Best Lawyers in America for Appellate Practice
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State
Laura Deakins, a shareholder in the Memphis office, focuses her civil litigation practice primarily on the defense of corporations, as well as doctors and hospitals in healthcare liability matters. She has extensive appellate experience, arguing and briefing many matters before the appellate courts. Prior to joining Lewis Thomason, Ms. Deakins served four years as the judicial law clerk to the Honorable Holly Kirby on both the Tennessee Supreme Court and Tennessee Court of Appeals where she w...
Anne M. Collart is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Anne M., who practices law in Newark, New Jersey, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Anne M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Dan Marmalefsky specializes in complex civil and criminal business litigation. His civil practice covers issues relating to securities, unfair competition, fiduciary and shareholder rights and obligations, and general business litigation. His civil cases have included matters related to the subprime banking crisis, alleged backdating of stock options, fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, inaccurate financial reporting, and deceptive sales practices in the insurance, telecommunications and food...
Michael Von Loewenfeldt is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice. Michael, who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
A highly skilled civil, criminal, and appellate litigator, Joel Bertocchi handles appeals in state and federal courts and represents clients in connection with criminal and regulatory investigations and proceedings, providing counsel on compliance policies and related issues. He has argued cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple federal Circuits and state appellate courts, and served as Illinois’ Solicitor General, the chief appellate lawyer for the State. A former federal prosecut...
PERSONAL INJURY & INSURANCE LAW After graduating from Case Western Reserve University Law School in 1996, Margaret first worked for the Erie County Prosecutor’s Office before joining Murray & Murray. She works to be an advocate for her clients and help them in the best and most meaningful way possible. Presenting a case to the court and having the clients understand just how much the firm cares about their very personal and individual claims is very important to her. Margaret is...
Ben Cooper advocates for clients in high-stakes appeals and writ proceedings in the U.S. Supreme Court, federal circuit courts, and state supreme and intermediate appellate courts from coast to coast. Ben’s practice also emphasizes both trial-court and appellate representation in such fields as intellectual-property protection and e-commerce disputes; federal, state, and local taxation; insurance coverage and bad-faith defense; and public pension plans. In the U.S. Court of Appeals for ...
Mr. Walsh is the Chair of Bodman's Appellate Law Practice Group and has broad litigation experience at both the trial and appellate levels. Representing both plaintiffs and defendants, Mr. Walsh has obtained successful jury verdicts in numerous cases. He has argued more than 100 appeals in both state and federal appellate courts. Among the appeals Mr. Walsh has argued successfully are Shepherd Montessori Center Milan v. Ann Arbor Charter Twp ., 486 Mich. 311 (2010), McCart v. J. Walter Thomps...
Adina Johnson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice and Insurance Law. Adina, who practices law in Clayton, Missouri, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Adina is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
James R. Sigel is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice. James R., who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Scot Claus’s practice is wide-ranging and varied. As a result, he regularly represents clients in the following areas: Constitutional Law and Defense of Governmental Entities, Complex Commercial Litigation, Class-Action Litigation, Securities Fraud Litigation, Professional Liability Defense, Real Property Litigation (including commercial leasing disputes, easement and boundary disputes, and condemnation matters), Product Liability, and Intellectual Property litigation and prosecution. M...
Edward T. Kole chairs the Business and Commercial Litigation team at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. Mr. Kole handles complex corporate and commercial disputes on behalf of public and private companies in New Jersey and across the nation. Mr. Kole has represented large and medium sized businesses and corporations at every level of state and federal courts, involving a myriad of legal issues including complex contract disputes, restrictive covenant and trade secret litigation, securities ...
Kendall Coffey is a founding member of the law firm Coffey Burlington, PL, based in Miami, which handles matters in Florida and throughout the United States. Mr. Coffey also currently serves as the Chair of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission for South Florida. Appointed by both of Florida's United States Senators, he presides over the 21-person commission that selects individuals to be considered by the White House to become U.S. federal judges and U.S. Attorney for South Florida. Mr....
Jane Langdell Robinson offers decades of experience in appeals and litigation, primarily in complex commercial matters. A board-certified civil appellate specialist, Jane represents clients in mandamus proceedings, interlocutory appeals, and appeals of final judgments in Texas and other state appellate courts as well as the Fifth Circuit, other federal circuit courts, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and the United States Supreme Court. Trial lawyers often rely on Jane for legal anal...
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy is creative and results-oriented. She uses strategic analysis and innovative thinking to develop legal solutions that work for her clients. She has successfully defended Fortune 100 companies throughout the United States and abroad in numerous trials, arbitrations and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. Allegra is known for her skill in trying cases and working through complex settlements with tenacity and patience. Allegra also develops processes, tools 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.