Presenting our annual list of the region’s best attorneys —
as chosen by their peers in 41 specialties

SUMMARY

To create the list, the magazine contracted DataJoe Research to facilitate an online peer-voting process and Internet research process. DataJoe Research is a software and research company specializing in data collection and verification, and conducts various nominations across the United States on behalf of publishers. To create the list, DataJoe Research facilitated an online peer-voting process. We paired this with an Internet research process to identify success characteristics. DataJoe checked and confirmed that each published winner had, at time of review, a current, active license status with the appropriate state regulatory board. If we were not able to find evidence of a lawyer’s current, active registration with the state regulatory board, that lawyer was excluded from the list. In addition, we checked available public sources to identify lawyers disciplined for an infraction by the state regulatory board. These entities were excluded from the list. Finally, DataJoe presented the tallied result to the magazine for its final review and adjustments.

FINAL NOTE: We recognize that there are many good lawyers who are not shown in this representative list. This is only a sampling of the huge array of talented professionals within the region. Inclusion in the list is based on the opinions of responding lawyers in the region. We take time and energy to ensure fair voting, although we understand that the results of this survey nomination and Internet research campaign are not an objective metric. We certainly do not discount the fact that many, many good and effective lawyers may not appear on the list.

DISCLAIMERS
DataJoe uses best practices and exercises great care in assembling content for this list. DataJoe does not warrant that the data contained within the list are complete or accurate. DataJoe does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions herein whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. All rights reserved. No commercial use of the information in this list may be made without written permission from DataJoe.

QUESTIONS?
For research/methodology questions, contact the research team at surveys@datajoe.com.

Categories

Adoption Law

Antitrust Law

Appellate Law

Arbitration and Mediation

Attorneys for Nonprofits

Aviation, Admiralty, Maritime, and Transportation

Banking and Financial

Bankruptcy and Workout

Business Law

Civil Law / Litigation

Civil Law / Transactional

Commercial Litigation

Construction

Consumer Debt

Corporate Counsel

Consumer Debt

Corporate Counsel

Corporate Finance / Mergers and Acquisitions

Criminal Defense

Education

Elder Law

Eminent Domain

Family Law

Government and Administrative

Health Care Law

Immigration Law

Insurance

Intellectual Property Rights

Labor and Employment

Land Use / Environment

Medical Malpractice / Defense

Oil and Gas

Personal Injury

Product Liability

Professional Malpractice (Non-Medical) Defense

Real Estate

Securities Law

Sports Law

Tax Law

Technology / Virtual

Traffic Law

Wills, Trusts, Estates and Probates

Workers’ Compensation

TOP ATTORNEYS Five Years or More in Practice

Attorneys whose names are in bold type received 15 or more nominations in a category,
and attorneys who are in bold italic received between 10-14 nominations in a category.

Click on names listed in RED for more information.

Adoption Law

Eric Freeby
Alyssa Jacobs
Robert Leonard
Holly Schreier
Courtney Walker

Antitrust Law

William Warren

Appellate Law

Marianne Auld
Mary Hazlewood Barkley
Russell Barton
Derek Carson
John Cayce
Joe Greenhill
Thomas Harkins
Steven Hayes
Caitlyn Hubbard
David Keltner
Chris Knight
Thomas Michel
Karen Precella
Brittani Rollen
Jody Sanders
W. Brent Shellhorse
Mary Smith
Paul Wieneskie

Arbitration and Mediation

Barbara Armstrong
John Brookman
John Allen Chalk
John Dowdy
Randy Hall
Kight Higgins
John Hughes
Roland Johnson
M. Beth Krugler
J. Andrew Rogers
David Seidler
Michael Tresidder
Len Wade
Shauna Wright

Attorneys for Nonprofits

Harrison Smith
Dana Stayton
Dulaney Steer

Aviation, Admiralty, Maritime and Transportation

Geffrey Anderson
Orest Dachniwsky
Jeff Gilmore
Jonathan Harrison
Alan Hegi
Jim Kiser
Kristin Newman
Kenneth Stogdill
K.C. Thompson
Daniel Vela

