Methodology & Verification Policy
Curated, Non-Exhaustive Scope
San Joaquin Law is a curated, non-exhaustive directory of law practices serving San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. It is not a complete census of every practicing attorney in the region, nor is it a qualitative ranking or comparative "best lawyer" league table. Review scores are attributed public-source observations, not our assessment of legal skill.
About Review Ratings
Ratings reflect the average review scores reported by the identified web sources as of the recorded check date. They do not represent every review available online. Where multiple independent sources cover the same practice and location, we calculate an equally weighted average of their published scores, rounded to one decimal place. This is an average of source ratings, not a pooled average of individual reviews. Where only one suitable source is available, we show that source’s published average and review count.
We match profiles using names, office addresses, telephone numbers, firm domains and official profile links. Cards show eligible practice and individual attorney averages separately, with the reviewed individual named. The highest displayed average determines ordinary result order; practice and individual review sets are never blended. We exclude overlapping syndicated review sets, incompatible locations, peer ratings and proprietary professional scores. A provider’s own composite is counted once and labeled with its source. Some observations come from indexed snapshots; scores and counts can change, and source verification does not authenticate each reviewer or establish legal competence.
When sources conflict or no suitable practice score can be established, we explain the gap. “Reviews not yet available” means we have no eligible rating to display; it does not imply that a practice is new, has no clients, or provides poor service. Visitors can support a practice by sharing a fair account of their experience on an independent review platform. Featured placement is promotional and never changes a review score.
Scores are rechecked on the directory’s review cycle and withheld after 120 days without re-verification. Search results may lag behind source pages. Consult the linked sources for current information; ratings are not endorsements or guarantees of results. We do not publish review aggregate structured data.
Minimum Eligibility & Source Authority
Every publishable firm profile is supported by field-specific evidence recorded in our version-controlled source register:
- State Bar of California Licensing: At least one affiliated attorney must hold an Active license verified directly against the official State Bar of California registry. Individual attorneys hold licenses; law firms themselves do not. An observed "Active" status confirms eligibility to practice law as of the recorded check date; it does not constitute a qualitative endorsement or guarantee.
- Physical Office vs. Service Coverage: We distinguish between a verified public office located inside a county (for example, Office in Stockton) and documented county service coverage from a neighboring office (for example, Serves San Joaquin County · Office in Modesto). A State Bar registration address alone is not treated as a confirmed public walk-in office without corroborating firm evidence.
- Practice Areas: Practice areas (Family Law, Bankruptcy Law, Criminal Law and Civil Law) must be supported by official firm documentation or recorded owner confirmation with explicit provenance. Civil Law groups documented civil litigation, general civil law and personal injury; it does not imply a firm accepts every civil matter. Categories describe the firm’s documented work, not every affiliated attorney. Review ratings are not specific to an individual practice area.
Ordering & Filter Rules
The featured practice is displayed in a separate Featured firm panel when it matches the active county, office-city, and practice filters. It is never duplicated inside the ordinary result list or ordinary result count. Below the Featured firm panel, ordinary listings are ordered by highest displayed average rating (highest first) by default, whether it belongs to the practice or an individual attorney. Both ratings are shown when available, labeled separately, and never combined into one average. The higher displayed average determines a listing’s position. Listings without an eligible rating appear afterward in alphabetical order (A to Z), and ties are broken alphabetically by practice name. Visitors can also sort ordinary listings alphabetically (A to Z or Z to A) and switch between Grid and Single-column views.
On county directory pages, the Office city filter narrows results to firms with a verified physical office in that municipality. Combining Office city and Confirmed practice filters applies a logical AND match.
Verification Cadence & Stale-Data Handling
- 90-day verification cycle: Attorney license statuses, office addresses, phone numbers, websites, and service coverage are scheduled for re-verification every 90 days.
- 91 to 120 days (Review due): Fields checked between 91 and 120 days ago remain visible with their exact check date and a visible Review due notice rather than any "recently verified" claim.
- Beyond 120 days (Stale exclusion): Claims older than 120 days are automatically withheld until re-verified. If a required field (such as active attorney status, contact details, or all confirmed practices) exceeds 120 days, the firm listing is placed on hold.
- Immediate inactive suppression: Any attorney discovered to have an Inactive or Not Eligible to Practice Law status is suppressed immediately regardless of check date.
- Static site rebuild note: Because San Joaquin Law is served as static HTML, date-based eligibility recalculates when the daily scheduled cloud rebuild runs.