Four Jones Day partners—Denise Carkhuff, Scott Cowan, Thomas Devaney, and David Kiernan—have been named to BTI Consulting Group’s 2025 "Client Service All-Stars" list. BTI bases the rankings on interviews with leading legal decision makers at large organizations with over $700 million in annual revenue, and does not accept law firm submissions, self-referrals, or suggestions for inclusion in the report.
Ms. Carkhuff has ledM&A and private equity transactions for more than 30 years acrossdiverse industries, jurisdictions, and deal structures, and has experience in the full life cycle of a company (from formation, capital raising, dividend recapitalizations, IPOs, sales, and dissolutions). Sherecently advised a $3.2 billion private equity firm and its platforms in the acquisition and financing of numerous companies, including a premier provider of Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) and Data Acquisition Systems (DAS) services.
Mr. Cowan is named a BTI Client Service All-Star for the fourth time. He is a trial lawyerwith more than 32 years of experience in complex, multiparty, and multiforum litigation and arbitration. His focused and practical approach has led to a variety of successful outcomes in significant 8 to 10-figure matters for numerous companies in the oil and gas, petrochemical, construction, software, technology, aerospace, manufacturing, and service industries on both U.S.-based and international matters.
Mr. Devaney has a distinguished track record of counselling private fund managers on global fund offerings. His 2025 engagements include advising on fundraises for separate North American-focused and European-focused infrastructure funds, a U.S. real estate credit fund and a global energy transition PE fund, each raising over US$1 billion; and transactional support on U.S. datacenter and commercial solar developer acquisitions, mortgage servicing investments, and the sale of a leading U.S. flag shipping company.
Mr. Kiernan is a first-chair trial lawyer in significant, high-profile cases throughout the United States, including representing companies across industries in antitrust, public nuisance, and ESG litigation. Recent highlights include serving as lead trial counsel for a multinational technology conglomerate in a putative antitrust class action filed by website developers challenging the client's license restrictions for developers related to the use of its digital-mapping products. The court granted the client's motion to dismiss the third complaint with prejudice. Mr. Kiernan is also global Co-Client Affairs Partner and Partner-in-Charge of Northern California.
BTI research reveals five all new reasons clients single out their BTI Client Service All-Stars:
- Embedded in Client Decision-Making: The best attorneys don't just advise from the sidelines—they're in the room when decisions get made, shaping events as they happen. All-Stars earn a seat at the strategy table by equipping client counsel with real-time insights and translating legal complexity into simple, executable choices.
- Understands Business and Operating Context: When legal and business issues collide, All-Stars frame every legal option in terms of market impact, risk appetite, and operational realities. All-Stars go beyond legally correct answers, making their advice as commercially fluent as it is legally sound.
- Brings New Ideas Clients Haven’t Seen Before: Novel problems permeating corporate counsel's life demand novel thinking. All-Stars thrive on creating precedent and surfacing approaches clients have never heard.
- Operates in Compressed Time Frames: Today's CEOs want immediate answers. All-Stars deliver fully formed, business-ready advice while others are still outlining the issue.
- Practicality: All-Stars cut out fluff and theory, drawing on deep client knowledge and experience to deliver steps that are simple, concrete, and fit for purpose.