Best Lawyers in America for Alternative Dispute Resolution
A certified specialist in employment and labor law since 1993, M. Malissa Burnette has an extensive history of working toward workplace and social justice. She also has a wealth of experience in family law, personal injury, sexual harassment and discrimination law as well. She practices in state and federal courts, primarily representing individuals in complex employment cases involving discrimination, civil and constitutional rights, breach of contract, covenants to not compete, employment-r...
Jeff Brenner is a trial lawyer who represents clients in complex business disputes in federal and state courts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, arbitrations, mediations and before regulatory agencies. Jeff concentrates his practice on construction and real estate disputes, and he leads the firm’s Real Estate Litigation team and Construction group. What do you focus on? I help people and businesses that have disputes requiring litigation. I focus on construction and complex real estate...
Brad Kimbro , executive partner of Holland & Knight's Tampa Bay region, is a trial lawyer whose practice emphasizes commercial litigation, including actions involving contract disputes, fraud, shareholder disputes, dissenters' rights, directors' and officers' liability, securities, real estate, business torts, non-competition agreements, petroleum marketing, creditors' rights, construction disputes, and environmental litigation. Mr. Kimbro is a certified public accountant licensed in the ...
Julian Modesti is Co-Leader of the Business Litigation practice group at Harris Beach Murtha, based in Syracuse, New York. With over 30 years of experience, Julian has a substantial background in both state and federal court matters related to commercial litigation. These include handling disputes among shareholders, partners, and members, addressing business separations, lease and land-use issues, contract disputes, and safeguarding trade secrets as well as dealing with unfair competition an...
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 ...
Formerly a Justice on the Texas Court of Appeals, David Keltner is a highly acclaimed and recognized lawyer in the field of appellate law in Texas. He has served as lead counsel in over 350 appellate decisions and his legal writings have been cited with approval by Texas courts. He has been honored with various prestigious awards and accolades for his outstanding contributions to the legal profession. From 2021 through 2025, he was recognized as a Star Individual by Chambers USA and has recei...
Jane B. Emons is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Arbitration, Family Law and Mediation. Jane B. practices law in Bridgeport, Connecticut Best Lawyers has recognized Jane B. Emons since 2026. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Jane B. Emons is held by other lawyers.
Mr. Zazzali has served as New Jersey's Attorney General and as an Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Since returning to private practice, he has been appointed by the state and federal governments, federal and state courts, and litigants as a monitor, receiver, independent counsel, independent investigator, discovery master, and bankruptcy trustee for various institutions and organizations in both the private and public sectors. Mr. Zazzali advises clients on...
Giovanni M. Ruscitti is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law and Litigation - Construction. Giovanni M. practices law in Boulder, Colorado Best Lawyers has recognized Giovanni M. Ruscitti since 2021. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Giovanni M. Ruscitti is held by ot...
William G. Trumpeter is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Arbitration, Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. William G. practices law in Chattanooga, Tennessee Best Lawyers has recognized William G. Trumpeter since 1993. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which William G....
Elizabeth Germani has more than 30 years of litigation experience in Maine and New Hampshire. She specializes in civil trial work, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of matters, including insurance defense, insurance coverage, products liability, personal injury, attorney malpractice, fire losses, construction litigation, business litigation and contract disputes. She practices in all the state and federal courts in Maine and New Hampshire, and before the state boar...
Area of Emphasis Mark Shepard is a shareholder in the Litigation Group of Babst Calland and currently serves as general counsel to the Firm. Prior to joining the firm, he served as chair of the litigation group for one of Pittsburgh’s largest law firms. Background as a Litigator Mr. Shepard focuses his practice in the areas of commercial, toxic tort, products liability and environmental litigation. He has represented clients as lead trial counsel in a variety of complex commercial litig...
Kenneth A. Tomchin has over 30 years of litigation experience. Upon graduating law school, Ken joined the law firm of Mahoney, Adams & Criser, where he represented a wide variety of businesses of various sizes with their commercial litigation needs. After making shareholder, Ken continued his practice before founding Tomchin & Odom, P.A. in the spring of 1997. Ken joined Taylor, Day, Grimm & Boyd in the fall of 2019. He now focuses his practice on complex litigation matters. Ken i...
Dick’s litigation and appellate practice focuses primarily on business and commercial disputes, employment law, education law, and civil rights cases that are typically resolved in federal court. He frequently appears in the U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Maine and New Hampshire and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Dick devotes a significant portion of his practice to the representation of individuals with disabilities and their families, often in cases ari...
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers, Diane’s practice focuses on complex litigation and dispute resolution. Prior to joining the firm in 1978, she was an extern to the Honorable Herbert Choy, Circuit Judge, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Diane is involved in a number of professional and community activities, servicing on the Disciplinary Board of the Hawaii Supreme Court, as a national director of Easter Seals, Inc., as well as a director of Easter Seals Hawaii and ...
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.
