBach has enjoyed an “AV” rating for almost three decades.

Inclusion of law firms in the Martindale Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers is reserved, as the name suggests, for the “preeminent” practitioners in certain areas of legal concentration, such as civil trial law, criminal law, personal injury law, real estate law, and family law. ShounBach is proud of its inclusion in this register under Family Law.

Ratings in both Martindale Hubbell publications are based on a peer review system compiled from the confidential opinions of practicing attorneys and members of the judiciary.

Many of the law firm’s attorneys’ reputations have earned them inclusion in the nationally recognized The Best Lawyers in America ® under the category “Family Law.” In addition, many of the firm’s attorneys have earned recognition by, and inclusion in “Virginia’s Super Lawyers” again under the category “Family Law,” as either the primary designation or as “Rising Stars.” Moreover, four of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized for their leadership within their respective Northern Virginia communities, as well as leaders within the profession of law, by the organization.

For more than a quarter century, attorneys at ShounBach have been primary presenters of Continuing Legal Education family law seminars to other attorneys and to members of the judiciary. Subject areas have included Drafting Separation and Property Settlement Agreements; Equitable Distribution of Civil Service, Military and Private Retirement Benefits; Tax Consequences of Separation and Divorce; Professionalism and Civility Among Attorneys; Drafting Premarital Agreements; and Recent Developments in Virginia Domestic Relations Statutory and Case Law.

The attorneys at ShounBach are also involved in a wide variety of other bar activities, at both local and state levels, having held multiple offices and served as chair of numerous bar association committees over the years. The firm has had the past distinction of receiving of the Fairfax Bar Associations’ Pro Bono Award as Fairfax County Law Firm of the Year.