Dallas has long been known for the number and quality of its lawyers. With its large, growing population; its extensive court system; and its national reputation as a business center, the city is a magnet for attorneys of every specialty. But, which of Dallas’ many lawyers are the very best at what they do? That’s what D Magazine, an affiliated publication, determines for its readers each year with its Best Lawyers in Dallas list. That list, which we are presenting here to the readers of D CEO, was compiled following a rigorous survey. First, D asked lawyers with a valid Texas Bar number to identify their primary practice area. Then it asked them to nominate three lawyers—two outside their firm, and one within their firm in their area of practice—for this list. The key criterion they were asked to keep in mind: Which Dallas lawyers whose work you’ve seen firsthand would you rank among the current best? Their answers could include lawyers they’ve witnessed in court, co-counsel, or opposing counsel. Voting was conducted exclusively at dmagazine.com. After the votes were added up, D editors met with a panel of esteemed attorneys to evaluate the Best Lawyers in Dallas 2008 list. Self nominations were thrown out, and the panel’s anonymity was guaranteed to allow for a free-wheeling, uncensored discussion of the nominees’ merits. After the Best Lawyers list was completed, D turned it over to the D/D CEO sales staffs, which were not allowed to add names to or subtract names from the list. The sales staffs offered advertisements to the lawyers on the list, and those are found in a special advertising section elsewhere in this magazine. The editors don’t know who bought those ads and, if lawyers declined to buy an ad, they were still included on the list. Finally, nobody could buy an ad in the special section unless he or she had made the list. | 
