Best Lawyers, a peer review guide to the legal profession, has recognized 270 K&L Gates lawyers in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for outstanding professional excellence, and more than 80 of the firm’s lawyers in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, a list which recognizes lawyers who are earlier in their careers. For almost 40 years, the Best Lawyers guide highlights top legal talent as selected by their peers through millions of votes each year.

Also among these recognitions are 12 “Lawyer of the Year” recipients for K&L Gates, an accolade received by only one standout lawyer in each practice area and region across the country. Congratulations to the K&L Gates lawyers listed below.

LAWYERS OF THE YEAR
 

Boston 

• Jeffrey King – Admiralty and Maritime Law

Charleston 

• Bryan Walpole – Litigation – Banking and Finance

Charlotte

• Brett Durham – Venture Capital Law
• Sean Jones – Corporate Governance Law

Harrisburg

• Craig Wilson – Environmental Law

Nashville

• Ken Marlow – Health Care Law

Pittsburgh 

• Paul Schwendeman – Trusts and Estates

Portland 

• William Holmes – Energy Regulatory Law
• Philip Van Der Weele – Antitrust Law

Raleigh

• David Wagner – Real Estate Law

Seattle

• Karrie Johnson Diaz – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Washington, D.C.

• David Wochner – Energy Regulatory Law

BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA 

Austin 

• Andrea Cunha – Health Care Law
• Jack Erskine – Administrative / Regulatory Law and Government Relations Practice
• Janessa Glenn – Environmental Law
• Christopher Graff – Trademark Law
• Brian Graham – Immigration Law
• Stewart Mesher – Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Patent; and Patent Law

Boston 

• John Blessington – Commercial Litigation
• David Byer – Copyright Law; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Patent Law; and Trademark Law
• John Cotter – Litigation – Intellectual Property and Patent Law
• Michael DeMarco – Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants; and Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• James Fajkowski – Patent Law
• Mark Goshko – Mutual Funds Law
• Sean Higgins – Financial Services Regulation Law
• Thomas Holt – Commercial Litigation
• Jeffrey King – Admiralty and Maritime Law
• Clair Pagnano – Mutual Funds Law
• Stephen Palmer – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Jeffrey Patterson – Commercial Litigation
• Mark Pomfret – Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Stanley Ragalevsky – Financial Services Regulation Law and Banking and Finance Law
• Robert Tammero – FinTech Practice
• Christine Vito – Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice

Charleston 

• James Bruce – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Venture Capital Law
• Ernie Cochran – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Venture Capital Law
• Walker Coleman – Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Matthew Norton – Real Estate Law
• Jennifer Thiem – Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law
• Bryan Walpole – Banking and Finance Law and Litigation – Banking and Finance

Charlotte

• Stacy Ackermann – Banking and Finance Law
• John Allison – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Project Finance Law; and International Trade and Finance Law
• Bonita Black – Economic Development Law
• Randy Clark – Tax Law
• Brett Durham – Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Venture Capital Law
• Rick Giovannelli – Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law; Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Venture Capital Law
• Kenneth Gish – Environmental Law and Litigation – Environmental
• Michael Hawley – Corporate Law and Trusts and Estates
• Sean Jones – Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law; Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law; and Securities Regulation
• Stephen McCrae – Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law
• Jared Mobley – Tax Law
• Aaron Rothman – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Kevin Stichter – Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Venture Capital Law
• Margaret Westbrook – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Chicago 

• Robert Barrett – Patent Law
• Alan Barry – Patent Law
• Thomas Basso – Patent Law
• Limo Cherian – Health Care Law
• Jeffrey Gargano – Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice and Litigation – Patent
• Sana Hakim – Trademark Law
• Sang-yul Lee – Employment Law – Management
• Mark McMillan – Corporate Law
• David Rieser – Environmental Law
• John Rotunno – Commercial Litigation
• James Shimota – Litigation – Patent

Dallas 

• Craig Budner – Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions; Litigation – Banking and Finance; Litigation – Bankruptcy; and Commercial Litigation
• Weston Loegering – Commercial Litigation
• David Luther – Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Sam Megally – Tax Law
• Cynthia Ohlenforst – Tax Law

Fort Worth 

• Jeffrey King – Energy Law; Oil and Gas Law; and Commercial Litigation
• Jamie Lavergne Bryan – Oil and Gas Law

Harrisburg 

• Grainger Bowman – Construction Law and Litigation – Construction
• David Fine – Appellate Practice; Bet-the-Company Litigation; and Commercial Litigation
• Peter Gleason – Government Relations Practice
• David Raphael – Environmental Law and Litigation – Environmental
• Timothy Weston – Energy Law; Environmental Law; and Water Law
• Craig Wilson – Environmental Law

