Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Governance and Compliance Law
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State
Kathleen McGinley is a principal and the office litigation manager of the Baltimore, Maryland, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She is an experienced litigator and represents private and public sector employers in all areas of employment law. Kathleen provides compliance advice and preventative training to employers, including the development and establishment of essential employment policies and handbooks to address multi-state needs. She also counsels employers on real-time, complex employment ...
Michael F. Schaff is co-chair or the Corporate and Health Law teams at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. Mr. Schaff assists healthcare providers and businesses of all sizes in evaluating both the legal and business ramifications of any transaction, contract, agreement or negotiation, leveraging an educational and professional background rooted in business, finance, and taxation. His healthcare practice includes the representation of healthcare professionals and group practices, hospitals, ...
Benjamin Cooke is a partner in Hahn Loeser’s Business Practice Area. He has a wide range of experience representing both private sellers and buyers in M&A transactions and has advised numerous buyers in management group buyouts, corporate divestitures, and spin-offs. Benjamin represents private equity and independent deal sponsors and serves as outside general counsel to private companies both in Ohio and nationally, where he handles all contract and transactional matters including ...
Mike Magner is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. An acclaimed former federal prosecutor, he delivers practical advice and offers a steady hand to clients facing a wide range of commercial disputes, internal investigations, and white collar criminal matters. Mike is a preeminent, highly respected trial attorney and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Drawing on his more than 40 years of experience handling complex criminal and civil matters — including nearly 50 ju...
Courtney Crouch is a trusted advisor on corporate and securities matters helping both publicly-traded and privately-held companies navigate corporate governance, regulatory and transactional issues. He counsels corporate boards of directors, board committees and executive management on corporate governance, shareholder communications, investor disclosure, executive compensation, capital markets and securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and other regulatory and transactional matte...
Brian Blaney concentrates his practice on corporate and securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and private equity investments. Brian has extensive experience in capital markets transactions including public and private offerings of equity and debt securities. Brian regularly advises public companies on mergers and acquisitions as well as on compliance with SEC reporting requirements, stock exchange listing rules, and general corporate matters. In addition to advising companies in a broad r...
David E. Longenecker is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. David E., who practices law in Lexington, Kentucky, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jim Smith is a founding partner of Smith Hurst, PLC. Jim’s practice experience is extensive and spans the full range of business advisory and transactional law. He routinely counsels companies across diverse industries in a myriad of business matters including capital raising, advising Boards of Directors, senior management, executives and controlling shareholders regarding governance and fiduciary duty matters, compliance with regulatory obligations, ordinary course of business contrac...
Rick’s practice is focused on representing companies and individuals involved in complex litigation matters. Rick is experienced in a variety of high-stakes litigation areas, including complex commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, securities claims and derivative litigation, fiduciary obligations, and corporate governance disputes. Rick has handled all phases of complex litigation from investigation through trial and appeal, as well as in arbitration and mediation. Ri...
Zane A. Gilmer is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Compliance Law. Zane A., who practices law in Denver, Colorado, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Zane A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Thomas A. Brumgardt is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Thomas A., who practices law in Columbia, South Carolina, has been recognized since 2014. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
William McLucas is one of the most sought-after advisors to public companies, boards of directors, audit committees and special committees dealing with corporate crises and related issues. He joined the firm after serving for more than eight years as Director of Enforcement for the Securities and Exchange Commission—longer than any other Enforcement Division Director in Commission history. He represents public companies, investment banks, accounting firms and advisors to mutual funds fa...
Duncan A. Peete is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Litigation and Controversy - Tax, Nonprofit / Charities Law, Real Estate Law, Tax Law and Trusts and Estates. Duncan A., who practices law in Billings, Montana, has been recognized since 2010. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Duncan A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal prac...
Gregory Janssen applies his business and tax background in his practice at Brownstein. He assists clients with a broad range of tax and corporate needs, including mergers and acquisitions, tax aspects of real estate transactions (including like-kind exchanges), partnership and corporation formation and taxation, tax controversies, tax-exempt organizations, tax lobbying, and other tax planning and advice for business entities and individuals.
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.