What Does the AV Preeminent Rating Measure?
Martindale-Hubbell defines the AV Preeminent rating in its published criteria as its highest peer review designation for lawyers. It is built from confidential evaluations submitted by other attorneys and sitting judges who have worked across from, alongside, or in front of the rated lawyer. The "A" measures legal ability. The "V" measures ethical standards. Both must reach the highest tier.
Martindale-Hubbell explains on its current ratings page that the rating cannot be purchased and cannot be self-nominated.
The "A" Rating: Legal Ability Evaluated by Peers
The "A" tier rates legal ability on five criteria: legal knowledge, analytical capabilities, judgment, communication ability, and legal experience. Reviews come from attorneys and judges who have observed the lawyer's work in adversarial settings. The rating is anonymous on both sides. The lawyer being rated does not see the reviewers; the reviewers do not see one another's submissions.
A rating at the "A" tier signals that the evaluating peers placed the lawyer at the top of their professional cohort on every one of those five measures.
The "V" Rating: Highest Ethical Standards
Martindale-Hubbell states the "V" tier rates ethical conduct against its general ethical standards review. It draws on the same confidential peer process. Lawyers and judges submit observations on professional integrity, candor, reliability, and adherence to bar conduct rules.
A "V" rating reflects that the evaluating peers placed the lawyer at the highest available ethical tier. Combined with the "A" rating, the AV mark is Martindale's apex designation.
Why Does an AV Preeminent Rating Matter for a Catastrophic Injury Firm?
Morris & Dewett's case mix is built on catastrophic injury and wrongful death. These are the matters that put a Louisiana personal injury lawyer across from defense lawyers, insurance carriers' national counsel, and federal judges in the Western District of Louisiana. Those are also the people Martindale-Hubbell draws from when it solicits reviews. The peer audience is present in those rooms.
The rating is a measurement taken from the litigation environment Morris & Dewett actually works in.
A Practice Built on Catastrophic Injury and Wrongful Death
The firm's trial work concentrates in commercial vehicle collisions, industrial and oilfield deaths, premises liability with severe injury, and other matters where the damages model is built on permanent loss. These cases are tried against repeat-player defense firms and adjusted by senior carrier counsel. Both populations are inside Martindale's peer pool. Verdicts and depositions in this lane generate the reviews that AV ratings depend on.
A firm that wants peer recognition at this tier has to be in the rooms where the peers see the work. The Morris & Dewett catastrophic injury and wrongful death docket puts the firm in those rooms.
How Rare Is AV Preeminent Among Louisiana Personal Injury Firms?
The rating is the directory's top peer-review tier, and only a fraction of Louisiana personal injury attorneys hold it. Martindale-Hubbell does not publish disaggregated AV counts by state and practice area. The public Martindale-Hubbell directory shows that the AV tier sits above the BV and Distinguished tiers and requires sustained peer nomination at the highest ability and ethics ratings.
The rating is a structural marker, not a popularity vote. It is held by lawyers whose peer audience has consistently placed them at the top of the ability scale.
Meet the Lawyers in an AV Preeminent-Rated Firm
AV Preeminent attaches to individual attorneys, not firms. Trey Morris, the firm's sole founder, holds the AV Preeminent rating in his individual capacity; that designation is what allows Morris & Dewett to carry the rating as a firm. The lawyers below make up the trial team behind the firm's catastrophic injury and wrongful death docket.
Trey Morris: Sole Founder, AV Preeminent
Trey Morris is the sole founder of Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers and the firm's managing partner. The Louisiana State Bar Association directory shows him admitted to practice in Louisiana. He holds the AV Preeminent rating in his individual capacity. His Louisiana practice spans commercial vehicle trials, wrongful death matters, and catastrophic injury cases tried in both state and federal courts.
The 2025 Bossier Parish wrongful death verdict in the Grantham matter was tried with him on the trial team. KTBS reported the result could be a Louisiana record.
Justin C. Dewett: Partner and Trial Attorney
Justin C. Dewett is Partner at the firm. The Louisiana State Bar Association directory shows him admitted to the Louisiana bar, and he is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. In February 2025 he secured a $7 million federal jury verdict in a Western District 18-wheeler trial. His docket runs heavily to commercial trucking matters tried under federal motor carrier regulations.
Elizabeth Hancock: Air Force Veteran and Trial Attorney
Elizabeth Hancock is an Air Force veteran and a Louisiana trial attorney. The Louisiana State Bar Association directory shows her admitted to the Louisiana bar. She tries injury cases against carrier-defense counsel and holds institutional roles inside the state bar that put her in front of judges and peer attorneys regularly. In October 2025 she secured a $2 million jury verdict in a red-light T-bone collision case.
