Reed Smith, an international law firm with 30 offices, was highlighted in 44 practice areas and 12 of its lawyers were classed as leaders in their fields, in rankings by The Legal 500 USA 2020 edition.
The firm achieved a Tier 1 ranking in giving insurance advice to policyholders, evidence of the firm’s excellent service to clients in that area.
Reed Smith showed particular strength in energy, transport and product liability, earning multiple rankings for those specialties.
The Legal 500 USA recognized Reed Smith practices in the following categories:
- Advertising and marketing: Transactional and regulatory
- Appellate: Courts of Appeal
- Appellate: Supreme Courts (states and federal)
- Antitrust: Civil litigation/class actions: Defense
- Construction (including construction litigation)
- Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Cyber law: Data privacy and data protection
- E-discovery
- Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: Design
- Energy: Litigation: Oil and gas
- Energy: Regulation: Conventional power
- Energy: Regulation: Oil and gas
- Energy: Renewable/alternative power
- Energy: Transactions: Oil and gas
- Environment: Litigation
- Environment: Regulatory
- Fintech
- General commercial disputes
- Government contracts
- Healthcare: Advice to health insurers
- Healthcare: Advice to service providers
- Healthcare: Life sciences
- Insurance: Advice to policyholders (Tier 1)
- International arbitration
- International tax
- Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions): Defense
- Labor-management relations
- M&A: Middle-market ($500 million to $999 million)
- Media and entertainment: Transactional
- Private equity buyouts
- Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Product liability, mass tort and class actions: Automotive/transport - defense
- Product liability, mass tort and class actions: Pharmaceuticals and medical devices - defense
- Product liability, mass tort and class actions: Toxic tort - defense
- Real estate
- Restructuring (including bankruptcy): Corporate
- Restructuring (including bankruptcy): Municipal
- Structured finance: Derivatives and structured products
- Transport: Aviation and air travel: Finance
- Transport: Aviation and air travel: Litigation and regulation
- Transport: Shipping: Finance
- US taxes: Contentious
- Venture capital and emerging companies
- Workplace and employment counseling
Individual mentions
Twelve individuals are ranked across 13 mentions, including two new entries for the firm:
- Ana Barton, General commercial disputes (Rising Star)
- Patrick Bradley, Product liability, mass tort and class actions: Automotive/transport (Hall of Fame)
- Michael Brown, Product liability, mass tort and class actions: Pharmaceuticals and medical devices (Hall of Fame)
- Han Deng – Transport: Shipping: Finance (Rising Star)
- Jennifer Gardner – Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: Design (Rising Star)
- Stacy Marcus – Advertising and marketing: Transactional and regulatory (Next Generation Partner)
- Ben Patton, Environment: Regulatory (Next Generation Partner)
- Jane Freeberg Sarma – Transport: Shipping: Finance (Next Generation Partner)
- John Shugrue, Insurance: Advice to policyholders (Hall of Fame)
- Jeffrey Silberman, Fintech (Next Generation Partner)
- John Vishneski, Insurance: Advice to policyholders (Hall of Fame)
- Douglas Wood – Advertising and marketing: Litigation and Advertising and Marketing: Transactional and regulatory (Hall of Fame)
The Legal 500 defines “Rising Stars” as lawyers below partner level who frequently appear in their research. “Next Generation Partners” are defined as noteworthy partners with five years or fewer of experience. And it defines “Hall of Fame” as a higher ranking than “Leading Lawyer.”