If you have searched for a lawyer in California, you have almost certainly seen the phrase “Super Lawyer” or “Rising Star” next to an attorney’s name. It sounds impressive, but what does it actually mean, and is it something you can rely on when you are deciding who should handle your case?
The short answer: Super Lawyers is an independent, peer-reviewed rating service that recognizes no more than the top 5 percent of attorneys in each state. It is not advertising, and lawyers cannot buy their way onto the list. Below, we explain how the honor works, how Rising Stars differs, and which attorneys at Gomerman Bourn & Associates have earned the recognition.
What Is a Super Lawyer?
A Super Lawyer is an attorney who has been selected to the Super Lawyers list, a rating service published by Thomson Reuters that identifies outstanding lawyers across more than 70 practice areas. Each year, no more than 5 percent of the attorneys in a given state are named to the list.
What makes the designation meaningful is that it is awarded by an independent third party, not by the lawyers themselves. The selection method pairs peer recognition with documented professional achievement, and it is rigorous enough that it was granted a United States patent as an impartial rating system. In other words, the title reflects how an attorney is regarded by other attorneys, supported by a verifiable record of real results.
What Is a Rising Star?
Rising Stars uses the same selection process as Super Lawyers, with one key difference: it recognizes accomplished newer attorneys. To be eligible for the Rising Stars list, a lawyer must be 40 years old or younger, or in practice for 10 years or less.
Rising Stars is also more selective by volume. While Super Lawyers honors the top 5 percent of attorneys in a state, no more than 2.5 percent of eligible lawyers are named Rising Stars. Earning the honor early in a career is a strong signal of momentum, and many attorneys who are named Rising Stars go on to be selected as Super Lawyers later.
How Are Super Lawyers Selected?
Super Lawyers uses a patented, multiphase selection process that is carried out every year on a state-by-state basis. Candidates are evaluated across 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement, including verdicts and settlements, experience, honors and awards, bar activity, pro bono and community service, and scholarly writing. The process moves through four main phases.
1. Nominations
Each year, attorneys can nominate the lawyers they have personally seen in action. Nominations from outside an attorney’s own firm carry more weight than internal ones, and the service uses safeguards to detect and discount reciprocal or coordinated nominations. A nomination earns points, but it does not guarantee selection.
2. Independent Research
The Super Lawyers research team independently evaluates each candidate against the 12 indicators, scoring documented accomplishments rather than reputation alone. This step keeps the list anchored to verifiable achievement instead of popularity.
3. Peer Evaluation
The highest-scoring candidates are placed on “blue ribbon” panels and asked to rate other lawyers in their own practice area on a defined scale. Because these evaluations come from leading practitioners in the same field, they add an expert layer of quality control.
4. Final Selection
Candidates are grouped by firm size to keep the comparison fair, and the top scorers are selected, capped at 5 percent of the state’s attorneys for Super Lawyers and 2.5 percent for Rising Stars. The service performs final license and standing checks before the list is published.
Do Lawyers Pay to Be Named a Super Lawyer?
No. Attorneys cannot pay to be selected. Selection is based entirely on the nomination, research, and peer-evaluation process described above. A lawyer who is chosen may later choose to buy advertising or a profile listing, but purchasing those products has no effect on whether an attorney makes the list. That separation is a core reason the designation carries weight.
Why Super Lawyers Recognition Matters When Choosing an Attorney
When you are dealing with a serious injury or a workplace dispute, you are often meeting lawyers for the first time with no easy way to compare them. A Super Lawyers or Rising Stars selection gives you an independent, peer-validated data point: it tells you that other attorneys, together with a neutral research process, have recognized this lawyer’s work.
It is not the only factor that should guide your decision, but it is a meaningful one, especially when an attorney has been recognized repeatedly over many years. Consistent, multi-year selection is difficult to sustain and reflects a long track record rather than a single strong year.
Super Lawyers and Rising Stars at Gomerman Bourn & Associates
Our employment and personal injury attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers and Rising Stars across many consecutive years. Here are the members of our team who have earned the honor.
Tanya Gomerman
The firm’s founder, Tanya has been selected to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list every year from 2019 through 2026, a distinction reserved for the top 2.5 percent of eligible attorneys. She is a trial attorney who works across both the firm’s employment and personal injury practices.
Maria Bourn
Maria was named a Rising Star from 2016 through 2020 and has since been selected as a full Super Lawyer every year from 2021 through 2026 in employment litigation, placing her among the top 5 percent of attorneys in the state.
Robert Hester
Robert earned Rising Stars recognition from 2019 through 2025 and was elevated to the Super Lawyers list in 2026 for his personal injury work.
Ashley Pellouchoud
Ashley was selected as a Rising Star from 2020 through 2023 and as a Super Lawyer from 2024 through 2026, with a focus on employment litigation, civil rights, and class action and mass tort cases.
Ally Girouard
Ally has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2023 through 2026 in employment and civil litigation.
Felipe Garcia
Felipe has been recognized as a Rising Star from 2023 through 2026 for his personal injury practice, and he is proud to serve the firm’s Spanish-speaking clients.
You can learn more about each attorney on our team page, where every Super Lawyers and Rising Stars selection is listed and linked to the attorney’s official Super Lawyers profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Super Lawyers a legitimate rating?
Yes. Super Lawyers is an independent rating service published by Thomson Reuters. Its patented selection process combines peer nominations, independent research across 12 indicators, and peer evaluation, and no more than 5 percent of the attorneys in a state are selected each year.
What is the difference between a Super Lawyer and a Rising Star?
Both use the same selection process. Rising Stars recognizes attorneys who are 40 or younger or have practiced for 10 years or less, and is limited to the top 2.5 percent of eligible lawyers. Super Lawyers recognizes the top 5 percent of all attorneys in a state, regardless of age.
Can a lawyer pay to become a Super Lawyer?
No. Attorneys cannot pay to be selected. Selection is based solely on the nomination, research, and peer-review process. Paid advertising or profile listings are separate and do not influence who is named to the list.
How often are Super Lawyers chosen?
The lists are published annually, and selections are made on a state-by-state basis, so an attorney must continue to earn the recognition each year.
Do the attorneys at Gomerman Bourn & Associates have Super Lawyers recognition?
Yes. Six of our attorneys have been recognized as Super Lawyers or Rising Stars, several of them for many consecutive years, across both our employment and personal injury practices.
Speak With a Recognized California Attorney
Whether you are facing a workplace dispute or recovering from a serious injury, you deserve an advocate whose work has been recognized by peers and by an independent review process. The team at Gomerman Bourn & Associates serves clients across California from offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Redwood City, and Santa Rosa.
Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
