Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - First Amendment
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State
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...
A native of Coral Gables, Andy Marks joined Coffey Burlington in 2013 as a partner after more than 25 years of practice as a litigation partner in the Washington, DC firm of Crowell & Moring LLP. Andy also maintains a practice in Washington as the Law Offices of Andrew Marks PLLC. Following graduation from the University of Michigan Law School, Andy clerked for U.S. District Judge Charles R. Richey in the District of Columbia and also served as Executive Assistant to Ambassador Sol M. Lin...
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...
Ms. Bolger is an experienced First Amendment and media litigator who has represented news and entertainment companies in a broad spectrum of content-related matters, ranging from investigative journalism to coverage of celebrities. In addition to defending media clients in court, Kate regularly counsels newspapers, magazines, and book publishers about pre-publication issues and advises authors on contract, electronic publishing, and intellectual property matters. Prior to joining LSKS, Ms. Bo...
David earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude at Mercer University in 1968 and his law degree cum laude at Harvard Law School in 1971. David’s first legal employment was as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Griffin B. Bell, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, from 1971-1972. He then served as a Captain teaching law in the Military Police School and trying court martial cases at Fort Gordon from 1972-1974. Since then, David has been a trial lawyer in the Augusta law ...
Litigation Walter’s litigation work has been primarily in the civil area -- commercial disputes of all types, including trade secrets, real estate agreements, products liability, defamation claims, First Amendment access actions, business and employment contracts, non-competition provisions, wrongful termination suits, and discrimination and harassment cases. He has litigated numerous cases in the state and federal courts throughout the United States, including cases in Pennsylvania, Ne...
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.
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.
Jim Swanson was among Fishman Haygood’s founding partners in 1996. He served as the firm’s Managing Partner for 16 years, and he is the current Chair of its board of directors. As a commercial trial lawyer, Jim has particular experience in securities litigation, domestic and international arbitration, environmental litigation, and general commercial matters. Jim has handled numerous cases in which clients have received multimillion-dollar recoveries. Noteworthy matters include a j...
Richard C. Stanley is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Antitrust, Litigation - First Amendment, Litigation - Real Estate, Litigation - Securities and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants. Richard C., who practices law in New Orleans, Louisiana, has been recognized since 2006. This recognitio...
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.
Stuart A. McMillan is a partner in the Charleston office of Bowles Rice LLP and leader of the firm’s Mass & Toxic Torts Practice Group. His primary practice areas include civil trial and appellate litigation and he tries cases in both federal and state courts throughout West Virginia. He has tried numerous cases to verdict, including libel, defamation, trespass and bodily injury lawsuits. Mr. McMillan is experienced in and frequently lectures on issues pertaining to civil litigation...
Jim has handled cases involving virtually every aspect of labor and employment law and is the senior member of the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Group. His commitment to clients transcends current cases, as he frequently counsels clients on new changes in the law and how they will affect clients’ employee relations. Jim’s general civil litigation practice emphasizes employment litigation, governmental liability and public employment litigation, civil rights litigation and ...
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...
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.