Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - ERISA
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Scott Burnett Smith is a partner in the firm’s Huntsville office. His practice covers class actions, complex litigation, and appeals. Scott has been involved in dozens of nationwide class actions in state and federal courts, and he has handled over 30 class action appeals. He is also regularly involved as the appellate lawyer embedded with a trial team in complex civil litigation. In that role, he has succeeded in having several multi-million dollar injury verdicts (including punitive d...
Gary Gotto's diverse experience helps him meet his clients' diverse needs. Gary is a member of Keller Rohrback's nationally recognized Complex Litigation Group. He has a broad range of practice experience and interests, including all aspects of corporate and real estate transactional work, securities issuance and compliance, Chapter 11 bankruptcy and workout matters, and general commercial and ERISA litigation. Gary speaks and teaches regularly on a number of topics, including an annual real ...
Brandon Cate i s a litigation attorney based in the firm’s Northwest Arkansas office. His practice focuses on commercial litigation, including litigation involving ERISA, employment law, insurance coverage, real estate disputes, mortgage servicing, media law, and class action defense. Some of Mr. Cate’s no table successes include securing a declaratory judgment for landowners in a 27-acre adverse possession dispute near Harrison and securing a trial victory for Fayetteville homeow...
David has nearly 30 years of experience practicing litigation in a variety of practice areas, including labor and employment, commercial, and products liability matters. A Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, he has particularly extensive experience in non-compete and trade secret matters. David is recognized in Chambers USA and other publications.
Mr. Merline is a shareholder in the firm. Mr. Merline has been with the firm since 1983. He is a certified specialist in the fields of both Taxation Law, and Estate Planning and Probate Law by The Supreme Court of South Carolina. He is listed in the book The Best Lawyers in America in the following fields: Business Organizations, Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, Employee Benefits Law, Litigation - ERISA, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Litigation and...
Angel L. Garrett is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - ERISA. Angel L., who practices law in San Francisco, California, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Angel L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Twenty-five years as a Taft-Hartley Trust attorney including multiemployer plan representation and litigation. Serves as AAA panel arbitrator for withdrawal liability disputes. Active Las Vegas community volunteer. Adam Segal provides comprehensive guidance to his clients—ERISA, multiemployer and public employer employee benefit trust funds and plans—on all aspects of benefit plan representation. As plan counsel, he works to ensure that all trustees, third-party administrators and...
Taft-Hartley Trust attorney with 15 years of expertise. Recognized community leader with deep local roots. Provides creative solutions and problem-solving for better retirement, health care, training and apprenticeships. Bryce Loveland represents numerous pension, health, training and vacation savings plans and trusts in ERISA, HIPAA and Affordable Care Act compliance and, when necessary, in litigation. He is experienced in collecting unpaid employee benefit contributions, withdrawal liabilit...
John works with business and health care clients, mainly helping them manage their relationships with their workers. This may involve developing contracts, bargaining agreements or benefit plans, guiding clients through the regulatory maze that now governs every aspect of the employment relationship, or handling investigations, arbitrations or litigation. He has extensive experience in complex commercial contract litigation and cases involving unfair competition, as well as defending class an...
Jaime A. Santos is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - ERISA. Jaime A., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jaime A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mr. Carney's practice is grounded in federal, state, and local tax codes and regulations. He works directly with clients in employee benefits, tax planning, and estate planning. He understands the need to navigate these complex laws while providing options for each unique situation. His practice areas include but are not limited to the following: Employee and welfare benefit plans of private, tax-exempt, and governmental employers Other post-employment benefit trusts Executive compensation Co...
Mark’s background includes a broad array of multijurisdictional and complex commercial disputes, including class action litigation. He has practiced before state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration actions, and he has been involved in all aspects of litigation—from pretrial discovery and motion practice to trial advocacy and appellate practice. He regularly represents plans, their sponsors, and insurance companies before federal and state regulatory agencies. As a litiga...
James J. Brosnahan is named among the top 30 trial lawyers in the United States, according to the Legal 500 US . A lion of the trial bar , James J. Brosnahan is one of the most respected and recognized trial lawyers in the United States. Mr. Brosnahan has more than 50 years of experience in both civil and criminal trial work. He regularly undertakes complex cases that are about to go to trial. He has tried, to conclusion, 150 cases. The cases have ranged from anti-trust to wire fraud and from...
Linda Moore’s goal is simply to be more prepared than those she goes up against. Knowing a case inside and out is something she takes very seriously. Over the years it’s paid off. Ask those Ms. Moore represents – and even some she doesn’t – and they will tell you how good she is at her job. A former client summed it up best: “I’d hate to go to battle against her. I’m glad she’s on my team.” Ms. Moore brings a unique set of skills to ...
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.