About Us
Best Lawyers® provides trusted, peer-reviewed recognition of top legal professionals and helps clients find credible, experienced counsel with confidence.
For more than 40 years, our Purely Peer Review® process has set the standard for merit-based legal distinction. It is respected by lawyers and firms worldwide, with more than 13 million confidential evaluations submitted annually.
The process is highly selective, with only 5% of U.S. lawyers and 3% globally earning this honor. Rigorous bias-filtering ensures integrity and fairness.
We combine this credibility with powerful digital tools built for the realities of modern legal marketing. These tools increase the visibility of recognized lawyers and help clients identify proven legal talent. Our partnerships with more than 50 local, national and international media outlets extend our influence globally.
Our goal is to bring clarity to legal selection and build lasting trust between lawyers and those seeking legal counsel.
Best Law Firms®
In 2010, we launched Best Law Firms to recognize exceptional law firm performance. Today, Best Law Firms operates in six global markets, delivering firm-level distinction alongside individual recognition.
Leadership
“The legal profession serves a critical purpose. As the leader of a company, I rely on that counsel constantly to help us make business decisions. Lawyers have become consultants as well as providers of sound legal advice, and their growth continues to parallel that of Best Lawyers.”
“My goal is for Best Lawyers to be a brand recognized beyond the legal industry. I want people to know who we are and the value we can bring to their lives and businesses. They should come to us as the true resource for finding what they need.”
Brett leads sales and client success at Best Lawyers, driving revenue through client relationships and strategic partnerships. With over 20 years in the legal industry he has held leadership roles across Fortune 500 and early-stage firms, bringing deep expertise in legal marketing, SaaS, data, and AI.
“Though Best Lawyers has been the leader in our space for over 40 years, we still operate with the energy of a much younger company. Writing this next chapter of our company history with the same team is extremely inspiring and I am grateful to continue to work with my colleagues.”
“I am proud to lead many of our partnerships. I think what sets Best Lawyers apart as an organization is that we really do take care of our own. That extends to all employees at all levels and I am living proof.”
“Best Lawyers recognizes legal professionals for reasons beyond multimillion-dollar resolutions or high-profile verdicts. What makes them shine is their tenacity and willingness to be the voice of their client. Telling each story is at the heart of what we do – it is challenging, but also a lot of fun.” ...
“This is one of the most wholesome organizations that I've worked for. There are high levels of candor, compassion, and communication company wide. This allows everyone to feel like they've got a stake in the work they do for the company. I feel that these values have been instrumental to our success.” ...
Advisory Board Spotlight
Edward B. Deutsch is the Managing Partner of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP. He is a Civil Trial Attorney, Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. He has been a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 1992, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. In October 2009, Mr. Deutsch was selected as an honoree of the Trial Attorneys of New Jersey and received the Trial Bar Award. This prestigious award recog...
Charla Aldous, founder of Aldous Law Firm, is an active trial attorney representing plaintiffs. In addition to her extensive trial experience, she sits as a member of the Executive Committee of the American Board of Trial Advocates' Dallas Chapter and was its previous President. Ms. Aldous is also a member of the American Association for Justice and the Inner Circle of Advocates.
Jack H. Olender is president of the malpractice law firm Jack H. Olender and Associates, PC. He has served as president of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, the Trial Lawyers Association, D.C., the American Board of Trial Advocates, D.C., and the George Washington American Inn of Court. He lectures regularly on malpractice and trial law to bar associations and medical societies, and has published extensively on legal and medical issues.
In addition to his management responsibilities, James Lehman practices in the areas of business and securities litigation, white collar investigations, and professional liability. Mr. Lehman has also served in senior executive management positions. In 2001, he joined Safety-Kleen as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, which at the time was one of the largest bankruptcies in US history.
As a Senior Client Advisor within Perkins Coie’s Client Advantage team, Mark leverages his wide-ranging experience to help his general counsel clients innovate, solve problems, understand trends in legal services and bring value to the law firm-client relationship. Clients in both public and private sectors turn to Mark Roellig for his decades of experience at the highest levels of Fortune 500 companies. Armed with best practices and deep knowledge, he advises general counsel and their senior...
Mr. Kalis is Chairman and Global Managing Partner of K&L Gates. After law school, Mr. Kalis served as law clerk to the late J. Skelly Wright, Chief Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and for the late Associate Justice Byron R. White of the US Supreme Court.
Kevin Sullivan is a member of the firm's Real Estate Finance Practice Group. He has extensive experience in all areas of real estate finance. His direct involvement in client relationships and management of multi-attorney teams for the benefit of clients ensures a responsive, quality product on a competitively priced basis. He serves on committees of various industry groups and is a frequent contributor by way of both articles and speeches to new industry issues.
Steven Wright is senior vice president and general counsel at Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. A distinguished Boston-area attorney, Steve has served as lead counsel and strategic advisor for several Fortune 500 companies, addressing complex commercial, corporate, intellectual property, litigation and regulatory matters. He is named in “Best Lawyers in America” for commercial litigation, a member of Best Lawyers National Advisory Committee and a “Super Lawyer” for business and corporate law. I...
Kenneth Van Winkle is a member of the firm's Real Estate Transactional Group and focuses his practice on real estate leasing; real estate equity and debt financing; and real estate sales and acquisitions. He has represented many institutional clients in acquiring and disposing of developed and undeveloped multifamily residential, single family residential, commercial, retail and industrial real estate. He has experience handling the joint venture and purchase and sale of multifamily products,...
Terrence O'Donnell's practice has focused on litigation, primarily complex civil and criminal cases involving the representation of business enterprises, members of corporate boards, senior corporate officers, and senior government officials. In addition, he has extensive experience in international dispute resolution, regulatory/administrative disputes, government contract litigation, campaign finance, corporate governance, and non-profit organizations.
Kenichi Fujinawa is the Managing Partner of Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, the first law firm in Japan to surpass the 100-lawyer milestone. As of January 1, 2009, the firm has 334 lawyers (inclusive of foreign-licensed lawyers). Mr. Fujinawa focuses his practice in the field of Mergers and Acquisitions.
Press Releases
2025 Mid-Year Canadian Legal Market Survey Reveals Legal Sector Perspectives on AI, Pressures Shaping Practices from The Best Lawyers in Canada Honorees Survey results accompany release of 2026 editions of the Best Lawyers awards
For Immediate Release
2025 Mid-Year U.S. Legal Market Survey Reveals Practice Outlook, AI Impact from The Best Lawyers in America Honorees Survey results accompany release of 2026 editions of the Best Lawyers awards
For Immediate Release
Spanish Law Firms Embrace Billing Flexibility, Yet Fall Behind on Diversity New Legal Market Report Reveals 63% of firms now offer alternative fee arrangements challenging the tradition of billable hours
For Immediate Release
Best Law Firms in Germany Announces 2nd Edition Rankings Comprehensive survey of 1,278 firms reveals shift toward domestic focus as German legal market adapts to changing business landscape
For Immediate Release
2026 Best Lawyers® in France Honours Legal Talent, Reflects Corporate Sustainability Demands Ahead Data-backed rankings reveal top lawyers across France and the highest voter engagement in research history
For Immediate Release
Final nail in the coffin for billable hours? Alternative billing goes mainstream, new legal market report reveals 87% of top Australian law firms offer clients billing choice, including fixed or task fees
For Immediate Release
Best Lawyers® Establishes CMO Advisory Board to Guide Innovation in the Legal Marketing Industry
For Immediate Release
