Best Lawyers in California, United States for Commercial Litigation
Cities
Barry W. Lee, a partner in the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices, is co-chair of the trial practice group and the financial services litigation group. He focuses on commercial litigation and has extensive jury and bench trial experience encompassing a variety of areas, including real estate, banking/lender liability, antitrust/unfair competition, employment, consumer class actions, environmental, construction, probate, securities, products liability and insurance coverage. Barry’s m...
Maggie Schroedter is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Bankruptcy. Maggie practices law in San Diego, California Best Lawyers has recognized Maggie Schroedter since 2022. 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...
When a company or its leaders are at risk, founding partner Daniel J. Bergeson uses his substantial litigation and trial experience to advocate for their rights and reputations in lawsuits involving securities, intellectual property, employment, private equity and venture capital, and commercial law. He focuses on the essential facts to persuade juries, judges, and triers of cases in state and federal courts and arbitration forums in Silicon Valley, Delaware, New York, and other dispute resol...
Sarah G. Flanagan is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Commercial Litigation. Sarah G. practices law in San Francisco, California Best Lawyers has recognized Sarah G. Flanagan since 2014. 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 Sarah G. Flanagan is held by other lawyers.
Michael R. Williams is a trial and appellate lawyer with more than twenty-five years of experience representing clients in complex business disputes. Based in San Clemente, California, Mr. Williams is a partner with Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP , where he handles matters involving commercial litigation and appellate practice in state and federal courts. Mr. Williams represents plaintiffs and defendants in trials, arbitrations, and appeals involving a broad range of business and comme...
John Bartko is a Founder and a Principal of the firm. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil, criminal and regulatory matters. He has represented many executives ensnared in complex regulatory investigations and has been involved in significant international discovery and complex investigations requiring foreign court appearances, including conducting examinations in Switzerland and Japan through pioneering requests for civil judicial assistance. He has traveled to Euro...
Michael counsels clients who have business disputes in multiple industries, with a particular emphasis in the apparel, entertainment, food and financial sectors. Michael started his career working at a top Los Angeles bankruptcy firm where he represented chapter 11 debtors and chapter 7 trustees. He then left firm practice to act as general counsel and CEO of a struggling apparel company. Utilizing his bankruptcy experience, he successfully navigated that company through bankruptcy and guided...
Cheryl Dunn Soto's practice has focused on representing commercial policyholders in insurance coverage matters and insurance/bad faith litigation since 2008. Her clients include law firms, accountants, contractors, developers, real estate professionals, medical groups, broker-dealers, HOAs, distributors and manufacturers, and other companies throughout California. Cheryl handles a wide variety of coverage matters and has significant experience with liability policies, including directors and ...
Michael Kump is a problem solver who fights tenaciously to protect his clients’ valuable intellectual property and contractual rights. Representing plaintiffs and defendants in a broad and sophisticated litigation practice for over thirty-five years, Mr. Kump has extensive experience and success inside and outside the courtroom in all aspects of intellectual property, entertainment, contract, trade secrets, and antitrust litigation. He represents a wide array of corporate and individual...
Paul Leeds is a Commercial Litigation attorney with over 20 years of experience navigating the minefields of bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings for clients in state and federal courts. He frequently represents court appointed fiduciaries, creditors, and business owners looking to maximize recovery from distressed assets.Mr. Leeds first goal- always- is to find a cost-effective business solution to a complex dispute. When a business solution isn’t available, his in-depth knowledge of ...
James Lance is an experienced trial attorney who has represented both plaintiffs and defendants for 38 years. He regularly represents defendants in bet-the-company litigation, and has obtained several 7 and 8 figure verdicts, judgments and settlements for personal injury and commercial plaintiffs. Lance obtained a judgment of $12,933,000 in 2024 for an individual plaintiff asserting an employment claim. In addition to commercial matters, Lance routinely represents individuals asserting seriou...
William J. Goines focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, real estate, employment litigation and employment law. He has spent more than 35 years representing clients in jury and non-jury trials in a variety of business disputes, wrongful termination, employment discrimination litigation, class actions, real estate matters, toxic tort litigation, and closely held and family-owned business disputes. Bill is also a recognized private mediator and arbitrator in Silicon Valley and s...
Katherine Kleindienst is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation and Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television. Katherine practices law in Los Angeles, California Best Lawyers has recognized Katherine Kleindienst since 2024. 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 Katherine Kleindienst is held by o...
Mark Anishchenko is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation and Health Care Law. Mark practices law in San Francisco, California Best Lawyers has recognized Mark Anishchenko 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 Mark Anishchenko is held by other lawyers.
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.