Banking and Financial

Jonathan Cranz
Brandon Hill
Daniel Lowry
Matthew Luensmann
Bruce McGee
Pollard Rogers
R. Daniel Settle

Bankruptcy and Workout

Joseph Austin
J. Robert Forshey
Mark French
Katherine Hopkins
Donald Kaczkowski
Matthias Kleinsasser
Al Malone
Mark Petrocchi
Stephen Pezanosky
Jeff Prostok
Nancy Ribaudo
Suzanne Rosen
Robert Simon
Behrooz Vida
Jermaine Watson

Business Law

Julie Bergkamp
Chad Cacciotti
Melissa Clark
William Greenhill
Alyson Halpern
James Larsen
Jennifer McDaniel
Michael Moan
Andrew Ramsey
Stephen Taylor

Civil Law / Litigation

Daniel Bates
J. Kirk Bryant
Christopher Collins
Anthony Cuesta
Walker Friedman
Michael Hassett
Donald Herrmann
W. Chase Medling
Gerry Orth
Roland Schafer
James Scott
Mollee Westfall
Scott Wiehle

Civil Law / Transactional

Lisa Falcone
David Miles

Commercial Litigation

J. Chad Arnette
Whitney Beckworth
Jacob Boyd
Bryan Bruner
Caleb Bulls
Joseph Cleveland
D. Mark Daniel
Roger Diseker
David Drez
Mark Dugan
Ralph Duggins
John Easter
Graigory Fancher
Katherine Hancock
Timothy Howell
Bruce James
Sean Looney
J. Andrew Norman
Schyler Parker
Manuel Ramos
Guy Riddle
Brian Singleterry
Elizabeth Cuneo Thomas
Philip Vickers
Eamonn Wiles
Thomas Williams
Julia Wisenberg
John Wright

Construction

E. Aaron Cartwright
Richard DeBerry
Christian Ellis
Stephanie Harrison
Stephen Harrison
Michael Henry
Andy Keetch
Bryan Kelly
Cara Kennemer
Richard Kilgore
C. Reed Loftis
Hunter McLean
Luke McMahan
Matthew Motes
Andrew Piel
Bradley Rice
Patrick Sheridan
Jeffrey Tillman
Joe Tolbert
Ross Vitek

Consumer Debt

James Foley

Corporate Counsel

Jeffrey Leaverton
Andrew Lombardi
Craig Smetko

Corporate Finance / Mergers and Acquisitions

Brian Barnard
Paul Bradford
David Cook
Tave Doty
Adam Fulkerson
J. Drew Neill
John Phair
B. Scot Pierce
Vernon Rew
Philip Spencer

Criminal Defense

Steven Baker
Miles Brissette
Tiffany Burks
Cody Cofer
Craig Dameron
Mark Daniel
Kathy Ehmann-Clardy
Lance Evans
Brandon Fulgham
Bob Gill
Phillip Hall
Daniel Hernandez
Lisa Herrick
Tom Hill
Jeff Hoover
Christy Jack
Jeff Kearney
Jeffrey Kennedy
Emily LaChance
Christopher Lankford
Trey Loftin
Leticia Martinez
Gary Medlin
Mitchell Monthie
Andy Platt
Brian Poe
William Ray
John Robinson
P. Micheal Schneider
Bradford Shaw
Anna Summersett
Alex Thornton
Benson Varghese
Veronica Veyhl
Greg Westfall
Reagan Wynn

Education

Neal Adams
Janet Bubert
Justin Chapa
Sarah Flournoy
Robert Ginsburg
George Haratsis
Jennifer Littman
Thomas Myers
Andrea Paris
Lynn Rossi Scott
James Whitton

Elder Law

Monica Benson
Karen Telschow Johnson
Travis Weaver
Dana Zachry

Eminent Domain

Albon Head
John Johndroe
Mary Colchin Johndroe
Chris Mosley
Adam Plumbley
Joseph Regan