Houston 

• Robert George – Securitization and Structured Finance Law

Kansas City 

• John Crossley – Corporate Law and Real Estate Law 
• James Goettsch – Mergers and Acquisitions Law 
• Brogan Sullivan – Energy Law

Los Angeles 

• Christopher Kondon – Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Michael Lubic – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Daniel Stephenson – Litigation – Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation
• Paul Sweeney – Commercial Litigation
• William Wade – Financial Services Regulation Law

Miami

• April Boyer – Labor Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Paul Hancock – Banking and Finance Law and Commercial Litigation
• Jeffrey Kucera – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Carol Lumpkin – Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; and Arbitration
• Jason Murray – Franchise Law and Commercial Litigation
• Clayton Parker – Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Christina Paul – Admiralty and Maritime Law
• Douglas Stanford – Real Estate Law
• Steven Weinstein – Commercial Litigation

Nashville 

• Wells Beckett – Health Care Law
• Jason Callen – Commercial Litigation
• Jack Dodson – Construction Law and Commercial Litigation
• Matthew Harris – Land Use and Zoning Law; Litigation – Real Estate; and Real Estate Law
• Kim Looney – Corporate Law; Administrative / Regulatory Law; Health Care Law; and Litigation – Health Care
• Charles Malone – Commercial Litigation
• Ken Marlow – Health Care Law
• Matthew Miller – Health Care Law
• Gregory Parker – Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Lauren Patten – Commercial Litigation
• Richard Pensinger – Real Estate Law
• Erin Palmer Polly – Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Slade Sevier – Construction Law; Litigation – Construction; and Litigation – Real Estate
• Robert Walker – Commercial Litigation and Antitrust Law
• Joseph Welborn – Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation

New York 

• Paul Eckles – Sports Law
• Elizabeth Evans – Aviation Law
• David Naidu – Litigation – Environmental
• Anthony Nolan – Securitization and Structured Finance Law
• Gerald Novack – Commercial Litigation
• Steven Olenick – Sports Law
• Tara Pehush – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Matthew Weldon – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs

Newark 

• Rosemary Alito – Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Vincent Avallone – Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Gail Conenello – Litigation – Environmental
• Daniel Eliades – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Donald Kiel – Construction Law; Insurance Law; and Litigation – Insurance
• Anthony La Rocco – Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law
• Joseph Lagrotteria – Environmental Law and Litigation – Environmental
• Dawn Lamparello – Environmental Law
• John Marmora – Land Use and Zoning Law
• Brian Montag – Administrative / Regulatory Law; Environmental Law; and Litigation – Environmental
• Charles Rysavy – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Loly Garcia Tor – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Michael Waller – Insurance Law

Orange County 

• Daniel Glassman – Commercial Litigation
• William Tate – Real Estate Law

Pittsburgh

• Jeffrey Acre – Corporate Compliance Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Stephen Barge – Corporate Governance Law; Litigation and Controversy – Tax; and Tax Law
• Thomas Birsic – Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation
• Kay Brady – Commercial Litigation
• Carolyn Branthoover – Insurance Law
• Jacquelyn Celender – Commercial Litigation
• George Dickos – Trademark Law
• David Ehrenwerth – Real Estate Law
• Mark Feczko – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Andrew Gespass – Litigation – Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates
• Charles Harris – Banking and Finance Law; Commercial Finance Law; Project Finance Law; and Securitization and Structured Finance Law
• Adam Kelson – Corporate Law
• David Klaber – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• David Lehman – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Venture Capital Law
• Michael Lynch – Insurance Law
• Jerry McDevitt – Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; and Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Patrick McElhinny – Litigation – Intellectual Property; Patent Law; and Trademark Law
• David McGonigle – Insurance Law and Litigation – Insurance
• Richard Paciaroni – Construction Law; Litigation – Construction; and Commercial Litigation
• Michael Pavlick – Labor Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Andrew Pullman – Tax Law
• Pierce Richardson – Real Estate Law
• Mark Rush – Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Thomas Ryan – Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
• Michael Schalk – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Paul Schwendeman – Trusts and Estates
• James Segerdahl – Insurance Law
• Charles Smith – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Thomas Smith – Commercial Litigation
• Henry Snyder – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Tax Law
• Kristen Stewart – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• John Sylvester – Insurance Law and Litigation – Insurance
• Melissa Tea – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Nicholas Vari – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Christopher Verdini – Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Patent; and Patent Law
• Edward Weisgerber – Health Care Law
• Megan Wotherspoon – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Michael Zanic – Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law
• Robert Zinn – Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Portland

• William Holmes – Energy Law; Energy Regulatory Law; and Environmental Law
• Brenna Legaard – Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Patent; Patent Law; and Commercial Litigation
• Brendan McDonnell – Corporate Law
• Philip Van Der Weele – Commercial Litigation; Antitrust Law; and Litigation – Antitrust

