The Lawdragon Process

The Lawdragon selection process has been created over 35 years of researching and reporting on the legal profession and creating guides to the most effective legal professionals. Our team brings more than 100 years in the lawyer reporting and information business.

The foundation of our selection is in journalism. We research each guide extensively, studying which lawyers and law practices have had significant impact, including an emphasis on recent matters handled. We accept submissions and review them alongside thousands of candidates we identify and consider for each guide. We also work with editorial advisors in each substantive area to develop the focus of the guide and identify qualified talent.

To make a Lawdragon guide, a lawyer will have been in practice 10 years, with extremely rare exceptions. Similarly, virtually all will be partners in their law practice or hold a designation that indicates the regard of those with whom they practice. Leadership within their practice in a firm and or in relevant bar organizations is considered.

For the Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Energy Lawyers we researched those lawyers who shine bright for oil and gas; electricity; mining; and nuclear power; as well as water, wind, solar and new forms of what drives us. This is the inaugural stand alone version of this guide, and it was informed by our prior publication of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental & Energy lawyers in 2022. There is clearly massive interplay between the two disciplines, and those continue to be recognized in many of these selections, even as those more “green” focused are now recognized in the 2023 Green 500: Leaders in Environmental Law.

The substance of these lawyers’ practices ranges from energy regulation to corporate transactions, including M&A and finance; from litigation dockets predominantly focused on oil and gas or other energy matters, to infrastructure development supporting the global power grid. The common denominator is these lawyers and their firms are the go-to for energy companies and financiers in a range of critical matters.

Lawdragon is an advocate for inclusion in the legal profession and searches extensively for female candidates, attorneys of color and others who represent diversity.

Thank you for your interest in Lawdragon.