It feels cool to be named one of the Top 25 attorneys in Charlotte (of any kind), and oen of the Top 100 attorneys in all of North Carolina of (of any kind) by Super Lawyers.

I have written this before, but what I like about the Charlotte legal community is that it is a merit-based town.  If you’re good, you prosper.  There are other towns in the Southeast where it matters more what your name or pedigree is.

In 1994, when I decided to hang my own shingle and try to be a criminal defense lawyer, I called the prominent defense lawyers in town and asked to pick their brains.  Every single one of them — Eben Rawls, Theo Nixon, Jim Cooney, Harold Bender, Jim Gronquist and others — graciously met with me and answered all my basic questions.

So nowadays I am trying to be a good mentor to the younger crop of criminal defense lawyers in Charlotte, who are tackling the task of defending the Constitution one client at a time.

https://www.superlawyers.com/north-carolina/toplists/top-25-2023-charlotte-super-lawyers/8bd3e786ec96aa813bd2c1bbb1117679

https://www.superlawyers.com/north-carolina/toplists/top-100-2023-north-carolina-super-lawyers/160743788aa7329fe5ebd7d19383e361

And here’s the legalese we have to post when we are named:

Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.

The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in the practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.)

Chris Fialko has earned the 2022 AV Preeminent Rating, which is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethics through Martindale-Hubbell.

The Martindale-Hubbell© Peer Review Ratings have been an important part of Martindale-Hubbell’s services to the legal community since 1887. The ratings process, which evaluates lawyers both in the U.S. and Canada, is solely based on peer review.

On November 5, 2020, Fialko Law, PLLC received a Metro Tier One ranking in the 2021 Edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” in Criminal Defense: General Practice and White-Collar in Charlotte.

U.S. News explains, “This year we reviewed 15,587 law firms throughout the United States – across 75 national practice areas – and a total of 2,179 firms received a national law firm ranking. We are proud that the ‘Best Law Firms’ rankings continue to act as an indicator of excellence throughout the legal industry.” Check out the U.S. News release here.

Last week I was named the Best Lawyers® 2021 Criminal Defense: White-Collar “Lawyer of the Year” in Charlotte.

I usually don’t tout such awards.  I rely on my reputation and work to gain new clients.  But I confess I’m proud of this particular recognition for three reasons.

First, I achieved it from a different angle than prior recipients – I almost exclusively represent human beings in white collar investigations, not companies.  There are many great white collar defense lawyers in Charlotte who focus on representing big companies and their high-level executives.  I learned a lot over the years from these lawyers.  They sometimes bring me into cases to represent other employees.   But I focus on representing owners, managers, or employees in small and medium businesses.

Second, this was a plan I hatched 16 years ago.  From 1994 – 2003 I defended people in blue-collar crimes in state and federal court – everything from robbery to DWI, from drug offenses to homicides.  In 2003 I crafted a plan to try to break into the white collar field.  It took patience, hustle, and a willingness to learn.  Some of the skills of blue collar defense – cross-examination, independent investigation, listening to clients – translated to white collar.  But I kept my eyes open and learned new skills.  It’s fun to make a plan and achieve the goal — a thriving white collar practice.

Third, I think Best Lawyers/U.S. News have the best method – peer voting by other lawyers and judges in each field.  It feels good to earn this vote from the white collar defense community here in Charlotte.

Enough of the self-promotion.  Back to work.

As Best Lawyers describes the recognition:

Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on a rigorous peer-review survey comprising more than 9.4 million confidential evaluations by top attorneys. Our founding principle remains unchanged since 1981 and forms the basis of our transparent methodology: The best lawyers know who the best lawyers are. (As always, no fee or payment to participate is allowed.)

Click here for blog post: It’s good when a plan comes together – thoughts about being named white-collar lawyer of the year.

in 2016, Fialko was named the Best Lawyers® 2016 Criminal Defense: Non-White Collar “Lawyer of the Year” in Charlotte. He is one of very few attorneys who have been voted this recognition by his peers in both categories.

2020-08-20 Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year Letter.