Best Lawyers in America for First Amendment Law
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State
David J. Gass is an experienced trial lawyer who represents clients in a wide variety of complex commercial and general civil litigation in state and federal courts. He has a strong record of successful results. Mr. Gass’s litigation experience has been remarkably varied, but generally focuses on complex commercial cases. He has successfully tried many cases to judges, juries, and arbitration panels. His expertise is not confined to any specific subject area; rather, his expertise is in...
Rex Heinke is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished and experienced appellate practitioners in California, and among the best in the nation. He has argued more than 150 appeals in federal and state courts across the country. Between 2001 and 2020, Rex was co-head of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s nationally renowned Supreme Court and Appellate practice. He is regularly called on to defend major corporations and high-profile individuals in some of their most hotly conte...
Robert Hemley was admitted to the bar in 1971 in New York. After beginning his legal career at a Wall Street firm and serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, he joined Gravel & Shea PC in 1976. He is based in Burlington, Vermont, where he has practiced law for decades representing individuals and businesses in complex legal matters. During his long tenure at Gravel & Shea PC, Mr. Hemley has handled a wide range of cases, including Bet-...
Kim Martin is the managing partner of the Firm’s Huntsville office and a member of the Firm’s Board of Governors. She serves as the Co-Chair of the firm's Life Sciences Practice Group and focuses her practice on general litigation with an emphasis on medical device and pharmaceutical products liability litigation. She has represented multi-national pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in litigation across the country. Most recently, she has been a national team member f...
Scott Sternberg serves as Managing Partner of Sternberg, Naccari & White in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he helps guide the firm’s operations and works closely with individuals, businesses, and media organizations on complex legal matters. Scott maintains a national litigation practice with a focus on Commercial Litigation and First Amendment Law. He represents businesses of all sizes in a wide range of disputes, including personal injury, real estate, partnership, and contract mat...
Elizabeth A. McNamara is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Copyright Law, Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television, First Amendment Law, Litigation - Intellectual Property and Media Law. Elizabeth A., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Elizabeth A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal prac...
A seasoned litigator and counselor, Mark represents businesses and trade associations, with particular expertise in media and communications law. For some clients, he provides specialized regulatory, legislative, corporate, or litigation work. For others, he serves an outside general counsel role. Throughout his career, Mark has developed a capacity for solving complex problems that have stymied others. Mark’s principal clients are media and communications enterprises, such as digital m...
Thomas M. Clyde is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Communications Law, First Amendment Law, Litigation - First Amendment and Media Law. Thomas M., who practices law in Atlanta, Georgia, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Laura Handman is the co-chair of the firm’s appellate practice and divides her time between the New York and D.C. offices. For thirty years, Laura has been providing pre-publication counseling and litigation services from complaint through trial and appeal to U.S. and foreign broadcasters, film studios, and book, magazine, newspaper and Internet publishers and non-profits. Laura has extensive experience in libel, newsgathering, privacy, right of publicity, reporter’s privilege and...
Craig Anderson is the president, as well as a shareholder and co-chair of the firm’s litigation department. His practice focuses on civil rights defense and serious personal injury claims including wrongful death and premises liability. Mr. Anderson has extensive trial experience having tried more than 40 jury trials in both federal and state court. He has obtained defense verdicts in cases involving police shootings, wrongful deaths, and medical malpractice. Mr. Anderson has also resol...
Adam Charnes focuses his practice on appellate, constitutional and complex business litigation. Mr. Charnes has extensive experience in cases pending in federal and state courts of appeals across the nation, including the United States Supreme Court. He also has been responsible for a broad range of business litigation matters, including contract, business torts, environmental, copyright and other commercial litigation. He regularly represents clients in constitutional litigation and in class...
A trusted advisor, Marcus Trathen focuses his practice in the fields of communications law, utilities regulation, mass media, the Internet, intellectual property, and legislative representation. Marcus counsels clients on a variety of issues, including telecommunications regulation, media and the First Amendment, Internet law and regulation, and broadcast licensing and regulation. Marcus advises businesses on complex matters related to intellectual property licensing. Marcus has extensive exp...
Sanford L. Bohrer concentrates his practice in the area of business litigation. He heads Holland & Knight's Class Action Litigation Team and has litigated class actions in state and federal courts, including appeals throughout the United States. His business litigation practice also includes product liability and intellectual property disputes. Mr. Bohrer was special counsel to the Department of Children & Families from 2009 to 2010. He has an extensive media law practice and has repr...
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.