Legal Question in Legal Ethics in Virginia

Re: JD and ISLN

JD means Juris Doctor, which is the graduate degree awarded upon completion of law school. A few schools may still use the term LL.B., which means Bachelor of Laws, but they are really the same thing - the name of the degree was changed because law school is a graduate program, requiring completion of a Bachelors Degree first. There are other more advanced degrees in law, such as the LL.M. (master of laws) and J.S.D. (doctor of juridical science - generally awarded only to legal academics). An LL.D. (doctor of laws) is normally an honorary degree.

ISLN stands for International Standard Lawyer Number, a code by which Martindale identifies each lawyer (so as to be able to track them from firm to firm).

Martindale Hubbell is the primary rating entity. You can see ratings by finding a lawyer on martindale.com and clicking on "rating info". Not all lawyers are rated - only those achieving a "v" rating for ethics are listed, along with an A, B or C for legal ability (high, very high, and extraordinary, in reverse order (AV is highest)).