Awards Won by the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin and Our Attorneys

Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms”

Firms included in the “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in “The Best Lawyers in America,” which recognizes the top 4% of practicing attorneys in the U.S.

Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise. Ranked firms, presented in tiers, are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for its abilities, its professionalism, and its integrity.

For information regarding the standards for inclusion for awards listed, visit www.bestlawyers.com.

U.S. News & World Report “Best Companies to Work For”

U.S. News recognized the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin on its “Best Companies to Work For” list for 2024. According to U.S. News, “out of all the companies we considered, the ones with the highest composite scores were included in the ‘Best Companies to Work For’ list.”

To be eligible for the list, companies must have had a minimum of 75 U.S.-based Glassdoor reviews from 2020-2022. Characteristics like quality pay, good work/life balance, and opportunities for professional development and advancement were used in evaluating employers in the Best Companies to Work For list.

The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin earned recognition on the Triangle Business Journal’s  “Fast 50 Awards” list in 2024 and 2025, standing as the only law firm among the region’s fastest-growing companies recognized on the lists.⁴ This prestigious annual award, now in its 33rd year, honors the “area’s most dynamic privately held companies” who were “selected and ranked based on a formula that counts revenue growth and profitability in the preceding three years.” The firm’s inclusion in this decorated group of fast-growing companies reflects our commitment to delivering quality legal services to our growing client base.

*“Fast 50” standards of inclusion: bizjournals.com.

Triangle Business Journal “Best Places to Work”

The 2020 edition of the Triangle Business Journal “Best Places to Work” Awards recognized the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin as #1 of the “Best Places to Work” for companies in the Large Company category — those that employ 100 to 249 workers — in the 16 counties that comprise North Carolina’s Research Triangle region. This recognition is determined by employee surveys which are then tabulated and ranked to determine the leaders in each of the size categories. The winners include a variety of industries, including real estate, life sciences, legal, finance, and technology.

Indy Week selected the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin as the 2025 “Best Attorney in Durham County.”* The recognition is voted on directly by the people of the Triangle – readers who nominated and voted for their favorite picks among local businesses and professionals. This distinction reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality legal representation, and its deep connection with the Durham community it has served since 1997.

*“Indy Best of the Triangle” standards of inclusion: indyweek.com

Once again, the Law Office of James Scott Farrin earned recognition on the “Raleigh’s Best Awards” lists. In 2025, the firm was honored on the Personal Injury Law and Workers’ Compensation Law lists in the News & Observer awards.* This year, over 4,700 businesses, organizations, and individuals competed across 237 categories, and the community responded in record numbers with more than 366,000 votes cast!

*‘Raleigh’s Best’ standards of inclusion: votedraleighsbest.com.

Best Lawyers® “Best Lawyers in America”

Referred to by Corporate Counsel Magazine as the “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice,” the “Best Lawyers” list has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence since it was first published in 1983. “Best Lawyers” is based on exhaustive peer-review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. If the votes for an attorney are positive enough for recognition in “Best Lawyers,” that attorney must maintain those votes in subsequent polls to remain in each edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in “Best Lawyers” is considered a singular honor.

For more information regarding the standards for inclusion, visit www.bestlawyers.com.

“Lawyer of the Year”

Only one lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant.

The Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” award is allocated annually to the lawyer who has the highest overall peer-review feedback in a certain practice area for a particular geographic region.

Lawyers being honored as “Lawyer of the Year” are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the exhaustive peer-review assessments conducted with thousands of leading lawyers each year. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity. (Note: Not every practice area and/or state is a large enough to warrant a “Lawyer of the Year” accolade, but most areas are eligible for these awards.)

For more information regarding the standards for inclusion for “Lawyer of the Year,” visit www.bestlawyers.com.

Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch”

These awards are recognitions given to attorneys who are earlier in their careers for professional excellence in private practice. “Ones to Watch” recipients typically have been in practice for 5-9 years. Recognition with a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch award is based entirely on comprehensive peer reviews.

For more information on the rigorous standards for inclusion, visit bestlawyers.com/ones-to-watch.

“Super Lawyers”

No more than 5% of the lawyers in any state are named to the “Super Lawyers” list by Super Lawyers Magazine. “Super Lawyers” honorees undergo a rigorous, multiphase process which combines peer nominations with third-party research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made annually on a state-by-state basis.

For more information about standards for inclusion for “Super Lawyers,” visit www.superlawyers.com.

