Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - First Amendment
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State
Charles F. Newman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, First Amendment Law, Litigation - Environmental and Litigation - First Amendment. Charles F., who practices law in Memphis, Tennessee, has been recognized since 1991. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Charles F. is held by other top lawyers in the same...
Steven M. Gordon is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Litigation - First Amendment. Steven M., who practices law in Concord, New Hampshire, has been recognized since 1989. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Steven M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Lars Berg represents individuals, corporations, and other institutional clients as plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of civil litigation matters, including business and commercial disputes, product liability claims, trade-secret litigation, trademark disputes, personal injury claims, employment law, and civil rights litigation. Mr. Berg also has broad experience in professional malpractice claims and disputes among business partners and shareholders of privately held entities. His e...
Mr. Siegel represents media clients in First Amendment, intellectual property, and entertainment law cases in trial and appellate courts throughout every region of the country. He also provides pre-broadcast and pre-publication counseling to a wide range of print and web publishers, television networks, and film producers. Mr. Siegel's litigation practice covers a variety of issues for media clients, and has included successfully defending ESPN in defamation suits brought by major sports pers...
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...
Michael J. Grygiel focuses his practice on national media law, with an emphasis on defending news and entertainment organizations from news-gathering and publication-related claims, including defamation, copyright infringement and invasion of privacy matters. He also represents media companies and other clients in complex Lanham Act, trade secret and Internet-related litigation and counseling. Michael has served as lead trial counsel to media and other clients in bet-the-company litigation, i...
From the beginning, Rick’s career has focused on business law and litigation, and he brings the same intense focus and forethought to every interaction with his clients. An expert on construction law, Rick has represented contractors and other participants in the construction process in virtually all areas where construction and the law intersect, from contract negotiation and formation through the issues that arise during construction to performance and payment disputes and constructio...
Dan Laidman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - First Amendment and Media Law. Dan, 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 Dan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
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...
Troy A. Price is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation and Litigation - First Amendment. Troy A., who practices law in Little Rock, Arkansas, has been recognized since 2003. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Troy A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ashley Heilprin practices in the areas of civil trial and commercial litigation. She regularly appears in Louisiana’s courts. Her commercial litigation experience includes state and federal matters in the following areas: business torts; construction on behalf of engineers, architects, contractors and developer clients; professional liability including lawyers, insurance broker and agent clients; First Amendment and defamation; breach of contract; breach of warranty; unfair trade practi...
Bill Ogden is an attorney with Kean Miller in Houston, Texas, and practices in the firm’s trial and appellate groups. His work focuses on commercial litigation and appeals, including matters involving communications law and the First Amendment, employment litigation, financial services, and energy-related disputes. His practice includes both state and federal courts. Bill is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He represents clients in Litig...
Jessica is a litigator whose practice focuses on commercial litigation, including intellectual property, trade secrets, false advertising, contract, and business fraud cases. She also specializes in First Amendment litigation, including commercial speech, privacy, access, prior restraint, reporters’ shield laws, public records, and newsgathering torts.
Mark Davis, a graduate of Tulane University and Washington University School of Law, has focused his law practice over the last thirty years representing injured victims in cases involving serious personal injury and medical malpractice . Mr. Davis has been extremely active in civil rights litigation throughout the State of Hawaii. He was on The National Board of Directors of the ACLU and was one of Hawaii’s most active civil rights lawyers serving as lead counsel in numerous first amen...
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.