Best Lawyers in America for Criminal Defense: General Practice
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State
Russell W. “Rusty” DeMent III is an experienced trial lawyer in Raleigh who is dedicated to defending clients accused of felonies and misdemeanors in North Carolina’s state and federal courts. Rusty continues the family legacy of being recognized by Best Lawyers like his father who was recognized in the first ever Best Lawyers list. A former Wake County prosecutor, he has the skill and experience to defend clients accused of such serious criminal offenses as murder, assault,...
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...
Lionel S. Lofton was born and raised in McClellanville, South Carolina, where he still resides. In 1963, he graduated from McClellanville High School, where his mother taught school. During his senior year, he was named to the Post and Courier's All-Star Basketball Team, which he still talks about to this day. Following graduation, Mr. Lofton enrolled a the University of Georgia to study forestry. Following a year at UGA, he transferred to Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, w...
Jonathan Cooper offers decades of experience, unsurpassed personal attention, and zealous representation to his clients. He focuses his practice exclusively in the area of criminal defense, representing citizens accused of crimes in both state and federal courts. His experience of successful representation encompasses the entire spectrum of the criminal justice system, from DUI to homicide, and from narcotics possession to white collar offenses. Jonathan is a career long member of the Knoxvil...
Dustin Blake is one of Ohio’s premier criminal defense attorneys and trial lawyers. Mr. Blake represents individuals and professionals charged with felony and misdemeanor crimes (i.e. DUI / OVI, drug crimes, federal crimes, white collar crimes, sex crimes, etc.). Mr. Blake has a track record of obtaining superior results for clients prior to Trial. Dustin Blake also has a track record of obtaining Not-Guilty Verdicts for clients at Trial.
Chris Leibig has practiced exclusively criminal defense since 1996. His firm has offices in Alexandria and Charlottesville. Chris is President-elect of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and one of fourteen members of the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, which oversees Virginia's Public Defender Offices. He has been a member of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws since 2006. The Law Office of Christopher Leibig represents individuals accused or bein...
Doug has been an Assistant United States Attorney and Assistant District Attorney. Now that he is in private practice, Doug is one of Colorado’s most experienced and acclaimed criminal defense lawyers. AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, with a perfect 10.0 / “Superb” rating by AVVO, Doug has been chosen as a “Rising Star” for several years—a distinction limited to 2.5% of Colorado’s practicing attorneys under the age of 40. In 2018 to 2020, he was recogn...
Benson Varghese is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Family Law. Benson Varghese is the founder and managing partner of Varghese Summersett, a premier Texas law firm known for its elite attorneys and exceptional results in personal injury, family law, and criminal defense. In addition to overseeing the firm — which has offices in Fort Worth, Dallas, Southlake, and Houston — Be...
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 Charlie Rankin began practicing criminal law in 1980. He practices in both state and federal courts. Charlie’s practice focuses on representing clients in a diverse array of complex criminal matters, but he is best known for his work representing clients charged with white collar crimes, including health care fraud, Medicare and Medicaid fraud, computer or cybercrimes, financial fraud, telemarketing fraud, tax fraud, and public corruption. In recent years, he was successful in ...
Thomas F. Pitaro has been a practicing attorney in Las Vegas since 1974. He consistently maintains the highest rating (AV) for a criminal defense attorney, according to Martindale Hubble Lawyer rating services. Thomas F. Pitaro has successfully tried every type of criminal case in Las Vegas from misdemeanors to capital murder. Listed in Best Lawyers in America A member of the National Association of Ciminal Defense Lawyers One of the founding members of the Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justi...
A member of DiTrapano Barrett DiPiero McGinley & Simmons, PLLC, Tim DiPiero spent six years (1977–1983) as an assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia in Charleston, WV before entering private practice. Prior to his tenure with DiTrapano Barrett DiPiero McGinley & Simmons, PLLC, he was a Member of DiTrapano & Jackson which he joined in 1983, and also DiTrapano Barrett & DiPiero, PLLC. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame i...
James W. Spertus is an experienced trial attorney and a former federal prosecutor who has been litigating cases in federal and state courts for more than 26 years. He has tried dozens of cases to favorable jury verdicts and has successfully argued numerous cases in federal, state, trial, and appellate courts throughout the United States. Broad trial and appellate experiences help Mr. Spertus quickly identify the essential issues, facts, documents, and witnesses that drive outcomes, and he ach...
Jeffrey Whitt is a highly respected criminal defense attorney based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Known for his formidable presence in state and federal courtrooms across Tennessee, he has built a reputation as a skilled trial lawyer and relentless advocate for his clients. Jeff earned his law degree from Samford University in 1991 and holds a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College, where he was an Academic All-American and All-Conference honoree in both football and tennis. An active lead...
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.
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.