This badge is granted to attorneys who have been reviewed by a past client.
AV Preeminent Peer Rated
This elite award is granted to attorneys who have been recognized by their peers for their very high ethical standards, with an average peer review score of 4.5 or higher.
About Awards
Client Champion Awards
Client Champion awards recognize those attorneys who excel at service as affirmed by their clients. The awards, based on the quantity
and quality of an attorney’s Martindale-Hubbell client reviews, demonstrate an ongoing commitment to delivering excellent client service.
Award recipients stand out from their peers with a platinum, gold or silver icon.
At least three reviews and a score of 4.0 or higher.
At least six reviews and a score of 4.2 or higher.
At least ten reviews and a score of 4.5 or higher.
Martindale Peer Awards
A lawyer who receives a minimum threshold of qualifying responses from fellow attorneys can qualify for one of three prestigious
Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings:
AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him
or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
Marlene Appel, PLLC got this award in 2021
Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely
respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
Avvo Awards
Avvo Top Contributor: The Avvo Top Contributor Award is granted to attorneys who have earned significant contribution points in a given year on our sister site, Avvo.com. Contribution points are earned by answering questions in Q&A,
publishing Legal Guides, and other useful contributions to the Avvo community.
Avvo Client’s Choice: The Avvo Client's Choice Award Badge is granted to attorneys with a significant number of 4+ star reviews in a given year.
I'm honored that Marlene has been my arbitration attorney for nearly the past six years. Marlene sets the bar for other attorneys to follow. She's an excellent communicator, for one. She's handled my late mother's estate with great care and respect. I appreciate that she has worked so hard to bring my mother's Estate to conclusion. I couldn't have asked for a better representative of my mother. Thank you, Marlene.
She took the time to get to know my needs and found the best and most direct solution to get the results that I needed. 9 years later when I had a question and called her office, she took the call immediately, took time to talk to me over the phone, very quickly recalled my case, and offered assistance and advice. She's not only excellent at what she does, she is human, and in this day and age I find that to be invaluable.
Marlene Appel is a horrible person in the area of probate and getting things done appropriately, swiftly and in a cost-efficient way. Don’t use her or her company. She does not reply in a timely manner and avoids taking responsibility for her actions of overcharging and inappropriate billing. I give her ZERO STARS. She will rob you blind and then go on a vacation. Speaking from personal experience with her. She’s awful.
The few times I have spoke to Marlene regarding my case she was lacking in knowledge and ambition. I found her handling my estate without keeping her clients informed racking up large fees with little to no progress. Everything would hear from her she is going on vacation. Not pleased speaking with her, she was brash and hostile leaving me unsettled much less conflicted with legal options availability. Many questions left unanswered by Marlene after a year handling my case and still no response from her, just an outrageous bill!
Martindale-Hubbell® Client Review Ratings™ display reviews submitted by individuals who have either hired or consulted the lawyers or law firms.
The Client Review Rating score is determined through the aggregation of validated responses. People who submit reviews are either individuals who consulted with the lawyer/law firm or who hired the lawyer/law firm and want to share their experience of that lawyer or law firm with other potential clients. Reviewers can be anyone who consults or hires a lawyer including in-house counsel, corporate executives, small business owners, and private individuals.
Martindale-Hubbell validates that a reviewer is a person with a valid email address. As part of the review process, respondents must affirm that they have had an initial consultation, are currently a client or have been a client of the lawyer or law firm identified, although Martindale-Hubbell cannot confirm the lawyer/client relationship as it is often confidential. The content of the responses is entirely from reviewers.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome and Martindale-Hubbell accepts no responsibility for the content or accuracy of any review. For more information on Martindale-Hubbell Client Review Ratings, please visit our Client Review Page
Martindale Peer Reviews
Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ are the gold standard in attorney ratings, and have been for more than a century. These ratings indicate attorneys who are widely respected by their peers for their ethical standards and legal expertise in a specific area of practice.
The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings process is the gold standard due to its objectivity and comprehensiveness. Lawyers solicited for peer reviews include both those selected by the attorney being reviewed and lawyers independently selected by Martindale-Hubbell. All reviewers are verified as attorneys through Martindale-Hubbell’s extensive attorney database. Only attorneys practicing at least three years and receiving a sufficient number of reviews from non-affiliated attorneys are eligible to receive a Rating.
What are the different Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings?*
• AV Preeminent®: The highest peer rating standard. This rating signifies that a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards.
• Distinguished: An excellent rating for a lawyer with some experience. This rating indicates the attorney is widely respected by their peers for high professional achievement and ethical standards.
• Notable: This rating indicates that the lawyer has been recognized by a large number of their peers for strong ethical standards.
Lawyers who have received peer reviews after 2009 will display more detailed information, including practice areas, summary ratings, detailed numeric ratings and written feedback (if available). Details for individual reviews received before 2009 are not displayed.
Attorneys that receive reviews from their peers, but not a sufficient number to establish a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, will have those reviews display on our websites.
Ratings and reviews are feedback from people who have either consulted an attorney about an issue (but may not have hired the attorney) or people who hired an attorney as a current or former client and provided their feedback to our sister site, Avvo.com.