Best Lawyers in America for Banking and Finance Law
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Jason is a Shareholder at O’Neil Cannon where he leads the firm’s Corporate Practice Group and serves on the firm’s Board of Directors. With more than 15 years of experience, Jason primarily focuses on mergers and acquisitions. In this role, he represents buyers and sellers, including mature companies, family offices, wealthy individuals who aspire to acquire a business, and private equity groups. In addition to his M&A practice, Jason works closely with his corporate cl...
R. Kader Crawford is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law. R. Kader, who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which R. Kader is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ms. Zelenock represents national and regional lenders, mortgage bankers and loan servicers, with emphasis on capital markets, conduit and bank financing, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac multifamily and manufactured housing lending. Ms. Zelenock has served as closing or supervising counsel for several billion dollars in commercial mortgage loans destined for securitization, including a variety of loan sizes and property types (multifamily, office, manufactured housing communities, nursing...
Craig W. Hammond focuses his practice in the areas of public finance, banking and economic development law, with more than 30 years of experience representing lenders, state and local units of government, underwriters and borrowers in connection with economic development projects and tax exempt bond financings. Craig is recognized as one of the leading public finance attorneys in the State of Michigan in financings for senior housing, health care, higher education, charter schools, economic d...
Vincent B. Lillegard is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law. Vincent B., who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Vincent B. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Kelley Brandstetter Tracy is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Commercial Finance Law and Corporate Law. Kelley Brandstetter, who practices law in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Kelley Brandstetter is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal p...
Shannon C. Baxter is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Finance Law, Commercial Transactions / UCC Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Shannon C., who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting t...
Bill Daniel represents major financial services companies in commercial and consumer finance matters, and chairs the firm’s Financial Services Practice Group. He has extensive experience representing financial services companies in virtually every phase of their operations including litigation, regulatory, compliance, workouts, transactions and bankruptcy. Bill speaks to industry and bar groups on Texas financing law. Bill was named Lawyer of the Year for Financial Services Regulation L...
Terry Freeman is a Shareholder and a member of the Firm’s Commercial Finance practice group and practices in Denver and Dallas. Mr. Freeman represents banks and other financial services clients in connection with commercial and corporate lending transactions and related activities. Mr. Freeman has over 40 years of experience in structuring, documenting, servicing, and workout of commercial and corporate finance transactions. During his almost 30 years of providing legal counsel to finan...
Susan Hollinger practices banking, real estate and business law in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. Her practice focuses on issues related to the financial services industry, with an emphasis on regulatory matters and transactional work. Susan is involved with real estate issues impacting banks and charitable trusts, privacy and data security issues involving financial institutions, complex commercial loan transactions and loan workouts, de novo bank formations, bank mergers, consoli...
While fully engaged as Managing Partner of Buckley King, Brent Buckley counsels and represents financial institutions, private equity firms, lenders, businesses and executive management on business issues, complex and structured finance, workouts, asset-based lending, corporate internal investigations, and commercial litigation matters. Brent is nationally recognized for excellence in both corporate law and banking and finance litigation. He is named among the prestigious Legal Who's Who as o...
Matthew S. Gough is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law. Matthew S., who practices law in Lawrence, Kansas, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Matthew S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Carolyn Duncan’s practice is concentrated in securities issuance and compliance matters. Experienced in a wide variety of public and private securities work, she represents issuers, underwriters, and other parties in numerous facets of this area of law, including public and private offerings of securities, registration and continuous disclosure matters, proxy solicitations, tender offers, business combinations, restricted securities and transactions by corporate insiders. She represents...
Ms. Hickey represents lenders in loan originations. Her practice encompasses secured transactions, loan workouts, and counseling lenders on lender liability and loan structure issues. Ms. Hickey’s practice also includes middle market lending, asset based loans, healthcare, educational institution and religious organization financing, international lending, captive insurance financing, private lending, real estate financing, multi-rate, multi-currency loans and facilities, agented and sy...
Meredith M. Bates is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law and Real Estate Law. Meredith M., who practices law in League City, Texas, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Meredith M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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.