A national rating and legal news service that creates lists of leading attorneys and judges has selected attorney Mark A. Avera, managing partner of Avera & Smith, LLP, as one of the top 500 plaintiff's lawyers in the country.

Avera will appear in the 2007 Leading Plaintiff's Lawyer Guide published by Los Angeles-based Lawdragon.

The Leading Plaintiff's Lawyer list represents "The nation's most trusted attorneys in the courtroom, chiefly representing individuals, whether in solo or class claims of essentially any nature, toxic tort to aviation, securities class action to employment," according to the publisher.

Less than one tenth of a percent of plaintiffs' lawyers in the country are named to the Lawdragon 500 lists. Lawdragon, www.lawdragon.com, creates its guides to the best lawyers and judges in the United States through a unique combination of online balloting and independent research. The publisher's reporters and editors interview thousands of lawyers by phone to get their input on the top "Dragons" in any region or practice field. They collect votes through online ballots, which democratizes their lists, allowing lawyers who might be overlooked through traditional surveying techniques to be identified. Those submissions are then vetted by the publisher's editorial staff.

While creating their lists, Lawdragon reviews the quality of the votes an individual receives, with more weight, for instance, being given to the vote of a corporate counsel than to a partner in the nominee's firm.