Josh Powell: Engineering-Trained Trial Lawyer
Josh Powell holds an engineering background that shapes how he tries technical injury cases. The Louisiana State Bar Association directory shows him admitted to the Louisiana bar. Cases involving vehicle dynamics, mechanical failure, and reconstruction science draw on that training during expert preparation and cross-examination. In September 2025 he secured a $1.8 million jury verdict in a rear-end collision tried in Shreveport.
Meghan Nolen: Up-and-Coming Trial Attorney
Meghan Nolen is an up-and-coming personal injury trial attorney on the firm's Louisiana docket. She is admitted to the Louisiana bar and brings federal court experience from a prior clerkship into the firm's commercial vehicle and catastrophic injury work.
What 2025 Trial Verdicts Sit Behind the AV-Rated Firm?
The AV Preeminent rating is a peer-evaluation measure of legal ability and ethical standards. It is not tied to client outcomes or case results. The verdicts below are a separate proof point: they show that the AV-rated firm is also an active trial firm. Both signals matter, and they answer different questions about competence and current courtroom practice.
- $409 million wrongful death verdict, Bossier Parish, 2025. Jury returned for the family of four-year-old Katie Bug Grantham. KTBS reported the result as what could be a Louisiana record. Tried by the Morris & Dewett trial team.
- $7 million federal jury verdict, February 2025. 18-wheeler trial in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Justin Dewett served as trial counsel.
- $6 million wrongful death verdict, March 2025. Fatal hydraulic line failure on a Louisiana jobsite. Justin Dewett served as trial counsel.
- $2 million jury verdict, October 2025. Red-light T-bone collision case. Elizabeth Hancock served as trial counsel.
- $1.8 million jury verdict, September 2025. Rear-end collision on a Shreveport interstate ramp; the firm's client was struck while stopped. Josh Powell served as trial counsel.
The aggregate is what an active trial practice looks like over a single calendar year: federal court trials, state court trials, transportation cases, jobsite deaths, and intersection collisions.
Common Questions About Peer Ratings and Attorney Verification
A reader who reaches this point in the page typically has follow-up questions about how peer ratings work and how to verify the credentials separately.
Who Evaluates Attorneys for the AV Preeminent Rating?
Other attorneys and sitting judges evaluate AV nominees. Martindale-Hubbell solicits confidential reviews from members of the peer bar and the judiciary who have observed the candidate's work. Reviews are submitted anonymously and aggregated against Martindale's criteria for legal ability and ethical standards.
The pool of evaluators is determined by where the candidate practices. A Louisiana personal injury trial lawyer is rated by Louisiana attorneys and judges who have litigated alongside or against the candidate.
How Do You Verify a Louisiana Attorney's License and Standing?
The Louisiana State Bar Association directory at lsba.org returns, on a search by name, the attorney's bar number, admission date, current status, and any public discipline history. A current "active" status with no public discipline is the baseline for a Louisiana attorney in good standing.
What Qualifications and Track Record Distinguish a Top Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyer?
Three markers map to the AV standard. First, peer recognition from the lawyers and judges who see the firm's work. Second, ethical standing as measured by the bar and by peer evaluation. Third, a current trial record in the practice areas the prospective client cares about. A top rated personal injury lawyer in Louisiana should clear all three.
A firm's marketing materials do not establish any of those markers. Bar directory records, peer review ratings, and reported verdicts do.
How Should Referral Lawyers and Prospective Clients Use This Rating?
The credential earns its keep at two specific decision points: a referral lawyer choosing Louisiana co-counsel, and a prospective client choosing among firms to call after a serious injury.
For Referral Lawyers: Weighing Louisiana Co-Counsel for Catastrophic Injury Cases
A Texas, Mississippi, or out-of-state attorney with a Louisiana case looks for three things in local trial counsel: federal court trial capacity for matters that belong in federal court, peer-evaluated ethical standing, and recent jury verdicts in the relevant injury category. The AV Preeminent rating addresses the first two. The 2025 verdict roster addresses the third.
Co-counsel referrals on catastrophic injury matters can be directed through the firm's main Shreveport office.
For Prospective Clients: Reading the Rating Alongside the Verdict Record
A peer review rating is a statement from other lawyers and judges. A verdict record is a statement from juries. A top rated personal injury attorney in Louisiana should show both. The AV mark does not replace the verdict record, and the verdict record does not replace the AV mark. The two together answer different questions about whether the firm is competent and trustworthy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Louisiana Personal Injury Claims
- What is the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit in Louisiana?
