Criminal Defense Attorney Michelle Suskauer, of the Suskauer Law Firm, is named and featured in Florida Trend Magazine “Legal Elite” 2009. Suskauer is noted as the only Criminal Law Practitioner in Palm Beach County awarded “Legal Elite”. This recognition is achieved by earning the trust, confidence, respect — and votes — of their peers. This year’s list of 918 Legal Elite attorneys represents less than 2% of the nearly 63,000 Florida Bar members practicing in Florida.
“I thank my peers who have recognized my professional efforts and achievements by voting and placing me among the legal elite,” says Suskauer. “I am honored to be listed among this group of exceptional lawyers.”
Lawyers were asked to name attorneys they hold in the highest regard or would recommend to others. The ballots were processed, checked and tabulated by Bradenton-based Outsource America and Suncoast Opinion Surveys in St. Petersburg. Each lawyer was given a score based on the number of votes he or she received and whether the votes came from within their firm (one point) or outside their firm (three points). Only lawyers who are currently licensed and practicing in Florida were considered eligible. Attorneys were also invited to submit names of lawyers for recognition in a separate Goverment Attorney category. The list of top vote-getters was further examined using membership status and practice histories provided by the Florida Bar. A panel of previous Legal Elite winners, representing a variety of practice areas in cities across the state, reviewed the selection process and the list of finalists.