(20 August 2014) – Thirteen Reed Smith LLP lawyers claimed the top spot in 14 legal practice areas in Best Lawyers’ latest annual round of recognition, earning 2015 “Lawyer of the Year” honors from the publication in their respective metropolitan areas.
116 of the firm’s attorneys in 11 offices across the United States were also named 2015 “Best Lawyers in America” in their practice areas.
“This year’s recognition from Best Lawyers affirms the consistently very high quality delivered by our honored lawyers,” said Sandy Thomas, the firm’s Global Managing Partner. “The significant number who earned ‘Lawyer of the Year’ honors in their markets this year is particularly gratifying, as are our overall results. We applaud each of those recognized this year.”
Eight Reed Smith lawyers in Pittsburgh were named the 2015 “Lawyer of the Year” for the city in seven practices, with Carolyn D. Duronio claiming top honors in two fields – Education Law and Non-Profit/Charities Law. Other Pittsburgh lawyers earning the prestigious recognition included Daniel I. Booker, Litigation - Antitrust; Frederick H. Colen, Litigation - Intellectual Property; James J. Restivo, Jr., Litigation - Bankruptcy; Kim M. Watterson, Appellate Practice; Martha Hartle Munsch, Litigation - Labor and Employment; Ronald W. Frank, International Trade and Finance Law; and Thomas Todd, Banking and Finance Law.
The firm’s 2015 “Lawyers of the Year” in Philadelphia were Claudia Z. Springer, Litigation - Bankruptcy, and Howard L. Shecter, Corporate Law. Grayson P. Hanes, Litigation - Land Use and Zoning, and Elizabeth Carder-Thompson, Health Care Law, were selected for the honor in Washington, D.C., and Craig R. Enochs, Derivatives and Futures Law, was named the year’s best in that practice in Houston.
According to Best Lawyers, only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as “Lawyer of the Year,” which “makes the accolade particularly significant.” Lawyers chosen for the honor “are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the exhaustive peer-review assessments the publication conducts with thousands of leading lawyers annually. Best Lawyers® began designating “Lawyers of the Year” in the United States in high-profile legal practice areas in 2009.
Reed Smith’s 116-member strong cohort of 2015 “Best Lawyers in America” includes nine from Chicago; five in Falls Church, Virginia; four in Houston; six in Los Angeles; six in New York; 23 in Philadelphia; 41 in Pittsburgh; three in Princeton; three in Richmond, Virginia; 11 in San Francisco; and five in Washington, D.C.
Since its first publication in 1983, Best Lawyers has become regarded as among the definitive guides to legal excellence. The choice of lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey. In 2015, more than 52,000 leading attorneys cast more than 5.5 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
Reed Smith’s 2015 “Best Lawyers in America,” by metropolitan area and practice areas of recognition, are as follows. Parentheses indicate the initial year a lawyer was honored.
CHICAGO
James M. Davis (2013) Insurance Law
Diane Green-Kelly (2010) Franchise Law
Robert D. LoPrete (2015) Trusts and Estates
Thomas A. Marrinson (2006) Insurance Law
John R. Mussman (2007) Banking and Finance Law
Stanley C. Nardoni (2006) Insurance Law
John D. Shugrue (2006) Insurance Law
John S. Vishneski III (2006) Insurance Law
Sarah R. Wolff (2001) Commercial Litigation
FALLS CHURCH
James C. Brennan (2013) Real Estate Law
Cynthia L. Gausvik (2013) Trusts and Estates
Grayson P. Hanes (1989) Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Litigation - Land Use and Zoning; Litigation - Real Estate
Julia Krebs-Markrich (1993) Health Care Law
James E. McNair (2006) Trusts and Estates
HOUSTON
Craig R. Enochs (2007) Derivatives and Futures Law
E. Lee Haag III (2011) Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Construction
Stan Perry (2013) Oil and Gas Law
Paul B. Turner (2007) Derivatives and Futures Law
LOS ANGELES
Michael K. Brown (2012) Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
David M. Halbreich (2006) Insurance Law
Thomas E. Hill (2014) Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Linda S. Husar (2013) Labor Law - Management
Douglas C. Rawles (2013) Commercial Litigation
James L. Sanders (2007) Criminal Defense: White-Collar
NEW YORK
Paul Evan Breene (2006) Insurance Law
John H. Doyle III (2010) Criminal Defense: White-Collar; Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
William E. Goydan (2012) Commercial Litigation
Thomas J. Igoe, Jr. (1995) Energy Law
Clark W. Lackert (2007) Litigation - Intellectual Property; Trademark Law
Douglas J. Wood (2008) Advertising Law
PHILADELPHIA
Sara A. Begley (2015) Employment Law - Management
Peter S. Clark II (2007) Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation - Bankruptcy
John N. Ellison (2010) Insurance Law
Karl A. Fritton (1999) Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management
Lisa D. Kabnick (2005) Banking and Finance Law
James S. Lawlor (2013) Banking and Finance Law
Jay M. Levin (2006) Insurance Law
Stephen M. Lyons III (1999) Real Estate Law
Stephen J. McConnell (2007) Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
William J. McNichol (2006) Copyright Law; Litigation - Intellectual Property; Patent Law;
