So, what’s the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA)?

Good question.

There’s been quite a bit of buzz about the LCA, an honorary association of 3,500 top trial lawyers. When they receive an invitation in the mail, some lawyers have asked their firms’ marketers what they know about LCA (litcounsel.org/) and whether it’s a legitimate honor. Over the years, many of these marketers have asked for my opinion, so I thought I’d simply post my thoughts publicly.

I know LCA very well. It’s legit.

That’s in contrast to many of today’s fake “honors” that are simply bogus money-grabs by scammy directories and companies who create faux awards simply to sell costly trophies, plaques, website badges, and “featured profiles” to ill-informed lawyers. Professional legal marketers actually began keeping a running list of the Spammy Awards to help keep track of them all.

These organizations can look superficially similar, making it difficult for inexperienced lawyers and marketers to tell which ones are worth participating in. I’ve written and spoken pretty extensively regarding my disdain for their frustrating waste of marketing dollars.

So, what exactly IS LCA? The Litigation Counsel of America is an honorary network of trial lawyers, founded by the same people who run the Construction Lawyers Society of America (CLSA), see constructionsociety.org. I personally believe that membership in the LCA should be considered a (1) legitimate honor, and (2) great networking opportunity for those who actively participate. I’ve nominated a number of my qualifying friends as LCA Fellows.

A Commitment to Diversity

One attribute I particularly like about LCA is its foundational commitment to diversity. The founder and General Counsel, Steve Henry, created LCA 25 years ago in response to his observation that talented women and minorities were proving unable to gain entrance into the then-existing honorary trial-lawyer societies.

LCA Competitors

LCA’s analogous competitors include the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC) (which we also rebranded; I can personally verify its quality and vigorous vetting process), as well as the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and National Trial Lawyers Association (NTLA), which I’ve heard good things about but don’t know personally.

Full disclosure – we’ve worked closely with LCA for 12+ years — we rebranded LCA and developed the website, and I’ve spoken at their last ~20 semiannual national conferences. We’ve represented many LCA Fellows’ firms over the years. That is, I know these guys very well.

The two questions to ask about honorary groups

Generally, there are two things to ask regarding whether to accept an invitation into an honorary organization:

First, does the association enhance your professional credibility, i.e. is membership considered a significant professional credential? For example, if you’ve been selected as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, lawyers and sophisticated clients know that you’re vetted and pre-qualified. LCA is building a strong quality brand, to enhance its Fellows’ marketing.

Ross Fishman speaking on ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future of Law and Litigation

Second, does it offer personal networking opportunities that can lead to referrals? Unlike the “honorary” groups that are pure directories (e.g. Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, or Who’s Who), this type of organization encourages in-person attendance at their regular conferences — which are always at fabulous 5-star resorts.

The Conferences

I just presented a keynote at another fabulous conference at the beautiful Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alberta (on “ChatGPT, Generative Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Litigation”; watch it at https://youtu.be/YTjruZZvjH4). The attendees clearly had a terrific time (some photos are below), and there’s always an over-the-top black-tie gala event to introduce the new inductees.

LCA Leadership

I can attest to the quality and integrity of the people behind LCA. They’re some of the most white-glove customer-service-oriented people I know. They sincerely seek to make it a valuable resource for LCA’s Fellows. They go above and beyond.

In Conclusion

So, in short, if you or one of your lawyers are invited to become an LCA Fellow, I’d say give it a shot; attend a conference and get inducted. You’ll have a great time, learn a lot, and get a ton of CLE credit. I’ll probably be speaking on some hot marketing topic; please stop by and say hi!