Reinoud Westerdijk

Some attorneys focus on different areas of law, building their practice around specific types of cases. Early in his career, Brent Walker chose to follow a different path, instead trying all kinds of cases. As a Dallas trial attorney, Brent’s job is to go to court and stand up for his clients, whether that client is a person suffering from a catastrophic personal injury or a corporation locked in a legal dispute with another business. Whatever their case, Brent is ready to fight on thei...

Shawn Tanguay is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Land Use and Zoning Law. Shawn, who practices law in Manchester, New Hampshire, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Shawn is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mitchell D. Haddad, a Member of the Sills Cummis & Gross Litigation Department, is Chair of New York Real Estate Litigation. He focuses on complex real estate and commercial litigation, creditors’ rights, workouts and corporate litigation. He has first chaired numerous trials, argued appeals and participated in arbitrations and mediations on a wide variety of matters. He works with clients and the Firm’s Real Estate Department on transactions in order to resolve issues and dis...

Peter E. Pederson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - ERISA. Peter E., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Peter E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Ken has resolved coverage issues involving an alphabet soup of insurance policies, including CGL, D&O, E&O, EPLI, PLL and WC/EL, as well as first-party property policies, crime bonds and surety bonds. He offers a deep understanding of loss-sensitive insurance programs, having litigated disputes involving workers’ compensation claim handling and deductible and retrospective premium billing. Ken also works in the trenches of product liability, professional liability and commercial...

Melissa Segel represents insurance carriers and businesses in commercial litigation and insurance coverage matters, with an emphasis on defending against bad faith and fraudulent claims. She works with insurance adjusters, special investigative units (SIU) and insureds in both first- and third-party property and bodily injury loss claims in Georgia, including those related to arson, automobile accidents and theft coverage in homeowner and auto insurance policies. Melissa previously worked in ...

Stephen Younger, Past President of the New York State Bar Association, is a leading commercial litigator who is also well-known for his alternative dispute resolution work. Having been with Patterson Belknap since 1985, Mr. Younger has more than 30 years of experience as a commercial litigator. As a seasoned trial lawyer, he has tried many cases in federal and state court and before arbitration panels. He also frequently argues appeals, particularly in the appellate courts of New York. Based ...

Al represents a diverse group of clients in connection with a broad range of real estate transactions. He advises private equity funds, REITs, institutional capital sources, hospitality companies, developers and retail operators, among others, on their investments across all commercial real estate asset classes. Al advises private equity investors and REIT clients in structuring and negotiating preferred equity, partnership and joint venture agreements for all types of investments in commerci...

Twenty years’ experience in real estate law. Broad expertise managing complicated industry transactions. Knowledge informed by in-house counsel roles for a national cooperative bank and public university. Amy Diaz provides strategic counsel for both developers and investors on acquisitions and dispositions for commercial development and large-scale commercial leasing. She also represents commercial borrowers in connection with senior, mezzanine, construction and permanent loans secured ...

Lee H. Ayres is principally a trial lawyer. He has extensive experience in civil litigation, including business and commercial disputes, oil and gas litigation, property disputes, natural resources litigation, products liability claims, professional malpractice defense, trucking defense, personal injury claims, fraud claims, insurance coverage, and insurance bad faith defense. Lee received his undergraduate and law degrees at Louisiana State University Law Center, where he was a member of the...