Raleigh 

• Suzanne Allaire – Real Estate Law
• Nicholle Allen-Steele – Real Estate Law
• Stanford Baird – Environmental Law and Litigation – Environmental
• Darlene Davis – Health Care Law
• John Gardner – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Lee Hogewood – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Bet-the-Company Litigation; and Commercial Litigation
• Nathan Huff – Agriculture Law and Commercial Litigation
• Michael King – Real Estate Law
• David Lindsay – Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Alan Peterson – Real Estate Law
• Julie Rizzo – Corporate Governance Law and Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Mikal Shaikh – Corporate Law
• David Wagner – Real Estate Law
• Leann Walsh – Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Robert Womble – Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law; Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Venture Capital Law

Research Triangle Park 

• Gina Bertolini – Health Care Law
• Mary Beth Johnston – Health Care Law
• Gary Qualls – Health Care Law and Litigation – Health Care

San Francisco  

• Buck Endemann – Energy Law
• Matthew Mangan – Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law

Seattle

• Theodore Angelis – Litigation – Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation
• Hugh Bangasser – Antitrust Law and Litigation – Antitrust
• Molly Barker – Energy Law and Environmental Law
• David Bateman – Litigation – Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation
• John Bjorkman – Commercial Litigation; Environmental Law; and Litigation – Environmental
• Kent Carlson – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Won-Han Cheng – Tax Law
• Stephan Coonrod – Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Elizabeth Crouse – Tax Law and Energy Law
• Carla DewBerry – Health Care Law
• Karrie Johnson Diaz – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Mark Filipini – Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Bart Freedman – Native American Law
• Eric Freedman – Energy Law; Utilities Law; and Environmental Law
• Shannan Frisbie – Technology Law
• Michael Gearin – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Philip Guess – Commercial Litigation
• Julie Anne Halter – Commercial Litigation
• Rhys Hefta – Real Estate Law
• Daniel Hurley – Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Margaret Inouye – Corporate Law
• Pam Jacobson – Copyright Law and Patent Law
• Brian Knox – Energy Law and Environmental Law
• Gary Kocher – Corporate Law
• Douglas Love – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Patrick Madden – Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Michael McKay – Municipal Law; Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Elisabeth Yandell McNeil – Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Robert Mitchell – Appellate Practice and Commercial Litigation
• Alyssa Moir – Environmental Law; Land Use and Zoning Law; and Natural Resources Law
• Margaret Niles – Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
• Francisco Gomez Olmedo – Corporate Law
• Charles Purcell – Tax Law
• Mark Roberts – Trusts and Estates
• Charles Royce – Banking and Finance Law and Real Estate Law
• William Shaw – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Shannon Skinner – Commercial Finance Law and Real Estate Law
• Robert Starin – Tax Law
• Peter Talevich – Commercial Litigation
• David Tang – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Real Estate Law
• Elizabeth Thomas – Energy Law and Litigation – Environmental
• Ankur Tohan – Energy Law and Natural Resources Law
• Craig Trueblood – Environmental Law
• Kari Vander Stoep – Energy Law
• Christopher Voss – Corporate Law
• Pallavi Mehta Wahi – Litigation – Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation
• Cynthia Weed – Public Finance Law
• Mark Wittow – Technology Law
• Stephanie Wright Pickett – Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment

Washington, D.C. 

• Cliff Alexander – Mutual Funds Law
• Diane Ambler – Mutual Funds Law and Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
• Mark Amorosi – Mutual Funds Law
• Alan Berkeley – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Ndenisarya Bregasi – Mutual Funds Law
• Victor Chang – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Johnathan Cohen – Insurance Law
• Barclay Collins – Tax Law and Nonprofit / Charities Law
• Thomas Cooney – Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Kimberly Frank – Energy Law and Energy Regulatory Law
• Stacy Fuller – Mutual Funds Law
• Pamela Garvie – Government Relations Practice
• Robert Grey – Energy Law
• Donald Kaplan – Energy Law
• Rebecca Laird – Financial Services Regulation Law
• Jeffrey Maletta – Litigation – Securities
• Charles Miller – Mutual Funds Law and Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Emanuel Rouvelas – Admiralty and Maritime Law and Government Relations Practice
• Mark Ruge – Government Relations Practice
• William Schmidt – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Lori Schneider – Mutual Funds Law
• Ruta Skučas – Energy Law and Energy Regulatory Law
• Donald Smith – Mutual Funds Law
• Steven Sparling – Energy Law
• Stephen Topetzes – Criminal Defense: White-Collar; Litigation – Securities; and Securities Regulation
• Robert Wittie – Derivatives and Futures Law and Mutual Funds Law
• David Wochner – Energy Regulatory Law
• Kristina Zanotti – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Robert Zutz – Mutual Funds Law and Securities Regulation

