Best Lawyers in America for Criminal Defense: General Practice
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State
Jacqueline Belen Goodman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice. Jacqueline, who practices law in Fullerton, California, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jacqueline is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Henry Asbill is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Henry, who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2009. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Henry is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Dionne Scherff defends adults and juveniles against criminal charges in Kansas and Missouri federal and state courts. A former prosecutor who focused in child abuse and sex crime cases, Dionne transitioned to criminal defense practice in 2003. Dionne handles matters ranging from drug offenses to sex crimes. She is one of only a few Kansas lawyers qualified by the Kansas Supreme Court to handle death penalty cases and one of only two lawyers in Kansas’s death penalty history to get a cap...
Thomas Hagen is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice and DUI / DWI Defense. Thomas, who practices law in Mankato and Rochester, Minnesota, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. Learn more at khmnlaw.com or https://rochesterdwi.com/ .
Harvey A. Steinberg, a managing partner in the Denver, Colorado law firm Springer and Steinberg, P.C., specializes in criminal law, white collar criminal defense, professional negligence law and personal injury law and appellate law. Mr. Steinberg has earned recognition as a skilled criminal defense trial attorney who has tried cases in federal, state and appellate courts, with reported cases. Over the course of a 30-plus year legal practice, he has regularly represented professional athletes...
Michael A. Robinson is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Robinson Law, PLLC, and he brings a distinguished record of public service and litigation experience to his current role. After earning his J.D. from Regent University School of Law in 2006, he began his legal career as a prosecutor in the City of Newport News and later in Fauquier County, Virginia. In Newport News, he was assigned to the Juvenile & Domestic Relations team and prosecuted nearly 1,000 cases in Juvenile and D...
Russell D. Babb was born in Wilson, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar and co-captain of the 1995 Carolina football team. A four-year starter as an offensive lineman for the Tar Heels, Mr. Babb was also the winner of the 1995 Jim Tatum Award, which is presented each year to the top Senior Scholar-Athlete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After college, Mr. Babb entered the University of North Carolina School of La...
Mary Schultz has obtained some of the largest jury verdicts in the country from Eastern Washington juries in medical/ oral surgery negligence and in employment discrimination cases. She adds to that a recent verdict in favor of four female plaintiffs aagainst a private golf and country club for public accomodation discrimination. This is one of only a handful of such verdicts nationwide. Ms. Schultz has recovered numerous multimillion dollar judgments, verdicts and settlements in both Washing...
Joseph S. Passanise graduated with honors from Missouri State University with an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Communication (1991) and a Master of Arts in Communication (1993). He continued his education as a Rotary Scholar, obtaining a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of London, Imperial College (1995). He received a Juris Doctor degree, with Honors, from Washburn University School of Law (1997). Passanise is licensed to practice before th...
Jacob H. Sussman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Civil Rights Law, Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Jacob H., who practices law in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been recognized since 2013. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jacob H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
James E. Felman has concentrated his practice of law in the defense of complex criminal matters and related civil litigation for over 30 years. Mr. Felman represents clients in federal and state matters in every phase of the criminal process -- investigation, trial, sentencing, appeal, and post-conviction proceedings. He has represented clients in a wide range of matters, including allegations of bank fraud, health care fraud, mail and wire fraud, securities fraud, public corruption, environm...
As Chair of the CSG Law Litigation and White Collar Defense & Investigations Groups and a former federal prosecutor, Matthew Beck brings exceptional skills and insight to representing companies, government entities, and C-suite executives in game-changing complex civil litigation, white collar criminal investigations, and securities enforcement matters. His broad practice also includes acting as outside general counsel for mid-sized private companies, managing their entire portfolio of le...
Jason Short is a highly experienced trial lawyer at Gilroy Napoli Short, providing comprehensive legal representation to clients in Portland, Oregon and throughout the state. Jason's practice areas encompass Criminal Defense with a focus on General Practice and DUI/DWI Defense. With a strong background as a Deputy District Attorney in Oregon for nearly 8 years, Jason brings extensive courtroom experience, having handled over 6,000 cases and tried more than 160 cases before juries and judges. ...
Steve is the founding partner and chair of the Personal Injury and Criminal Defense practices at O’Connell and Aronowitz. Under his leadership, our firm has become one of the most active personal injury and criminal defense law firms in upstate New York. Few lawyers in the area have excelled in both the personal injury and criminal defense fields. With over thirty five years of experience at the state and federal levels, Steve is considered one of the most successful trial lawyers in th...
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.