Best Lawyers in America for Administrative / Regulatory Law
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State
Benjamin J. Smith is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law, Energy Law and Energy Regulatory Law. Benjamin J., who practices law in Augusta, Maine, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Benjamin J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Hayden R. Dempsey is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law and Government Relations Practice. Hayden R., who practices law in Tallahassee, Florida, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Hayden R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ken Lehman is a shareholder in Bernstein Shur’s Litigation Group and he co-chairs the firm’s Health Care Group. Ken has practiced health care law for more than 35 years. He is a former Maine Assistant Attorney General where he had responsibility for cases before Maine’s professional licensure boards that license physicians and PAs, nurses and nurse practitioners, dentists, psychologists, social workers, professional counselors, chiropractors, and other health care providers....
Lee Muldrow has been engaged in general litigation and workers’ compensation defense for over thirty years. His litigation practice involves a wide variety of insurance defense cases but also includes copyright, trademark and trade dress litigation. His workers’ compensation practice entails representing employers, self-insured companies and insurance carriers. Muldrow’s more recent experience includes: Lead counsel defending a national insurance company in connection with a...
Jennifer Utter Heston is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law. Jennifer Utter, who practices law in Lansing, Michigan, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jennifer Utter is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Karl Kobayashi concentrates his practice in the area of commercial real estate with an emphasis on sales, acquisitions, leasing, financing and development. He also practices in the area of entitlements (land use and zoning law) and has represented clients in contested case and other regulatory proceedings before agencies such as the State of Hawai`i Land Use Commission, the Hawai`i Community Development Authority (Kaka`ako), the City and County of Honolulu Zoning Board of Appeals, the Maui Pl...
C. Richard Hill, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law, Litigation - Environmental, Litigation - Insurance and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. C. Richard, who practices law in Montgomery, Alabama, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which C. Richard is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Gary R. Pannone is a founder and Principal of Pannone Devereaux & O’Gara LLC and has been representing closely held business owners for over forty years. He is an experienced business lawyer specializing in the areas of business formation, corporate restructuring, mergers, acquisitions and corporate compliance. In addition to representing closely held businesses, his practice includes the representation of nonprofit organizations in the areas of corporate governance, consolidations,...
In Scott Knapp’s Business Litigation practice, he has represented clients in cases involving fraud, violations of non-compete agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract. He has represented Michigan’s largest health care company and insurance subsidiaries in many dozens of cases, including ERISA disputes and putative class actions brought by physicians and other health care providers; and has secured summary judgment dismissing a putative national class ac...
For nearly 30 years, Chris has focused his practice on high-profile civil and criminal environmental investigations and enforcement actions throughout the United States. A nationally-recognized Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) practitioner, Chris represents national trade associations, oil and gas companies, manufacturers, and mine operators on issues involving the identification and management of solid and hazardous wastes, financial assurance, corrective action, permitting, boi...
Art Melendres concentrates his practice primarily in administrative, education, commercial and municipal finance law. For more than thirty-five years, clients have sought Art’s expertise when faced with disputes involving education, administrative law, commercial law or public financing. For more than twenty-five years, Art has served as general counsel for the Albuquerque Public Schools, a school district of more than 90,000 students and 11,000 employees. He regularly advises the Schoo...
A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Wade attended Vanderbilt University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1990. After graduation, Wade worked in Washington, DC for the United States House of Representatives, House Rules Committee from 1990-91. Wade returned to South Carolina to attend the University of South Carolina School of Law where he received his law degree in 1994. After admission to the Bar, Wade practiced with a large regional firm until 1999 whe...
Derrick Smith is an experienced strategic advisor and advocate assisting national and regional clients in insurance regulatory law, compliance, investigative, and legislative matters. He represents insurance clients in their interactions with state insurance departments throughout the United States providing counsel on insurance law and regulatory compliance. He has substantial experience representing regulated businesses and entities in all aspects of government relations including legislati...
Patrick Pearsall is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law and Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy). Patrick, who practices law in Austin, Texas, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Patrick is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mr. Alford represents public utilities and other clients in a variety of matters, including commercial and tort litigation, regulatory proceedings, and contract and property issues. Representative cases include construction disputes, securities actions, antitrust and unfair trade practice claims, medical licensing, and consumer litigation. Mr. Alford also counsels clients concerning regulatory compliance, employment, and general business issues. Mr. Alford graduated from Louisiana State Unive...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.