This ninth annual edition of Florida Legal Elite recognizes a prestigious list of 1,348 attorneys selected by their colleagues.

Balloting for this year’s list began in October 2011 when Florida Trend invited all in-state members of the Florida Bar to participate. Multiple announcements publicized the ballot deadline and voting guidelines.

Lawyers were asked to name attorneys whom they hold in the highest regard or would recommend to others. Voters were also invited to name three “up and coming” attorneys and in a separate category, attorneys working in the government and non-profit sectors.

The ballots were processed, checked and tabulated by Bradenton-based Outsource America and Suncoast Opinion Surveys in St. Petersburg. Each lawyer was given a score based on the number of votes he or she received, with more weight given to votes coming from attorneys outside the firm. Only lawyers who are currently licensed and practicing in Florida were eligible for selection.

The list of top vote-getters was further examined using membership status and disciplinary histories provided by the Florida Bar. A panel of previous Legal Elite winners, representing different practice areas in cities across the state, reviewed the selection process and the list of finalists.

The resulting lists represent approximately 2% of the more than 67,000 active Florida Bar members who practice in Florida.

This year we induct 12 new members into the Legal Elite Hall of Fame. These attorneys have been consistently ranked in the top tier in Legal Elite voting over the past nine years. A diverse panel of lawyers was consulted to evaluate the list of eligible attorneys and to make the final selections. The 2012 inductees are: Darryl Milan Bloodworth, Richard Harvey Critchlow, Lauren Young Detzel, Robert C. Josefsberg, David B. King, Corali Lopez-Castro, David L. Powell, Gary Scott Salzman, Joseph H. Serota, Sidney A. Stubbs, Jeanne Trudeau Tate and David M. Wells.