Thanks for the help guys
. The selection issue is past tense but this is good advice for anybody. The town where this issue will be heard is 4-5 hrs from home and we had a weekend to select a lawyer to meet with on Monday for a court date Tuesday (week before last). We weren't able to nose around the courthouse but we did talk to some people we know in that county as well as getting some recommendations from some lawyer friends here at home and of course the Martindale Hubbell website. The guys we got seem pretty sharp and have a good reputation.
Most of the attorneys here in my town as well as those in the town where we hired were rated by M-H. I would think it somewhat risky for a lawyer to allow him/herself to be publicly rated by their peers. There were quite a few 'C's and not many 'A's.