We are pleased to announce that Varela, Lee, Metz & Guarino was ranked in the 2015 Edition of U.S. News - Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" as Tier 3 Nationally in Construction Law and Tier 2 for the Washington, D.C. Metro Area in the areas of Construction Law and Litigation - Construction.

The significance of this recognition is detailed in the official U.S. News - Best Lawyers Press Release:

U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® releases 2015 “Best Law Firms” list

WASHINGTON  November 3, 2014 — U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, for the fifth consecutive year, announce the 2015 “Best Law Firms” rankings.

Firms included in the 2015 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

“For thirty years, U.S. News has provided consumers with accurate, in-depth information and rankings of a wide range of institutions,” says Tim Smart, Executive Editor of U.S. News & World Report. “Law firms are an integral part of our rankings and a natural accompaniment to the law school rankings.”

The 2015 rankings are based on the highest number of participating firms and highest number of client ballots on record. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top 4 percent of practicing attorneys in the US. Over 17,000 attorneys provided almost 600,000 law firm assessments, and almost 7,500 clients provided more than 40,000 evaluations. 

“For five years, we have combined massive amounts of hard data with peer reviews and client assessments to develop our law firm rankings,” says Steven Naifeh, CEO and Co-Founder of Best Lawyers. “Increasingly, clients tell us that ours are the most thorough, accurate, and helpful rankings of law firms available anywhere.”

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 their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.

Awards were given in 74 national practice areas and 120 metropolitan practice areas.  One “Law Firm of the Year” is named in 73 of the nationally ranked practice areas.

The 2015 “Best Law Firms” list will be featured in two publications, distributed later this month. The national first-tier rankings will be featured in the second edition of the “Best Law Firms” Legal Issue, which will be distributed to over 30,000 C-level executives. National and metropolitan first-tier rankings will be featured in the “Best Law Firms” General Counsel Publication, which will be distributed to more than 30,000 in-house counsel and in digital format to more than 60,000 private practice lawyers worldwide.

The 2015 “Best Law Firms” rankings can be seen in their entirety by visiting bestlawfirms.usnews.com.

###

ABOUT “BEST LAW FIRMS”
The U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer listed in 20th Editionof The Best Lawyers in America© list for that particular location and specialty.

ABOUT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
U.S. News & World Report is a multimedia publisher of news, consumer advice, rankings and analysis. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion, www.usnews.com has earned a reputation as the leading provider of consumer advice and analysis that helps its readers make informed life decisions. U.S. News & World Report's signature franchise includes its "Best" series of consumer advice guides and publications that include rankings of colleges, hospitals, mutual funds, cars and more.

ABOUT BEST LAWYERS
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected attorney ranking service in the world. For more than 30 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the attorneys best qualified to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Best Lawyers lists are published in leading local, regional and national publications across the globe. The Best Lawyers in America list recognizes the very best lawyers in each practice area and metropolitan region in the country.