In the state of Texas, where there is a licensing body of over 100,000 attorneys, being awarded prestige such as being “highly peer rated,” being chosen by an academy, and/or being a recipient of several honors is typically an indication of excellence in numerous spheres. The reputation that Ryan Gressett Reiffert has earned is, therefore, noteworthy.
Mr. Ryan Reiffert is an American attorney and an established legal practitioner in San Antonio, with a practice that he leads in the Law Offices of Ryan Reiffert, PLLC, which he established in 2020. His practice focuses on several key areas: business law, mergers and acquisitions, estate planning, real estate, plus other fields. Mr. Reiffert has garnered numerous rewards, rankings, leadership organization selections, and peer honors within Texas over the years.
His academic trajectory began at the University of Texas at Austin, where he entered the Plan II Honors Program, an extremely selective honors program within the University itself, almost a “school within a school.” While attending this distinguished public university, he was a National Merit Scholar in the National Merit Scholarship Program, which recognizes a small percentage of the nation’s highest-achieving students each year (approximately the top 1% of any given high school graduating class). Later, he received his Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, one of the most respected, selective, and exclusive law schools in the country, and finished his education with a Mini MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Following his graduation from law school, Reiffert became licensed to practice law in New York and Texas. To have a license as an attorney in Texas, a person must pass an accredited law school, pass a bar examination in Texas, and pass the requirements for character and fitness. Attorneys must also meet the continuing legal education requirements on an ongoing basis and follow the rules of ethics for the State Bar of Texas. Reiffert established his own firm in 2020, positioning himself in private practice during a period when solo and small firm growth continued to expand nationally.
One of the most visible components of Reiffert’s professional standing is his Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, which he has held from 2020 onward. The AV Preeminent designation represents the highest peer rating standard awarded by Martindale Hubbell. According to the organization’s methodology, attorneys are evaluated by other members of the bar and the judiciary on criteria including legal ability and ethical standards. The rating has historically been viewed as an indicator of peer confidence within the profession. However, it remains separate from judicial or governmental appointment.
Reiffert has been recognized as a Rising Star for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 by Thomson-Reuters Super Lawyers, an award given to attorneys aged 40 or younger, or having practiced law for ten years or less. According to Super Lawyers, only up to 2.5 percent in each state are given the title Rising Star in any given year. This is done after peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations. Multiyear inclusion (like Mr. Reiffert’s) suggests repeated successful reviews under the program’s annual selection criteria.
In addition to rating-based distinctions, Reiffert is a member of the Texas Bar College. The Texas Bar College is an honorary organization dedicated to attorneys who are moving beyond the normal requirements of continuing legal education, as mandated by the State Bar of Texas. It is open to lawyers who are accumulating significantly more continuing education credits each year. As the organization admits, only “a tiny portion of Texas lawyers ever become eligible,” so it’s more about professional growth than popularity. Nonetheless, Reiffert has been a member of the Texas Bar College every year from 2020-2025.
This academy works on building future leaders for the Real Estate, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and involves activities and sessions on getting involved in the section and leadership issues for the participants. Selection to the academy reflects participation in structured leadership training within a specific legal specialty.
These recognitions align with the substantive areas in which Reiffert’s firm operates. His practice areas include estate planning, probate administration, the formation and organization of business enterprises, real estate transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. At Martindale Hubbell and Super Lawyers, a lawyer’s peer review often involves his performance in these practice areas. Although peer reviews are not a measure of the financial success or the winning percentage of the lawyer, they examine the reputation, ethics, and perceptions of a lawyer by his peers for his competence.
Within the broader Texas legal field, professional recognition operates as a layered system. Academic honors, bar licensure, peer ratings, leadership academies, and continuing education societies each reflect different forms of evaluation. Reiffert’s profile incorporates high marks on each of these elements. His National Merit Scholar distinction represents early academic achievement; such academic achievement continues with Plan II and NYU Law. His AV Preeminent rating, Rising Star selections from 2022 to 2025, Texas Bar College membership, and REPTL Leadership Academy participation reflect ongoing high marks with regard to both peer and institutional review.
The legal profession in Texas remains one of the largest in the United States, with tens of thousands of active practitioners across diverse specialties. Within such a large professional community, distinctions and memberships function as structured markers of standing rather than automatic endorsements. In the case of Ryan Gressett Reiffert, recurring recognitions across several years indicate sustained participation in professional development and peer-evaluated programs alongside active practice leadership at his firm.
As recognition programs and professional memberships continue to shape attorney visibility within the legal field, Ryan Gressett Reiffert’s standing reflects a combination of academic distinction, licensure, peer ratings, leadership training, and continuing education involvement within the Texas legal community.
