Ten Icard Merrill Attorneys Receive Highest Rating from Martindale-Hubbell

SARASOTA, FL, October 07, 2010 (Press-News.org) Icard Merrill is pleased to congratulate ten of its attorneys and shareholders who received the highest AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings . The AV rating is a significant accomplishment in that only 12% of all the attorneys in the world have been awarded the designation. The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings help buyers of legal services identify, evaluate and select the most appropriate lawyer for a specific task at hand.

"We are proud to have ten members representing our firm at the highest level of peer professionalism in the legal industry," said Bob Lyons, president of Icard Merrill. "Being lauded by one's peers is always an honor - to be listed among the best of the best is indeed gratifying. This recognition is in line with the ideals that we strive to instill in all our staff and it is important for clients to be able to learn about the background and expertise of our attorneys."

The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating measures a lawyer's general ethics standards and legal ability based on anonymous peer assessments from members of the Bar and the Judiciary. The Icard Merrill attorneys who received an AV rating are listed as follows. All earned an "AV Preeminent" rating with a perfect "5 out of 5" score.

• Charles J. Bartlett
• Michael L. Foreman
• Michael J. Furen
• Arthur D. Ginsburg
• F. Thomas Hopkins, III
• Thomas F. Icard, Jr.
• Robert G. Lyons
• William W. Merrill, III
• Robert E. Messick
• Richard S. Webb, IV

As one of the oldest and most prestigious law-related peer reviews in the country, Martindale-Hubbell can trace its roots back to 1863 when it began publishing a directory of the most reliable businesses in the United States. Over the next 140 years, the company evolved into a respected legal publishing and marketing firm. Today the firm's online directory contains profiles of more than one million lawyers in 162 countries and is recognized as an important resource for the public, corporations and those in the legal profession for selecting and researching reputable lawyers.

About Icard Merrill

Established in 1953, the 30 lawyers and 60 employees of Icard Merrill maintain offices in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch and Punta Gorda. Icard Merrill is a full-service law firm with a strong commitment to supporting its communities through its patronage of the arts, civic involvement and significant contributions of legal services to the indigent.

For more information, call (941) 366-8100 or visit http://www.icardmerrill.com.