Best Lawyers in America for Criminal Defense: General Practice
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In our modern day rush-to-judgment society, people charged with crimes are often convicted in the court of public opinion long before they ever step foot in a courtroom. Despite citizens of this country being innocent until proven guilty, the reality is that in this day and age you have to fight for your innocence. I pride myself in knowing that I can be the voice that helps a client through what is perhaps the most difficult time in their life. Our team of experienced professionals is dedica...
Dave Thomas is a partner in Taft’s Compliance, Investigations, and White Collar Defense practice. He advises and represents companies, executives, public officials, health care providers, and other professionals who are the subject of state and federal investigations and prosecutions involving the United States Department of Justice and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, as well as county prosecutors throughout the state. He has defended clients in complex matters involving feder...
Jonathan Goebel is the managing attorney at Rosenstein Law Group based in Scottsdale, Arizona. He serves clients throughout the Greater Phoenix metro area and across Arizona, focusing on DUI and criminal defense. With nearly 20 years of practicing criminal law, Jonathan Goebel has litigated criminal matters ranging from misdemeanors to complex felony cases throughout Arizona. Jonathan is compassionate and genuinely cares for the well-being of his clients while being an aggressive advocate and...
Wade Smith has been one of North Carolina's best known and most acclaimed lawyers for nearly 50 years. His trials are recounted in books, magazines and journals. A renowned storyteller, Wade insists that within each case there is a compelling story waiting to be told. In seminars and bar meetings Wade has shared the art of storytelling. His cases offer a fine collection of North Carolina Courtroom lore. In 1979, Wade served as counsel to Dr. Jeffrey McDonald in the much studied and discussed ...
For almost 30 years, I’ve been fighting to defend individuals accused of crimes in the State and Federal courts of North Carolina. I love the job. For example, at the moment I am defending clients in investigations involving diverse subjects such as businesses being charged with PPP loan fraud, doctors and nurses with billing, coding and medical necessity issues, executives and managers accused of kickback schemes and wire fraud. In the process of defending these clients, I find it fasc...
Attorney J. Patten Brown, III was born in Greenville, Mississippi and lived most of his young life in Guatemala City, Guatemala. He holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from Ole Miss. His Juris Doctor was awarded by the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University. In school, he was a member of several social, athletic, and professional organizations from the Pi Kappa Alpha social fraternity to his participation in ROTC. After his military service, he began working for a lar...
Jonathan Rose is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice. Jonathan, who practices law in Orlando, Florida, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jonathan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Brian Shrader is the founder of Shrader Mendez & O’Connell. His focus is on litigation and trials relating to all of the firm’s four practice areas. Brian has an AV Rating by Martindale Hubble, reflecting the highest rating by his peers and judges. In addition, Brian was selected as a multiple-year Superlawyers Rising Star, an honor reflecting a peer review rating in the top 2.5% of lawyers under the age of 40. As a respected trial attorney, Brian has been hired by other law f...
Michael Miceli moved with his family from New Jersey to Las Vegas in 1984. A graduate of Valley High School, Michael also achieved success at the Honors College of UNLV, where he graduated Cum Laude with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Political Science, and at the UNLV Boyd School of Law where he received his law degree. In law school, Michael was an extern for Justice Michael Cherry, who later served as a member of the Nevada Supreme Court. Michael was also a law clerk at the Fed...
Benjamin Raybin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Civil Rights Law and Criminal Defense: General Practice. Benjamin, 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 Benjamin is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Per Olson practices exclusively criminal defense in state and federal court. He takes on a wide variety of cases from misdemeanors to major felonies, including DUII, fraud and theft, violent crimes, sex crimes, white collar crimes, drug crimes, and other interstate and transnational crimes. Per has obtained multiple acquittals for his clients in state and federal court. Per graduated magna cum laude from Willamette University in Salem, and then attended Lewis & Clark Law School in Portlan...
Adam D. Zenor is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Litigation - Insurance and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Adam D., who practices law in Des Moines, Iowa, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Adam D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal pra...
Attorney Ambrose is a graduate of the University of Michigan and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He is the senior partner at The Ambrose Law Firm in Erie, Pennsylvania. His practice is devoted to litigation, with a primary focus on Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. He also has extensive experience in complex civil litigation, including plaintiffs’ medical malpractice and commercial disputes, in both state 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.