5 Questions to Ask to Find the Best Possible Attorney for Your Case

1. Are they Nationally Board Certified in Civil Trial Law?

Similar to physicians achieving board certification within their areas of specialization, Attorneys who have demonstrated a significant level of experience, expertise and have undergone a rigorous background inquiry may sit for board exams, and if successful, achieve board certification status.

Howard Butler has been Board Certified and re-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in the area of Civil Trial Advocacy since 2002.

2. Have they received the highest possible (“AV”) rating from Martindale-Hubbell?

Martindale-Hubbell is the nation’s oldest and most respected rating service, rating legal ability and ethics utilizing a peer review by area Judges and attorneys. 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.

Howard Butler has been “AV” rated for 30+ consecutive years (1993-2024), and both he and the Butler Law Group are listed in the National Bar Registry of Pre-eminent Lawyers.

3. Have they achieved membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum?

The Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum is one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. There are over 3000 members throughout the country. Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members.

Howard Butler is a long-time member of both the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates and Million Dollar Advocates Forums having achieved numerous seven-figure (as well as eight-figure) verdicts and settlements throughout his distinguished legal career.

4. Have they been listed in “The Best Lawyers in America” and “Florida Super Lawyers”?

Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 25,000 leading attorneys cast almost two million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their specialties, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.” ®Best Lawyers 2008.

Super Lawyers are nominated annually in each participating state or region by all active lawyers who have been in practice for five years or more. Ballots were mailed to more than 44,000 lawyers in Florida, who were asked to select the “best lawyers they’ve personally observed in action.” All candidates are evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only five percent of the total lawyers in Florida are selected as Florida Super Lawyers.

Howard Butler has again been listed in the “Best Lawyers in America” for 2025 and has been consistently chosen for inclusion in Florida Super Lawyers since 2006.

5. Have they successfully tried a case to verdict within the last 12 months?

In February 2025, Butler Law Group prevailed in a Federal Court insurance bad faith trial against the largest auto injury liability carrier in the US. A unanimous 8-person federal jury found that State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company acted in bad faith in failing to settle our client’s case against State Farm’s insured.