Baker Donelson announced that 236 of its attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
Twenty-five of the firm's attorneys were also recognized by Best Lawyers as "Lawyers of the Year," a designation given to a select group of individuals in high-profile specialties in large legal communities. Only a single attorney in each specialty in each community is honored.
In addition to the individual attorneys recognized, the firm is top-listed in the nation in nine practice areas: Business Organizations, Commercial Finance Law, Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Litigation – Construction, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Non-Profit/Charities Law, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants and Transportation Law.
Baker Donelson's 20 Chattanooga attorneys named to the 2014 edition of Best Lawyers are:
Kenneth C. Beckman: Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Public Finance Law, Real Estate Law, and Securitization and Structured Finance Law
Joe A. Conner: Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Energy Law, Litigation – Construction, and Litigation – Real Estate
Robert C. Divine: Immigration Law
Richard D. Faulkner Jr.: Real Estate Law
Richard B. Gossett: Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) and Litigation – Bankruptcy
Russell W. Gray: Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, and Litigation – Labor & Employment
Carl E. Hartley: Corporate Law, Litigation & Controversy – Tax, Non-Profit/Charities Law, and Tax Law
Thomas O. Helton: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Cameron S. Hill: Litigation - Construction
Micheline K. Johnson: Trademark Law
James H. Levine: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Virginia C. Love: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, and Trusts and Estates
Joshua Powers: Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Steve Powers: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Transportation Law
Susan Elliott Rich: Banking and Finance Law, Real Estate Law, and Securitization and Structured Finance Law
William E. Robinson: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Ross I. Schram III: Real Estate Law
Louann P. Smith: Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Public Finance Law, and Securitization and Structured Finance Law
Jerry Stauffer: Commercial Litigation and Corporate Law
Philip B. Whitaker: Commercial Litigation, Real Estate Law, and Trusts and Estates
Six of the Firm's Chattanooga attorneys were also named Best Lawyers' 2014 "Lawyers of the Year":
Richard D. Faulkner Jr., Chattanooga Real Estate Law "Lawyer of the Year"
Richard B. Gossett, Chattanooga Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law "Lawyer of the Year"
Cameron S. Hill, Chattanooga Litigation - Construction "Lawyer of the Year"
Micheline K. Johnson, Chattanooga Trademark Law "Lawyer of the Year"
Joshua Powers, Chattanooga Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants "Lawyer of the Year"
Susan E. Rich, Chattanooga Banking and Finance Law "Lawyer of the Year"
ince it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which almost 50,000 leading attorneys cast nearly five million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice."