Best Lawyers in America for Appellate Practice
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State
D. Andrew Portinga has been practicing law since 1996. He is a litigator, and has extensive experience in both federal and state courts. He has represented both Fortune 500 companies and family owned businesses, and Mr. Portinga has handled complex cases involving myriad issues. General Commercial Litigation Mr. Portinga has handled a wide variety of complicated commercial cases. His clients have included oil and gas producers, a manufacturer of implantable medical devices, a national communi...
A Partner in the Litigation Area, Eric B. Levasseur is a commercial litigator and trial attorney who represents clients in business disputes around the country. A trusted advisor and creative advocate, Eric strategically guides his clients from the pre-litigation planning stage through trial and the highest levels of appeal. In over twenty years in practice, Eric has earned a reputation for cutting to the core of disputes to deliver a successful result, whether inside or outside the courtroom...
M. Michelle Carreras is a key member of the Issues and Appeals section of The Lanier Law Firm, handling complex appeals, briefings and research for trial. She has worked on a wide variety of cases, including mass tort, products liability, personal injury, business litigation and sports law litigation. She was a key member of the firm’s Pinnacle bellwether trial team that won a $1 billion combined jury verdict and a $502 million jury verdict in 2016. Those victories were recently ranked ...
Gerald F. Petruccelli is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Arbitration, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Construction, Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy), Mediation and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Gerald F., who practices law in Portland, Maine, has been recognized since 1989. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review su...
Mary H. “Molly” Tolbert is a litigator, with a focus on antitrust, securities, constitutional, and appellate matters. She has appeared on behalf of clients before numerous state and federal courts, as well as in administrative and regulatory proceedings. She has significant experience in drafting and arguing critical motions and appellate briefs, with recent successful oral arguments before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Ninth Circuits, as well as the Southern Distr...
As one of only a very few private practitioners in the country who have served as a state solicitor general, Andrée Blumstein brings to her general business and civil law practice a wealth of experience, particularly in appellate litigation. Before returning to private practice, she served from 2014 to 2024 as Tennessee’s Solicitor General. In that position, she was in charge of all the State’s appellate litigation in all state and federal courts in the country, including t...
Jeff maintains an active trial and appellate practice, focusing on complex civil and criminal matters. He has substantial trial experience, before judges and juries, and has appeared as counsel and argued more than 75 appeals to the Alaska Supreme Court, Alaska Court of Appeals, Idaho Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Jeff's trial experience encompasses a broad range of matters, including environmental and antitrust cases, oil and gas disputes,...
With a practice focus on Appellate and Commercial & Business Litigation, Scott Hamilton has first-chaired more than 20 federal and state bench and jury trials and argued over 30 cases in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Sixth and Tenth Circuits, Michigan Supreme Court and Michigan Court of Appeals. With a strong background in Insurance & ERISA Litigation, Scott has represented large insurers in dozens of ERISA benefits actions in trial court and on appeal and has rep...
Judith Ann Pavey has over 45 years of experience in litigation and litigation related alternative dispute resolution. She began her litigation career while still in law school where she received a special certification from the Indiana Supreme Court to act as a prosecutor on criminal cases in Marion County juvenile, misdemeanor and felony courts. Upon graduation she was hired by a high-profile litigator in Hawai‘i, where she established her reputation as a skilled and successful lawyer ...
J. Timothy Eaton is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice and Commercial Litigation. J. Timothy, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Timothy is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Amy Rao Mohan provides a practical, problem-solving approach for her clients whether it involves litigation, crisis management or general counsel work. As a former Emmy-award winning television journalist, Amy brings a unique approach to the law to develop effective approaches to protect her clients’ interests and reputations inside and outside of the courtroom. She takes pride in her ability to connect with clients, ease their minds during a crisis, and provide them with a clear path f...
Betsy focuses her practice on appeals and complex briefing. She has handled appeals and dispositive briefing in state and federal courts in a wide range of areas, including torts, contracts, employment, medical malpractice, and workers’ compensation. She enjoys analyzing complex issues on nearly any topic and translating them into simple, persuasive language. Betsy also serves as local counsel on appellate matters and frequently advises clients on appellate trends in New Mexico. She has...
Marc E. Williams is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Banking and Finance, Litigation - Environmental, Litigation - Labor and Employment, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants and Railroad Law. Marc E., who practices law in Huntington, West Virgi...
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.