Those who read the newsletter "Byline" may have noticed the front-page item in the current issue reporting that El Cerrito attorney Kathleen Hunt has been added to the list of "Rising Stars" among "Super Lawyers" of Northern California.
"For the first time in eight years, an El Cerrito lawyer in solo practice has been selected for the Super Lawyers® Northern California list," said the item by Maureen Zuerner, who describes Hunt as "my lawyer, and my friend too."
Hunt is a member of the chamber and of the .
The list is issued annually by the attorney-rating service Super Lawyers, a product of Thomson Reuters. It publishes different lists for different regions of the country, both online and in magazine form. The Northern California list is published jointly by Thomson Reuters and San Francisco Magazine.
"The selection process," according to Super Lawyers, "is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations."
Hunt practices in several areas, including the following listed on her profile on Super Lawyers: estate planning and probate, business/corporate, and estate and trust litigation.
Super Lawyers doesn't mention one of her avocations that drew coverage last year from Patch – a keen interest in vampires.
The Rising Stars list is comprised of attorneys who are 40 years old or younger or who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Hunt, who graduated from the Hastings College of Law, was admitted to the California bar in 2004. A native of New York City, she received a B.A. in English from UC Berkeley and an M.S. in education from Cal State Hayward (now Cal State East Bay).
The Rising Stars lists "are limited to contain no more than 2.5 percent of eligible attorneys in a given area," according to Megan Gustafson of Thomson Reuters. In Northern California for 2012, there are 717 attorneys on the Rising Stars list and 2,823 on the main Super Lawyers list, Gustafson said.
Being on the list one year doesn't guarantee a place in subsequent years, Gustafson said. "The selection process begins anew each year," she said.
