Best Personal Injury Lawyers ranks personal injury lawyers using a weighted score built from measurable performance and risk signals, with outcomes and dollars recovered as a core input: total settlement and verdict dollars from the last 5 years plus median recovery by case type (auto, slip-and-fall, med mal, wrongful death), counting categories only where sample size is disclosed and n >= 20. Trial performance is scored separately using plaintiff jury trials to verdict in the last 5 years, win rate, and average verdict size, and firms with 0 trials in the period score lower because credible trial history affects insurer behavior. Client satisfaction is quantified using average rating and review counts on Google, Avvo, and Yelp, with high ratings based on <= 10 reviews weighted less than similar ratings with >= 100, and a complaint rate computed as confirmed negative resolutions divided by total matters over the last 3 years. Disciplinary record is checked over 10 years and severity-weighted (public reprimand < suspension < disbarment), alongside publicly verifiable malpractice claims or judgments, since a single serious action can outweigh other strengths. Fees and cost transparency are scored from stated contingency ranges (for example, 33% pre-suit, 40% if filed, 45% if appealed), whether costs are advanced, and whether costs come off the top before or after the fee, because a lower percentage can be offset by cost handling or escalators. Speed, communication, resources per case, and local capacity are measured using intake-to-attorney contact time (hours), business-day response times, update cadence (for example, every 30 days), staffing ratios, median expert/litigation spend per litigated case over 2 years, local filings over 3 years, office coverage, and the share handled by in-state lawyers versus referral/outside counsel, and each listing is reviewed by an editor using market research like secret shopping, interviews, and surveys plus additional proprietary factors.