Unlike other company rankings that use a single metric (generally revenue), Forbes works diligently to take a holistic gauge of the growth prospects for young, privately held firms.

FORBES: Last Chance To Nominate For Forbes' List Of America's Most Promising Companies

Consider, for example, the case of an employee at Company A, who conceives an invention in May, works diligently to reduce it to practice, and files the corresponding patent application in August.

FORBES: March 16, 2013: The United States Transitions To A 'First-Inventor-To-File' Patent System

"I can tell you now that no misconduct is occurring at David Stern's law firm, and the firm works very diligently to make sure that all the processing is done correctly, " Stern's attorney, Jeffrey Tew, said in a phone interview.

CNN: Are some law firms cutting corners on foreclosures?