Family Law

Robert Aldrich
Leslie Barrows
Katie Berry
Sarah Blake
Jennifer Caldwell
Nicole Carroll
Tawanna Cesare
Mark Childress
Malorie Crosley
Anita Cutrer
Kelly Decker
Wade Griffin
Kayla Harrington
Desiree Hartwigsen
Tom Hill
E. Brooke Hubbard
Jessica Janicek
Dawn King
Heather King
W. Cade Lovelace
Kenneth McAlister
Rick Mitchell
Kristen Carr Mullins
Jason Nash
Lyndsay Newell
Gary Nickelson
Elizabeth Parmer
Jessica Phillips
Alison Porterfield
Lester Reed
Sarah Robbins
Stephanie Sabelhaus
Justin Sisemore
Dwayne Smith
R. Keith Spencer
Melissa Swan
Carrie Tapia
J. Turner Thornton
Whitney Vaughan
Dana White
Brooke Wilson

Government and Administrative

J. Austin Franklin
Leann Guzman
Dee Kelly
Brian Newby
Wayne Olson
Taylor Paris
Jeff Whitfield

Health Care Law

Jerry Bullard
Joshua Ross
Wayne Whitaker

Immigration Law

Rosa Berdeja
Nicolas Chavez
Veronica Garza
Francisco Hernandez
Susan Lane
Natalia Lopez
Rocio Martinez
Lisa McBee
Carrie Nguyen

Insurance

Derek Anderson
Carter Ferguson
Elaine Morris
Jerrod Rinehart
April Robbins
Ryan Valdez

Intellectual Property Rights

Michael Anderson
Carder Brooks
Decker Cammack
Ola Campbell
Clark Cowley
Scott Fredricks
Charles Gunter
Dave Gunter
Lee Hunt
Cheryl Leb
Stephen Mosher
Enrique Sanchez
Richard Schwartz
Mack Ed Swindle
Brian Yost

Labor and Employment

Nicholas Bettinger
Tom Brandon
Vianei Braun
Kyle Carney
Russell Cawyer
Jennifer Covington
Karen Denney
Rory Divin
David Fielding
Laura Hilton Hallmon
Caroline Harrison
Christopher Howe
Susan Hutchison
Claudine Jackson
Lu Pham
Jay Rutherford
Jason Smith
Rod Tanner

Land Use / Environment

J. Ray Oujesky
Melinda Ramos

Medical Malpractice / Defense

Greg Blaies
Scharli Branch
Henri Dussault
Wesley Hightower
Jordan Parker

Oil and Gas

Prichard Bevis
Eric Camp
Ryan Damiano
Jeffrey Grable
Raymond Kelly
Timothy Malone
Terry McClure
Jason Mills
Shayne Moses
J. Patrick Murphy
Andrew Neal
David Palmer
Nirav Patel
Shawna Rinehart
Clark Rucker
Bart Rue
Weston Santleben
Brian Smith
Mason Smith
Todd Spake
Taylor Spalla
John Thompson
Wilson Woods

Personal Injury

Rickey Brantley
Rieker Carsey
John Cummings
Dwain Dent
H. David Flowers
Robert “Bob” Haslam
Travis Heller
Robert Henry
Greg Jackson
Kolter Jennings
John Jose
Steven Laird
Kern Lewis
Stephen Maxwell
Derek Montgomery
Bradley Parker
W. Travis Patterson
Nicholas Peele
Anthony Pettitt
Jose Robles
Ryan Roper
Chip Searcy
Coby Smith
Mattilyn Smith
Jason Stephens
Ty Stimpson
Chris Stoy
Daniel Sullivan
Tennessee Walker
Jonathan “Jack” Walters
Katrina Washington
Ben Westbrook
Coby Wooten
Jim Zadeh

