Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Ratings

One of the country's top personal injury lawyers, Rick Jaklitsch has been honored by Who’s Who in American Law for over 24 years. Rick Jaklitsch has also received the highly-prestigious Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating every year for the past 22 years.

The AV Preeminent rating is an honor that only the top 1 percent of lawyers in the country receive. It’s the result of an unbiased, peer-reviewed survey judging the ethical standards and legal ability of attorneys. AV Preeminent lawyers are deemed to have the highest professional skills and ethical practices by their peers.

Famous AV Preeminent recipients include Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court John Roberts and President Barack Obama.

The Distinguished rating is also very coveted. It’s granted to lawyers who have a wealth and breadth of experience that has led to them being noticed in the legal community. It also signals a substantial accomplishment in their professional work and their ethical integrity.

The Steps to Prove Negligence in a Personal Injury Case

Personal injury attorney Rick Jaklitsch has received an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell for more than 25 years. Throughout his career as an attorney, Rick Jaklitsch has helped thousands of people in cases from million-dollar-plus payouts to as little as $23 in unpaid personal injury protection.

In a personal injury case, it’s often the duty of the plaintiff to prove negligence as it is understood in legal terms. This starts with showing that the defendant had a duty of care, or obligation, to avoid injuring someone placed in the plaintiff’s position.

Once that’s established, it’s necessary to show that the duty of care was breached in some way. It’s one thing to show that someone has an obligation - it must then be shown the duty was not met.

Last, the plaintiff has to prove causation. That is to say, beyond showing that there was a duty and the duty was not met, it must be proven that negligence was the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. This is the general way that many personal injury cases proceed, but it’s not the only way, and it ultimately depends on the specifics of a case and the strategy of the attorney.