Attorney Michael Cardamone Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyer Workers’ Compensation
Michael W. Cardamone, owner of Cardamone Law, a specialized PA Work Comp Law Firm for injured workers, has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer by his peers. This is the 8th consecutive year for this recognition- which is limited to the top 2.5% of lawyers in the state. We are very honored to have this recognition. Attorney Cardamone has been helping injured workers since 1999 and has dedicated his working life to this mission.
This is how the process works- from the Super Lawyers website:
Every year Super Lawyers selects attorneys from all firm sizes and over 70 practice areas throughout the United States. Learn about this detailed selection process below.
Nominations
Independent Research
Peer Evaluation
Final Selection
Rising Stars Selection Process
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STEP 1: NOMINATIONS / CREATION OF CANDIDATE POOL
Lawyers enter the candidate pool by being formally nominated by a peer or if identified by the research department during the research process.
Formal nominations
Once a year, we invite lawyers in each state to nominate the top attorneys they’ve personally observed in action. Lawyers may nominate attorneys in their own firm, but these nominations count only if each in-firm nomination is matched by at least one out-firm nomination.
Each nomination carries a point value and out-firm nominations have a greater point value than in-firm nominations. Lawyers cannot nominate themselves, and must limit their nominations to others who practice in the same state.
Our procedures and database have several safeguards that prevent lawyers from “gaming” the system. For example, we track who nominates whom. This helps us detect any excessive “back-scratch” nominations (lawyers nominating each other) and “block nominations” (where members of the same law firm all cast identical nominations). We also prohibit lawyers from engaging in “campaigning” or solicitation of nominations from other lawyers.
While important, the nomination phase is simply the first step in our process. It puts lawyers on our radar for further research and evaluation, and awards points in our rating system. But we limit the value of those points so that no matter how many nominations one receives, it will not guarantee selection.
Research process
Our attorney-led research staff searches for lawyers who have attained certain honors, results or credentials, which indicate a high degree of peer recognition or professional competence. For example, certification as a specialist in a particular area of practice, or admission to prestigious colleges or academies, e.g., The American College of Trial Lawyers. The staff identifies these credentials by reviewing a proprietary list of database and online sources, including national and local legal trade publications.
During the research process, we discover outstanding lawyers who have been overlooked in the nomination process. These may include: lawyers with national litigation practices who rarely appear in the courts of their home jurisdiction; lawyers in smaller firms or from smaller communities; and lawyers practicing in less visible or highly specialized practice areas.
Informal nominations
Throughout the year, readers, clients, marketing directors and attorneys who are not eligible to formally nominate (that is, actively licensed to practice in the same state as the nominee) send us names of lawyers we should consider for inclusion. Though no points are awarded, we add these lawyers to the candidate pool for further research and evaluation.
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STEP 2: INDEPENDENT RESEARCH BY SUPER LAWYERS
Our research department evaluates each lawyer in the candidate pool based on these 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement:
Verdicts/Settlements
Transactions
Representative Clients
Experience
Honors/Awards
Special licenses/certifications
Position within the law firm
Bar and/or professional activity
Pro bono and community service
Scholarly lectures/writings
Education/employment background
Other outstanding achievements
These indicators are not treated equally; some have a higher maximum point value than others.
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STEP 3: PEER EVALUATION BY PRACTICE AREA
The third step of the selection process is peer evaluation by practice area, also known as the “blue ribbon review.” The candidates in each practice area with the highest point totals from steps one and two above are asked to serve on a blue ribbon panel. The panelists are then provided a list of candidates from their practice areas to review, rating them on a scale of one to five.
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STEP 4: FINAL SELECTION
Candidates are grouped into four firm-size categories. Those with the highest point totals from each category are selected. This means solo and small firm lawyers are compared with other solo and small firm lawyers, and large firm lawyers are compared with other large firm lawyers. Five percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers.
Before Publishing
The research staff checks each candidate’s standing with the local licensing authority. Each candidate is asked to aver that they have never been subject to disciplinary or criminal proceedings.
Final Internet searches are performed on each candidate to ensure there are no outstanding matters that would reflect adversely on the lawyer. We also contact each lawyer to ensure accuracy of all published information.
Publication
The final published list represents no more than 5 percent of the lawyers in the state. The lists are published annually in state and regional editions of Super Lawyers Magazines and in inserts and special advertising sections in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers. All attorneys selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers, regardless of year, can be found on SuperLawyers.com.
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THE RISING STARS SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process for the Rising Stars list is the same as the Super Lawyers selection process, with one exception: to be eligible for inclusion in Rising Stars, a candidate must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. All attorneys first go through the Super Lawyers selection process. Those who are not selected to the Super Lawyers list, but who meet either one of the Rising Stars eligibility requirements, go through the Rising Stars selection process. While up to five percent of the lawyers in the state are named to Super Lawyers, no more than 2.5 percent are named to the Rising Stars list.
Here is the profile to the Super Lawyers page. Thank you for your support of our firm.