Product Liability

Meredith Knudsen
Preston Mundt

Professional Malpractice (Non-Medical) Defense

Lars Berg
J. Heath Coffman
Hugh Connor

Real Estate

Kendall Adair
Mark Bishop
Tyler Goldthwaite
Michael Goodrich
James Griffis
Timothy Harvard
Amanda Hernandez
Joel Heydenburk
Samuel Johndroe
L. Kelly Jones
Chad Key
Veronica Law
Lisa Leaton
Patton Maynard
Evan McGuire
Patricia Meadows
Sharon Millians
Gary Moates
Gregory Monroe
Russell Norment
Jeremy Pruett
Kylie Rahl
Jeffrey Rattikin
Brian Restivo
Grant Sorenson
Rick Sorenson
J. Jody Walker
Hannah Watkins
Robert West
Dan White
Brett Wyatt

Securities Law

Natalie Carlgren
Douglas Clayton
John Fahy
Toby Galloway
Robin Happel
Kyle Harter
Calvin Jackson
Andrew Rosell
Wayne Whitham

Sports Law

David Skeels

Tax Law

Harry Bartel
Jacob Birnbaum
Lawrence Brown
Sean Bryan
James Creel
John Hunter
Dale O’Neal
Jordan Stimpson
James Stripling
Len Woodard

Technology / Virtual

Donald Tiller

Traffic Law

Justin Holt
Jim Lollar
James Mallory

Wills, Trusts, Estates and Probates

Heidi Angel
Michael Appleman
J.C. Bailey
David Bakutis
Marvin Blum
Antoinette Bone
Michael Bourland
Natalie Brackett
Elizabeth Brooks
Tyler Craig
Kandice Damiano
James Davidson
Ellen Dickerson
Tena Fox
Catherine Goodman
Ross Griffith
J. Geary Grimes
Janet Hahn
Shelli Harveson
Amanda Holliday
Allan Howeth
Lisa Jamieson
Michael Kaitcer
Lynn Waller Kelly
Kevin Kuenzli
R. Paul Lancaster
Ann Lopez
Robert Loudermilk
Jennifer Lovelace
Mark Maples
Phillip McCrury
R. Dyann McCully
Charles Milliken
Colin Murchison
John Saltarelli
Emily Seawright
Aaron Shutt
Melinda Watts Smith
Michael Sweet

Workers’ Compensation

Henry Robinson
Kim Smith

TOP ATTORNEYS Less than Five Years in Practice

Attorneys whose names are in bold type received 15 or more nominations in a category,
and attorneys who are in bold italic received between 10-14 nominations in a category.

Click on names listed in RED for more information.

Appellate Law

Jacob deKeratry

Attorneys for Nonprofits

Sarah Pricer

Aviation, Admiralty, Maritime and Transportation

Shannon Dugan

Business Law

Thomas Campbell
Samantha Elliott
Maddie Kleifield
Preston Polk

Civil Law / Litigation

Marylynn Smitherman

Civil Law / Transactional

Christian Martinez

Commercial Litigation

Sarah Kline Carmichael
John Fronk
Klayton Hiland
Tyler Scholes

Corporate Finance /Mergers and Acquisitions

Kirsten McIntyre
Gabriella Snow

Criminal Defense

Erika Flores
Audrey Hatcher

Family Law

Tanner Breed
Colleen Cornelison
Brianda Curry
Hailey Klingbeil
Paige Lyons
Laura Richardson
Haley Shaw
Megan Weiershausen

Intellectual Property Rights

Kiala Ellingson

Labor and Employment

Lanie Bennett
Taylor Winn

Oil and Gas

Jacob Wall

Personal Injury

Alyssa Alfaro
Jack Delaney
Michael Galyen
Serech Kissire

Real Estate

Edward Boschini
Rigien Jackson
Kaitlin Paule

Securities Law

Andrew Homer

Technology / Virtual

Paul Farmer

Wills, Trusts, Estates and Probates

Abby Butts
Jenna Lusk
Hannah Orand

Workers’ Compensation

Isabelle Hutchinson