Best Lawyers in America for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Thomas R. Freeman is a principal at Bird Marella and a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Law. His practice is focused on civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels, and criminal appeals. He is certified as an appellate specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization and has argued countless cases before federal and state appellate courts and case-dispositive motions before trial courts. Tom has handled a broad range of complex matters, including...

David has tried numerous cases in both state and federal courts and has argued in the U.S. Courts of Appeals on multiple occasions. From 2000 to July 2005, David left private practice to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. There he handled a variety of criminal prosecutions and investigations and worked closely with representatives of financial institutions, including internal auditors, compliance offi...

Ralph W. Kohnen is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Ralph W., who practices law in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ralph W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mauro Tucci, a Member in the CSG Law Litigation Group, regularly litigates in federal and state courts on a range of complex commercial disputes. Mauro’s experience includes white collar criminal defense, regulatory and administrative matters, labor disputes, and class action defense. He routinely represents health care providers, financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufactures, and public entities. Prior to joining the firm, Mauro was an attorney with McEl...

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...

John Hueston has been described by Chambers USA, which ranked him in Band 1 nationally, as “the best trial lawyer of his generation” with “a commanding reputation for trial advocacy.” He has been recognized twice as a “California Lawyer of the Year” by California Lawyer magazine, twice as “California Trial Lawyer of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation, and among the “Top Lawyers of the Decade” by the Daily Journal. Mr. Hueston won &ldq...

Grant Fondo, an experienced federal prosecutor and former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of California, is head of the Litigation Department for Goodwin’s California offices, founder and Co-Chair of its Digital Currency & Blockchain Technology practice, Co-chair of the firm’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act + Investigations for Technology group, and a partner in the firm's Securities Litigation & White Collar Defense group, and in its Data, Privacy & Cy...

As a former three-term District Attorney in Dane County, Hal Harlowe’s familiarity with the complex operations of our legal system gives him an invaluable advantage in defending clients. His trial experience includes representing defendants in juvenile and criminal defense cases, defending licensed professionals in disciplinary matters, and litigating civil matters such as personal injury, contract disputes, real estate and guardianship cases. Having led countless investigations himself...

Thomas “Tom” H. Bienert, Jr. is a trial attorney with decades of experience handling complex litigation, investigations, and appeals in state and federal courts. Based in San Clemente, California, Tom represents businesses, executives, professionals, and individuals in matters involving Commercial Litigation, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Appellate Practice , and Criminal Defense: White-Collar . He is a founding partner of Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP (BKLW), a litigation-f...

During 40+ years of practicing law, Pat has handled almost every conceivable type of civil, criminal or administrative matter. He has been involved in government investigations, grand jury matters, malpractice cases (legal and medical), securities fraud and anti-trust cases. Pat served as the Assistant City Attorney in Lakewood, Colorado from 1973-1974, the Assistant Attorney General for the State of Colorado from 1975-1978 and an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Colorado...

Diana Feinstein is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Diana, who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Diana is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Habib F. Ilahi counsels business entities and individuals in highly regulated industries through complex health care, procurement, and other government enforcement investigations and litigation, as well as through general white collar criminal and civil defense matters. As a former federal prosecutor with the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Mr. Ilahi gained extensive expertise in matters involving the False Claims Act (FCA), the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Stark...

W. David Bridgers is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Environmental Law and Health Care Law. W. David, who practices law in Nashville, Tennessee, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which W. David is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Trevor Riddle is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Trevor, who practices law in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Trevor is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Colorado trial attorney SEAN MCDERMOTT is a founding partner of the criminal defense and civil litigation practice, McDermott Stuart & Ward. His practice focuses on representation of those who have been charged with crimes as well as those who have experienced civil wrongs. At the heart of his practice is a strong belief that everyone charged with a crime or involved in a personal injury matter should have an attorney who is dedicated to the case and who will protect their interests both ...

A former Assistant United States Attorney, Justin Dillon now uses his years of litigation and investigative experience to defend clients in complex, high-stakes white-collar criminal and campus discipline cases. Justin combines a meticulous approach to investigating the facts with a deep knowledge of criminal and administrative procedure to vigorously protect his clients’ futures and reputations. Justin represents people in some of the toughest situations they will ever face. He has gai...