Best Lawyers in America for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
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Hayes Hunt represents corporations and individuals in a wide variety of crisis management, civil litigation and business matters in both state and federal courts throughout the country. Due in part to his diverse background handling both civil and criminal matters, he has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict. This year, Hayes won the Pennsylvania Attorney of the Year award presented by the Legal Intelligencer. Hayes is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. The Fellows is an ho...
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...
Michael Spafford is a partner in the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Washington, DC office. Mr. Spafford’s practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, government investigations, regulatory enforcement, internal investigations, and related litigation. He has represented financial institutions, funds and other companies, as well as individual clients in numerous high-profile government investigations and parallel li...
Mylan Denerstein is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Mylan, who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mylan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Michael M. Rosensaft is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Michael M., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jack Selden, a partner in the White Collar Criminal Defense, Litigation and Health Care Groups, has practiced law for 30 years. Previously he served as both the United States Attorney and as an Assistant U. S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. While United States Attorney, he established the Affirmative Civil Enforcement (“ACE”) Unit of the United States Attorney’s office, responsible for investigating and prosecuting all fraud and qui tam actions under the Fals...
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...
Robert Luskin is a partner in the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He is one of the best known and most highly-regarded litigators in Washington, D.C., concentrating in complex criminal litigation at both the trial court and appellate level. Beginning his career in government service, and having later transitioned into private practice, Mr. Luskin has represented clients in virtually every high-profile ...
Jonathan C. Drimmer is a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, where he resolves anti-corruption, business and human rights and other complex cross-border challenges with the benefit of having sat in every chair at the table: senior legal officer for a global 500 company, federal prosecutor, and seasoned advocate. He is a frequent speaker, author, and commentator on issues related to anti-corruption and business and human rights, and represents and advises companies, individuals, mu...
Anthony L. “Tony” Farese is 55 years of age and is the President of the firm of Farese, Farese & Farese, P.A. in Ashland, Mississippi. He received a B.PA. from the University of Mississippi in 1983 and his J.D. degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1985. He was a member of the Moot Court Board and Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity. He has practiced law for 31 years with the family firm in Ashland. He is licensed to practice law in the states of Mississippi an...
Mary Frances Palisano is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Mary Frances, who practices law in Newark, New Jersey, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mary Frances is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Bill is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers—an honor limited to the top 1% of lawyers in the State and a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. He was named as one of the Best Lawyers in America for White Collar Criminal Defense and also named as one of the Top 10 Lawyers in Minnesota. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer by Minnesota Law & Politics every year since 1991. Mr. Mauzy is certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a Criminal Trial Spe...
PHILIP H. HILDER was formerly the attorney-in-charge of the Houston Field Office of the United States Department of Justice, Organized Crime Strike Force. Prior to his appointment as a special attorney with the Justice Department, Mr. Hilder was an assistant United States attorney in the Southern District of Texas with the Presidential Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Since leaving government service, Mr. Hilder has practiced in the area of white collar criminal defense, internal ...
Mark D. Pollack is a partner in the Litigation practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Chicago office. He also serves as the Firm’s General Counsel. Mr. Pollack concentrates his practice in the areas of white-collar criminal defense, complex commercial litigation, internal corporate investigations, and compliance counseling. He has extensive experience in counseling and defending corporations, boards of directors, and executive officers in relation to a broad range of...
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.