- The statute of limitations, called the prescriptive period in Louisiana, is the deadline by which a personal injury lawsuit must be filed or the claim is barred. Louisiana Civil Code article 3493.11 provides a two-year prescriptive period for general tort claims sustained on or after July 1, 2024. Injuries before that date are subject to the prior one-year prescriptive period under former Louisiana Civil Code article 3492. Louisiana Revised Statutes section 9:5628 sets medical malpractice at three years from the act or omission and one year from discovery. Products liability remains at one year under Louisiana Revised Statutes section 9:2800.54.
- What percentage does a personal injury lawyer in Louisiana typically take as their fee?
- Louisiana personal injury attorneys generally work on contingency. The contingency percentage is set by written agreement between the attorney and the client. Common ranges run from one-third to forty percent of the recovery, with the percentage often tiered based on whether the case settles before suit, after suit is filed, or after trial. Morris & Dewett's fee terms are provided in writing during the initial engagement.
- How is the value of a personal injury case determined in Louisiana?
- Case value in Louisiana is built from two damage categories. Economic damages include medical expenses, lost wages, future medical care, and lost earning capacity. Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium. Louisiana places no statutory cap on damages in ordinary personal injury cases. Medical malpractice is the exception, with Louisiana Revised Statutes section 40:1231.2 capping total damages at $500,000 plus future medical paid through the Patient Compensation Fund.
- What is the difference between a personal injury claim and a lawsuit in Louisiana?
- The difference is timing and forum: a claim is a pre-suit demand to an insurance carrier or responsible party; a lawsuit is the formal civil action filed in district court. A claim is made before any court filing. A lawsuit is filed once settlement negotiations have failed or the prescriptive period requires preservation of the claim. Most personal injury matters begin as claims and resolve without suit. The filing of a lawsuit interrupts prescription and triggers formal discovery.
- How long does a personal injury case take to settle in Louisiana?
- Timing depends on injury severity, liability disputes, and whether the case requires litigation. Soft tissue claims with clear liability and complete medical treatment can resolve within months. Catastrophic injury and wrongful death matters that involve federal court, multiple defendants, or contested liability commonly run one to three years from injury to resolution. The timeline depends on injury severity, liability disputes, and litigation needs, not a fixed calendar.
- What evidence should I gather to strengthen my personal injury case in Louisiana?
- Photographs from the scene, contact information for witnesses, the police or incident report, medical records and bills from every provider, employment records establishing wage loss, and any communications from the at-fault party or its insurer. For commercial vehicle cases, the electronic logging device data and driver hours-of-service records become critical and should be preserved through a spoliation letter immediately.
- What damages can I recover in a Louisiana personal injury lawsuit?
- Economic damages include past and future medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and out-of-pocket expenses. Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. A spouse can recover loss of consortium. Louisiana does not generally allow punitive damages in personal injury cases. Louisiana Civil Code article 2315.4 is the exception relevant to most readers, allowing exemplary damages against an intoxicated driver whose intoxication caused the injury, with no statutory cap on the amount.
- How does Louisiana's comparative fault law affect my personal injury compensation?
- For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, Louisiana Civil Code article 2323 provides a modified comparative fault rule with a 51 percent bar under Act No. 15 of the 2025 Regular Session. A plaintiff at 50 percent fault recovers damages reduced by 50 percent. At 51 percent or more, recovery is barred. Causes of action arising before January 1, 2026 are governed by Louisiana's prior pure comparative fault rule with no bar.
- What questions should I ask during a free consultation with a Louisiana personal injury attorney?
- Is the attorney admitted to the federal district court covering the case venue?
- What is the attorney's bar number, so standing can be verified through the Louisiana State Bar directory?
- When was the attorney's most recent jury verdict in the relevant case category, and what was the amount?
- Who on the firm will actually try the case if it does not settle?
- How are comparative fault disputes handled, given the 2026 rule change?
Vague answers to specific questions are the relevant data point.
- What are the most common mistakes to avoid after a personal injury in Louisiana?
- Giving a recorded statement to the at-fault driver's insurance carrier before consulting counsel.
- Posting about the injury or the incident on social media.
- Missing follow-up medical appointments, which carriers read as evidence the injury resolved.
- Accepting an early settlement offer before the full medical course is known.
- Waiting past the two-year prescriptive period to file suit.
- For commercial vehicle cases, allowing the carrier's electronic logging device data to be overwritten before a preservation letter goes out.