Each Ten Leaders group is created after lengthy research of a marketplace - leading professionals referring other leading professionals, with input from peers inside and outside of a geographical coverage area as well as inside and outside a specialty. The process lasts two to three months.

The standard for inclusion in Ten Leaders is based on five primary criteria:

1. Degree of focus on a practice area. Professionals in their area of expertise generally practice in their field exclusively, with a minimum focus of 85%.
2. Number of years practicing in their area of the expertise. In the law, the minimum years of practice is 20 for senior groups, 10 for Under 45 Groups; in medicine, the minimum is 10 years from emerging from their general residency, and 8 as an owner or co-owner. In finance and architecture the year minimum is 15 in the profession and at least five years as an owner or co-owner. In technology, the minimums are lower – 10 years in the field, and five years as an owner or co-owner.
3. Volume of client/patient work in a given practice area, according to the professional and his or her peers.
4. Reputation among peer group, based on multiple interviews with professionals who practice apart from the professional in question.
5. Leadership and written work on behalf of existing professional organizations, such as sections and committees of state professional organizations.

Groups are reviewed every four years.

These surveys tend to have a built-in bias; specifically, they favor independent practitioners as opposed to those who work in large organizations and institutions, which generally discourage the promotion of individuals. In every case, however, we seek to secure the consent and participation of the best representation of experienced, accomplished professionals.