Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Securities
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Fishman Haygood partner Lance McCardle practices in the areas of securities arbitration and litigation, environmental law, and general commercial litigation. Lance regularly represents investors (both individuals and institutions) in claims against their brokers, investment advisors, and/or investment banks in court or in arbitration proceedings administered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). He also represents several landowners in claims against oil and ga...
Will Snyder’s practice focuses on business litigation disputes in which he represents plaintiffs and defendants in matters tried in state and federal courts (including bankruptcy courts) or in arbitrated matters. He represents clients in matters related to breach-of-contract claims, breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims, business torts (including securities fraud and other transactional fraud), claims arising from disputes between partners or LLC members or from mergers and acquisitions, lega...
Valecia McDowell is a national thought leader in the areas of governmental and internal investigations, conduct risk management, and civil rights and racial equity assessments. Valecia is ranked in Chambers USA and Best Lawyers , included in national publications such as Bloomberg , American Banker , Corporate Compliance Insights , and Inside Counsel. Valecia was one of the ten “Innovative Legal Practitioners” identified by the London-based Financial Times in 2023 and on Forbes To...
Joseph C. Coates III focuses his practice on securities litigation, regulatory and class actions and serves as the head of the West Palm Beach Securities Litigation Group. Joe has represented most of the major broker/dealers in all aspects of their business, including federal and state courts, regulatory matters, and arbitrations. His representation of clients include appearances as appellate counsel in securities litigation cases in federal and state courts. Joe also focuses on shareholder d...
George Skelly is a litigator with almost 30 years of experience successfully representing officers, directors and companies in high stakes litigation, government investigations and arbitrations. George heads the firm’s securities litigation practice. What do you focus on? I focus on defending officers, directors and companies in SEC inquiries and enforcement actions and in securities fraud class actions. But I also represent companies in a variety of large commercial disputes. I recentl...
David Clouston has been practicing securities, commercial and employment litigation in Dallas, Texas since 1993. With a reputation for unparalleled advocacy in state and federal court, as well as in various arbitration forums, he works closely with brokerage firms, oil, gas and chemical companies, manufacturers and distributors, real estate brokers and agents, and wholesale/retail businesses in a variety of matters, including litigation avoidance, customer disputes and claims, employment and ...
James T. (Tim) Shearin is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and chair of the Litigation Department. He has wide-ranging experience in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels, and before arbitration and mediation boards. He represents clients in the areas of commercial, intellectual property, Internet piracy and computer crimes, banking, securities, antitrust, civil rights, products liability and general civil litigation. Tim has lectured and written on ...
James R. Cummins is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Securities. James R., who practices law in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been recognized since 2015. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jordan Crapps is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Securities. Jordan, who practices law in Columbia, South Carolina, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jordan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
J. Allen Maines is a partner in Holland & Knight's Atlanta office and is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. He focuses on major commercial litigation and arbitration, including class actions, and corporate investigations. Mr. Maines has served as lead trial counsel to some of the world’s largest entities in controversies of major significance, including shareholder disputes (securities class actions, derivative claims, tender offers, proxy contests, LBOs), competitive disput...
A business litigator and environmental lawyer, Anthony has represented business clients in significant cases presenting issues involving unfair competition, corporate governance, Sherman and Clayton Act violations, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent conveyance, securities fraud, trademark protection, insurance coverage, construction litigation, legal malpractice, commercial real estate, and contract matters. He also has acted as outside general counsel to a publicly-held real estate develop...
Scott Fletcher is one of the leading securities litigation and enforcement attorneys in the country. He represents institutions and individuals in securities, commercial, and bankruptcy litigation; government enforcement actions; and internal investigations. Before forming his own firm, Scott was co-head of the securities litigation and enforcement groups at Jones Day and at Vinson & Elkins. For more than 30 years he has represented clients in matters ranging from routine securities litig...
Mr. Orlansky concentrates his practice in the areas of business litigation, gaming law, and professional liability and ethics. He chairs the firm's Gaming Practice, is a member of the firm's Management Committee, and serves as the firm's loss prevention and ethics counsel. Mr. Orlansky joined Stone Pigman in 1984.
Jordan Eth is Chair of the firm's Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White-Collar Criminal Defense Group. He is one of the nation's leading securities litigators, representing public companies and their officers and directors in securities class actions, SEC investigations, derivative suits, mergers and acquisitions litigation, and internal investigations. In 2008, Mr. Eth received aCalifornia Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award for co-leading the successful defense of JDS Uniphase Corp. a...
Jimmy Walter obtained his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University and his law degree from the University of Alabama. In law school, Jimmy was elected Editor-in-Chief of the Alabama Law Review, was a Hugo L. Black Scholar and graduated Order of the Coif. Upon graduation, he clerked for the Honorable Truman M. Hobbs, United States District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama. Jimmy has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the specialties of commercial litigation, s...
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.