In 1981, two American lawyers just out of Harvard Law School, established Best Lawyers, and it is now an international platform to identify who is the most highly regarded lawyer in each sector of the law.
Anyone can nominate a lawyer, except the lawyer themselves, and then the other lawyers in the sector are invited to vote/rank them.
Best Lawyers’ explanation of the process is:
Lawyers who are nominated for consideration in The Best Lawyers in Australia are voted on by currently recognized Best Lawyers ™ working in the same practice area and located in the same geographic region.
They are asked, "If you could not handle a case yourself, how likely are you to recommend this lawyer?" They then grade the nominees from one to five, with a five reserved for those to whom a voter would “definitely refer” a case. It falls then to "probably refer," "would hesitate to refer," down to "would not refer." Lawyers can also provide additional feedback if they choose.
Best Lawyers awards and recognitions are based purely on the feedback we receive from these top lawyers. Those who receive high peer reviews undergo a thorough verification process to make sure they are currently still in private practice. Only then can these top lawyers be recognized by Best Lawyers.
The 2022 Australian list of ‘best lawyers’, just released, in the categories most aligned with retirement living and aged care are:
Adelaide
John Homburg, Health and Aged Care Law, Gilchrist Connell
Brisbane
Tim Longwill, Health and Aged Care Law, McCullough Robertson
Robin Lyons, Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law, MinterEllison
Canberra
No relevant entries
Melbourne
Paris Petranis, Health and Aged Care Law, K&L Gates LLP
Sabine Phillips AM, Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law, HWL Ebsworth
Adelaide
No relevant entries
Perth
Julia Wilcock, Health and Aged Care Law, Panetta McGrath
Simon Moen, Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law, Jackson McDonald
Sydney
Brit Mainhoff, Health and Aged Care Law, HWL Ebsworth
Samantha Culshaw, Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law, Thomson Geer
How does this list match to your experience?