How The NLVA Works
The NLVA is about more than raising awareness. It’ s about raising standards. All vendors applying for membership undergo a screening process that Carter says is“ getting tighter by the day.” The evaluation criteria vary depending on the vendor’ s service category, but the goal is consistent: help vendors understand the rules, identify gaps, and improve.
“ If they’ re not compliant, they’ ll know why,” Carter said.“ It might not disqualify them, depending on the severity of the issue, but it gives them the opportunity to get better. Iron sharpens iron.”
NLVA’ s criteria evolve as laws change. Whether it’ s TCPA compliance or rules governing attorney advertising, the organization updates its vendor review process to reflect the current legal environment. But Carter sees this as just the beginning.
In a major development, the NLVA has formed an attorney advisory board and will soon launch an attorney membership program. Carter calls it a game-changer. This program will give attorneys access to vendors’ due diligence files, allowing them to confidently demonstrate compliance when selecting outside services.
“ It allows an attorney from now on to be able to say,‘ I have due diligence on my vendor,’” Carter said.“ I asked them the correct questions, and I have those on file because of NLVA.
We’ re cutting out the time and burden of vendor due diligence and creating a framework that makes attorneys want to join because they’ ll know they’ re working only with compliant vendors.”
A Voluntary System That Works Like Regulation
Carter believes this approach has the potential to self-regulate the mass tort vendor space— without the need for government intervention.“ It can really be how we regulate the vendors in our space without actual regulation,” he said.
This value-add to attorneys will be front and center at the upcoming MTMP conference, where NLVA will showcase the attorney membership model. Carter views it as a win-win for everyone in the space.“ We need to show value to the attorneys in our space,” he said.“ We’ re not just telling them the right questions to ask vendors— we’ re asking those questions and supplying the answers.”
Sharon Boothe serves as chair of the NLVA Committee on Partnerships and Industry Relations, which is dedicated to strengthening and maximizing the relationship between industry conferences and the vendors who support them. She credits the NLVA with giving attorneys and paralegals a new avenue to help them vet potential vendors and companies of interest.
“ The NLVA is making a mark in the legal world by giving companies a way to improve their offerings and better understand the needs of the law firms they are looking to serve.”
Boothe also applauds the NLVA for guiding law firms
Left: NLVA President Cason Carter Right: Sharon Boothe NLVA Committee on Partnerships and Industry Relations, Chair.
through the process of determining whether a legal services vendor is the right fit.“ The NLVA is going to show firms that they do have a way to ensure that any company they hire or partner with deserves their business. It’ s exciting to be a part of something so innovative and practical.”
Advice for Attorneys: Don’ t Treat Vendors as Outsiders
For attorneys evaluating potential vendors, Carter’ s advice is simple: treat vendors as if they are an extension of your own office.
“ You need to act as if they are a part of your business,” he said.“ If you’ re hiring a vendor who’ s not an attorney, you should be doing the same due diligence you would for someone physically in your office. Because if anything happens, that’ s how the bar will look at it.”
Beyond compliance, Carter recommends looking for vendors with a track record of success in the industry.“ This space has seen an outrageous number of vendors come and go,” he noted.“ That’ s due to the perceived lucrative nature of the business— but just because something is half off doesn’ t mean it’ s a deal. It means you should be asking questions.”
His final tip? Prioritize vendors with experience.“ Work with a vendor that’ s been here. It takes time to learn how to operate like an attorney. References and time in business are the two biggest things. And if a vendor doesn’ t have that, proceed with caution.”
As the NLVA continues to build out its vetting tools, training resources, and new attorney-facing services, it’ s positioning itself not just as a trade association, but as a crucial line of defense for the integrity of the plaintiff’ s bar.
Sara G. Stephens is Editor-in-Chief of MTMP Magazine, a bi-annual publication covering mass tort litigation.
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