Trademark Law
S. William Richter (2015) Banking and Finance Law
Michael T. Scott (2013) Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Joseph M. Sedlack (1999) Tax Law
Howard L. Shecter (2006) Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
John F. Smith III (2006) Insurance Law
Kyle O. Sollie (2008) Tax Law
Claudia Z. Springer (2006) Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation - Bankruptcy
Thomas H. Suddath, Jr. (2013) Corporate Compliance Law; Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
Karl A. Thallner, Jr. (1999) Health Care Law
Gary M. Tocci (2013) Employment Law - Individuals; Employment Law - Management
Labor Law - Management; Labor Law - Union; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Andrew J. Trevelise (2008) Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Douglas R. Widin (2007) Insurance Law
Lee A. Zoeller (2008) Litigation and Controversy - Tax
PITTSBURGH
Joel P. Aaronson (2007) Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
Thomas L. Allen (2007) Antitrust Law; Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation
William Bevan III (1989) Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management;
Litigation - Labor and Employment
Russ Boehner (2013) Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Dennis R. Bonessa (2005) Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Daniel I. Booker (1993) Antitrust Law; Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation;
Corporate Law; Litigation - Antitrust
Douglas E. Cameron (2006) Insurance Law
Frederick H. Colen (1999) Copyright Law; Litigation - Intellectual Property; Litigation - Patent; Patent Law; Trademark Law
Eugene K. Connors (2007) Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management;
Litigation - Labor and Employment
Debra H. Dermody (2007) Antitrust Law; Litigation - Antitrust
Donna Doblick (2013) Appellate Practice
Carolyn D. Duronio (2003) Education Law; Non-Profit / Charities Law; Tax Law
David B. Fawcett III (1999) Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation
Ronald W. Frank (2006) International Trade and Finance Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Efrem M. Grail (2008) Corporate Compliance Law; Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Dodi Walker Gross (2012) Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Ronald G. Hartman (1999) Real Estate Law
Leo N. Hitt (1995) Litigation and Controversy - Tax; Tax Law
Courtney C.T. Horrigan (2007) Insurance Law
Stephen A. Keen (2008) Mutual Funds Law
Dusty Elias Kirk (2006) Real Estate Law
Frederick C. Leech (2015) Banking and Finance Law
Alan E. London (1995) Banking and Finance Law
James C. Martin (2006) Appellate Practice
David J. McAllister (2008) Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Martha Hartle Munsch (1993) Education Law; Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Louis A. Naugle (1993) Environmental Law; Litigation - Environmental
W. Franklin Reed (2013) Real Estate Law
James J. Restivo, Jr. (1995) Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law; Litigation - Banking and Finance; Litigation - Bankruptcy
Patrick W. Ritchey (1987) Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management
Casey Ryan (2006) Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Kirsten Rydstrom (2013) Copyright Law; Litigation - Intellectual Property;
Litigation - Patent; Patent Law; Trademark Law
Eric A. Schaffer (2005) Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Robert P. Simons (2011) Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Paul M. Singer (1987) Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Bet-the-Company Litigation; Litigation - Bankruptcy
Bruce E. Stanley (2013) Commercial Litigation
George L. Stewart II (2007) Insurance Law
Thomas Todd (1995) Banking and Finance Law; Financial Services Regulation Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Harley N. Trice II (1989) Environmental Law; Litigation - Environmental
Gary R. Walker (2012) Corporate Law
Kim M. Watterson (2008) Appellate Practice
PRINCETON
Leonard A. Bernstein (1995) Banking and Finance Law
Diane Frenier (2013) Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Daniel F. Peck, Jr. (2012) Banking and Finance Law
RICHMOND
D. Patrick Lacy, Jr. (2008) Education Law
Kathleen S. Mehfoud (2007) Education Law
William G. Thomas (2013) Government Relations Practice
SAN FRANCISCO
J. David Bickham (2013) Commercial Litigation
Raymond A. Cardozo (2009) Appellate Practice
Colleen T. Davies (2013) Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Jonathan R. Doolittle (2006) Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation - Bankruptcy
Paul D. Fogel (2006) Appellate Practice
Harvey L. Leiderman (2010) Litigation - Bankruptcy
Dennis Peter Maio (2011) Appellate Practice
John L. McDonnell, Jr. (1983) Trusts and Estates
Charles H. Seaman (1995) Real Estate Law
David E. Weiss (2013) Insurance Law
Sonja Weissman (2011) Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Elizabeth B. Carder-Thompson (2011) Health Care Law
Eric A. Dubelier (2011) Criminal Defense: White-Collar
John P. Feldman (2008) Advertising Law
Thomas C. Fox (1991) Health Care Law
Judith L. Harris (2013) Communications Law
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
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