Best Lawyers in America for Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
State
Michelle Ator serves as Vice Chair and leads the firm’s Litigation Section. As head of the firm’s Medical Malpractice Group, her practice focuses on representing doctors, hospitals and other medical care providers in malpractice litigation. Michelle has been recognized by Arkansas Business as one of the 250 Most Influential Arkansans and also in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Individuals. As noted in Chambers , she is a “highly respected medical malpractice defense la...
Edd is an Of Counsel attorney with Spicer Rudstrom in the Memphis office. He focuses on litigation throughout Tennessee and Mississippi. Edd primarily practices in the areas of employment law, healthcare liability, insurance defense litigation, and products liability. He is also a Tennessee Rule 31 Listed General Civil Mediator. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He received all league honors three years as a tight end on t...
Rick Powers graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1975 and was Order of the Coif. He has more than 40 years of general civil trial practice experience with more than 350 jury trials. His practice areas now primarily include health care liability for hospitals, nursing homes, and physicians; insurance defense in trucking, automobile, and homeowners’ cases; and other commercial litigation. Over the last five years, Mr. Powers has successfully tried five ...
Doug Vaughn is a problem solver for his clients. He represents people and businesses when they need a voice to be heard and brings fresh ideas to claims to get a resolution in the client’s best interest. In practicing law, there is no one size fits all approach. Clients have different ideals and objectives when they bring a case or a matter in need of resolution. Doug spends time listening to clients, understanding their culture, understanding what's important to them and then tailors a...
John is a founding shareholder of Cooper & Scully. A highly skilled and experienced trial lawyer, John's hallmark is his dedication to client satisfaction. John has been selected to the Texas Super Lawyers® list of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas from 2018-2021. He has been elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) with the rank of Advocate, and has been selected to D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas (2015-2020, and 2022). John is AV Preeminent Peer Review rated by ...
Jeff Blostein is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants. Jeff practices law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Best Lawyers has recognized Jeff Blostein since 2024. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Jeff Blostein is held by other lawyers.
Billy Gunn is recognized as one of South Carolina’s pre-eminent trial lawyers and has been for a number of years. After public school in Spartanburg County he graduated from The Citadel and then served in the United States Army, including one year as an automatic weapons platoon leader in the Republic of Vietnam. Thereafter, he attended the University of South Carolina School of Law and served two years as Law Clerk to Honorable Robert F Chapman, United States District Judge for the Dis...
Ms. Bennett, a shareholder in the Memphis office, focuses her practice primarily in the areas of medical malpractice defense and insurance defense. Before attending law school, Ms. Bennett spent several years working as a medical malpractice paralegal and held a position as an adjunct professor in The University of Memphis Department of Political Science. A 2012 magna cum laude graduate of The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Ms. Bennett earned numerous writing, academi...
Susan is a shareholder at Young Moore and a member of its healthcare practice team, where she represents hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare providers in a variety of matters, including medical malpractice defense and general liability. She also advises clients on avoiding and managing risks. Additionally, Susan is certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission to conduct Superior Court mediations in North Carolina. Susan began her legal career as a law clerk to Chief J...
E. Brown Parkinson, Jr. is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. E. Brown practices law in Spartanburg, South Carolina Best Lawyers has recognized E. Brown Parkinson, Jr. since 2010. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which E. Brown Parkinson, Jr....
Andrew Townsley is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Litigation - Insurance and Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants. Andrew practices law in Huntsville, Alabama Best Lawyers has recognized Andrew Townsley since 2026. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Andrew Townsley is held by other lawyers.
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.