Super Lawyers: “Rising Stars”

No more than 2.5% of “Rising Stars” are named to the Super Lawyers Magazine list. To be eligible for inclusion in “Rising Stars,” a candidate must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. Those considered to be added to the “Rising Stars” list undergo a rigorous, multiphase process which combines peer nominations with third-party research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Lawyers Magazine makes “Rising Star” selections annually on a state by state basis.

Super Lawyers: “Rising Stars” designation is for 2010 – 2013, 2018 and 2021 – 2024. For information regarding the standards for inclusion, visit www.superlawyers.com.

The National Trial Lawyers “Top 100”

The National Trial Lawyers is a professional organization composed of the premier trial lawyers from across the country who exemplify superior qualifications as civil plaintiff or criminal defense trial lawyers. This national organization provides networking opportunities, advocacy training, and the highest quality educational programs for trial lawyers.

For information regarding the standards for inclusion in The National Trial Lawyers “Top 100,” visit www.thenationaltriallawyers.org. National Trial Lawyers “Top 100” designation is for 2024.

NC State Bar Board Certified Specialists

NC State Bar Board certification is an indication that the lawyer has intentionally focused his or her legal practice to improve the proficiency and quality of the lawyer’s legal services and to stay current in the specialty field. A lawyer who is certified as a specialist by the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization has satisfied a number of rigorous standards for certification in the lawyer’s specialty field.

Million Dollars Advocates Forum

Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum — considered one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States.

Established in 1993, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum (which includes the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum), is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. The quality of membership includes many of the top trial lawyers in the country. Members must have demonstrated, in an objective and tangible way, their ability to accomplish superior results in complex cases.

For information regarding the standards for inclusion, visit www.milliondollaradvocates.com. We do not represent that similar results will be achieved in your case. Each case is different and must be evaluated separately.

Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite”

Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” is a list of the top North Carolina lawyers in business-related categories. The winners are chosen by lawyers who live in North Carolina and are members of the North Carolina State Bar Association. Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” is unique in the sense that it is the only award that gives every active lawyer in the state the opportunity to participate.

Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” designation is for 2002, 2021, 2024, and 2025. For more information regarding the standards for inclusion for Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite,” visit www.businessnc.com.

North Carolina Advocates for Justice Order of Service Award

For more than 50 years, the North Carolina Advocates for Justice (NCAJ) has protected individual rights in North Carolina. The award recognizes members who have given generously of their time and talent to NCAJ by serving in a minimum of two areas of the organization.

North Carolina Bar Association Citizen Lawyer Award

The award was established by the NCBA in 2007 to recognize and thank lawyers who volunteer their time and provide public service to their local or statewide communities. Past honorees include elected and appointed government officials, coaches, mentors, and voluntary leaders of non-profit, civic, and community organizations.

Martindale-Hubbell® AV® Preeminent™ Rating

An elite group of approximately 10 percent of all attorneys holds an AV® Preeminent™ Rating, a designation trusted worldwide by buyers and referrers of legal services. Martindale-Hubbell® facilitates peer and client reviews to expand law firms’ marketing capability. AV® Preeminent™ is a significant rating accomplishment — a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.

For information regarding the standards for inclusion in Martindale-Hubbell® peer review ratings, visit www.martindale.com.

North Carolina Lawyers Weekly and South Carolina Lawyers Weekly “Diversity & Inclusion” Award

North Carolina Lawyers Weekly and South Carolina Lawyers Weekly recognize attorneys who advance diversity, inclusion, and the dignity of people in the legal profession in communities across the Carolinas with their annual “Diversity & Inclusion” awards. Firm President and CEO James S. Farrin received the award in 2021.

Business North Carolina 2021 & 2022 “Power List – Law”

Business North Carolina’s “Power List” reflects some of the state’s most powerful leaders and their affiliated institutions, with members of the list having been chosen for prestigious leadership positions by their peers. Business North Carolina’s editorial team created the legal industry list by seeking nominations, talking with dozens of sources, and doing extensive research.

For more information regarding standards of inclusion, visit https://www.farrin.com/business-nc-power-list/.

2017 and 2023 National Black Lawyers “Top 40 Under 40” List

According to the NBL website, honorees for the organization’s “Top 40 Under 40” awards are selected on the basis of outstanding reputation, notable achievements and court outcomes, nominations from leading lawyers, membership in national and state specialty lawyer organizations, and rankings from national organizations. The selection process for this honor is based on a multi-phase process, which includes peer nominations combined with third-party research.

For more information about standards for inclusion visit nbltop100.org.