Wilmington 

• Eric Feldman – Corporate Law; Public Finance Law; and Securitization and Structured Finance Law
• Nicholas Froio – Corporate Law; Public Finance Law; and Securitization and Structured Finance Law
• Andy Skouvakis – Banking and Finance Law and Securitization and Structured Finance Law
• Lisa Stark – Corporate Governance Law
• Scott Waxman – Corporate Law and Securitization and Structured Finance Law

BEST LAWYERS: ONES TO WATCH 

Austin 

• Travis Campbell – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Maria Faconti – Administrative / Regulatory Law; Energy Law; and Oil and Gas Law 
• Adriana Reyes – Immigration Law

Boston 

• Kathleen Burch – Intellectual Property Law
• Eric Lee – Patent Law
• Michael O’Neill – Energy Law and Oil and Gas Law
• Kathleen Parker – Commercial Litigation
• Stacey Roberts – Corporate Law
• Hayley Trahan-Liptak – Commercial Litigation

Charleston 

• Kevin McKibbin – Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Alexis Riordan – Real Estate Law
• Tara Sullivan – Commercial Litigation

Charlotte 

• Matthew Houston – Commercial Litigation
• Michael Hutson – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Mary Scott Kennedy – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Jonathan Noble Edel – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Barrett Price – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Coleman Wombwell – Corporate Governance and Compliance Law

Chicago 

• Katherine Allor – Litigation – Patent
• Marvis Barnes – Commercial Litigation and Real Estate Law
• Ketajh Brown – Litigation – Construction and Commercial Litigation
• Dennis Majewski – Litigation – Intellectual Property and Patent Law
• Kevin McCormick – Patent Law
• Erinn Rigney – Labor and Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment

Dallas 

• Nathan Fish – Health Care Law
• William LeDoux – Litigation and Controversy – Tax

Fort Worth 

• Elizabeth Tiblets – Energy Law; Appellate Practice; and Commercial Litigation

Harrisburg 

• Tad Macfarlan – Land Use and Zoning Law

Houston 

• Rory Hatch – Energy Law

Kansas City 

• Kaitlyn DeYoung – Energy Law and Real Estate Law 

Los Angeles 

• Penny Chen Fox – Labor and Employment Law – Management
• Gabriel Huey – Labor and Employment Law – Management

Miami

• Joshua Carpenter – Transportation Law and Commercial Litigation
• Shawn Hogue – Commercial Litigation
• Charles Wolf – Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs

Nashville 

• Terrence McKelvey – Commercial Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Emma Wolfe – Commercial Litigation

New York 

• Robert Salame – Real Estate Law
• Steven Shur – Corporate Law
• Ifigeneia Xanthopoulou – Transportation Law

Newark 

• Caitlin Conklin – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Nathan Howe – Commercial Litigation – Litigation – Environmental
• Amanda Konarski – Administrative / Regulatory Law; Litigation – Environmental; and Natural Resources Law
• Meghan Meade – Labor and Employment Law – Management
• Joshua Rinschler – Labor and Employment Law – Management

Orange County 

• Jason Dreibelbis – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Amy Wong – Commercial Litigation

Research Triangle Park 

• Kelsey Jernigan – Health Care Law
• John Lawrence – Health Care Law
• Steven Pine – Health Care Law

Pittsburgh 

• Travis Brannon – Energy Law
• Amanda Cashman – Commercial Litigation
• Amanda Erlandson – Trusts and Estates
• Daniel Fasanello – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Stefanie Lacy – Commercial Litigation
• Anna Shabalov – Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Laurén Shuttleworth Murray – Intellectual Property Law

Portland 

• Elizabeth White – Appellate Practice; Litigation – Antitrust; Litigation – Securities

Raleigh 

• Bryan Cantley – Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
• Tucker Idol – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; and Venture Capital Law

Seattle

• Jenna Bruce – Litigation – Patent
• Ashley Gammell – Commercial Litigation
• Trevor Gates – Technology Law
• Ryan Groshong – Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Adam Heyd – Corporate Law
• Alexander Hurt – Trusts and Estates
• Daniel Kelly-Stallings – Commercial Litigation and Environmental Law
• Kari Larson – Real Estate Law
• Benjamin Mayer – Native American Law
• Aaron Meyer – Tax Law
• Aaron Millstein – Commercial Litigation
• Gulsah Senol – Labor and Employment Law – Employee
• Jonathan Shallow – Corporate Law
• Erika Shinpaugh – Real Estate Law
• Raina Wagner – Commercial Litigation
• Elizabeth Weiskopf – Intellectual Property Law; Litigation – Intellectual Property; and Patent Law
• Brett White – Patent Law
• Christopher Wyant – Alternative Dispute Resolution and Litigation – Antitrust

Wilmington 

• Zachary Sager – Mergers and Acquisitions Law