Honorees Include 11 as “Lawyer of the Year,” 98 in Best Lawyers in America® and 24 in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC is pleased to announce that 98 of its lawyers are included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence according to the publication. Additionally, 11 Stites & Harbison attorneys are named as “Lawyer of the Year” and 24 attorneys are recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, which recognizes attorneys early in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.
Recipients of Best Lawyers® honors are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.
The “Lawyer of the Year” honorees include:
- Mark R. Overstreet – Lexington Administrative / Regulatory Law Lawyer of the Year
- Cassidy R. Rosenthal – Lexington Construction Law Lawyer of the Year
- Joel T. Beres – Louisville Copyright Law Lawyer of the Year
- Matthew W. (Matt) Breetz – Louisville Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Lawyer of the Year
- Carol Dan Browning – Louisville Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants Lawyer of the Year
- W. Thomas (Tom) Halbleib, Jr. – Louisville Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year
- Shannon Antle Hamilton – Louisville Employment Law – Management Lawyer of the Year
- Steven M. Henderson – Louisville Litigation – Construction Lawyer of the Year
- Brian R. Pollock – Louisville Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law Lawyer of the Year
- David E. Saffer – Louisville Real Estate Law Lawyer of the Year
- Gregory D.(Greg) Smith – Nashville Family Law Lawyer of the Year
The Best Lawyers in America® honorees include:
- R. Daniel (Dan) Douglass – Construction Law and Litigation – Construction
- Harold E. (Hal) Gill, Jr. – Real Estate Law
- Jennifer M. Guerra – Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
- William M. (Bill) Joseph – Tax Law
- Shannon M. Sprinkle – Commercial Litigation
- William G. (Bill) Geisen – Litigation – Construction
- Mark R. Overstreet – Administrative / Regulatory Law, Communications Law, and Energy Law
- Douglas (Doug) Bates – Aviation Law, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Robert M. (Bob) Beck, Jr. – Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- W. Bradford (Brad) Boone – Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Tax Law
- Janet A. Craig – Health Care Law and Insurance Law
- Daniel E. (Dan) Danford – Commercial Litigation
- Brady W. Dunnigan – Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Law and Real Estate Law
- W. Blaine Early III – Energy Law, Environmental Law, and Water Law
- Kenneth J. (Ken) Gish, Jr. – Energy Law, Environmental Law, and Litigation – Environmental
- William T. (Bill) Gorton III – Energy Law, Environmental Law, Mining Law, and Natural Resources Law
- Michael S. Hargis – Trademark Law
- Marshall R. Hixson – Commercial Litigation, Health Care Law, Litigation – Insurance, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Ashley Owens Hopkins – Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Andrew R. (Andy) Jacobs – Corporate Law
- J. Clarke Keller – Commercial Litigation and Mediation
- David E. Longenecker – Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Charlotte Turner McCoy – Corporate Law, Litigation – Real Estate, and Real Estate Law
- Gregory P. (Greg) Parsons – Construction Law, and Litigation – Construction
- Bruce M. Reynolds – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, and Tax Law
- Walter S. (Walt) Robertson – Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Cassidy R. Rosenthal – Construction Law
- Stephen M. (Steve) Ruschell – Corporate Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Litigation – Real Estate, and Real Estate Law
- Warren D. Schickli – Copyright Law
- Emily Larish Startsman – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Chrisandrea L. (Chrissie) Turner – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Ashley W. Ward – Appellate Practice, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Richard M. Wehrle – Trusts and Estates
- Thad M. Barnes – Commercial Litigation
- Joel T. Beres – Copyright Law, Information Technology Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Trade Secrets Law, and Trademark Law
- Bethany A. (Beth) Breetz – Appellate Practice
- Matthew W. (Matt) Breetz – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Carol Dan Browning – Litigation – Construction, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- K. Kelly Bryant – Health Care Law
- Brian Butler – Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White Collar, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- J. Brittany Cross Carlson – Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Jennifer J. (Jenny) Cave – Environmental Law
- Robert M. (Bob) Connolly – Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation
- Brian A. Cromer – Corporate Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Mandy Wilson Decker – Biotechnology and Life Science Practice, and Patent Law
- Lawrence C. (Larry) Droege – Real Estate Law
- T. Gregory (Greg) Ehrhard – Litigation – Real Estate and Real Estate Law
- Grant M. Ehrlich – Patent Law
- Marjorie A. Farris – Commercial Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
- Jeffrey A. (Jeff) Haeberlin – Patent Law
- W. Thomas (Tom) Halbleib, Jr. – Banking and Finance Law, and Corporate Law
- Joseph L. (Joe) Hamilton – Bet-the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation
- Shannon Antle Hamilton – Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, and Litigation – Labor and Employment
- William E. (Bill) Hellmann – Corporate Law
- Steven M. Henderson – Construction Law and Litigation – Construction
- Alex P. (Mike) Herrington, Jr. – Public Finance Law
- Demetrius O. Holloway – Employment Law – Management, and Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Michael E. Kleinert – Commercial Litigation, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Chadwick A. McTighe – Commercial Litigation, and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
- Jeffrey S. (Jeff) Moad – Commercial Litigation
- David W. Nagle, Jr. – Patent Law, and Trade Secrets Law
- Andrew Noland – Land Use and Zoning, and Real Estate Law
- David B. Owsley II – Commercial Litigation
- Rachel Owsley – Corporate Law
- Brian R. Pollock – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Ian T. Ramsey – Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- David B. Ratterman – Construction Law, and Litigation – Construction
- Michael D. (Mike) Risley – Appellate Practice
- David E. Saffer – Banking and Finance Law, and Real Estate Law
- George B. (Ben) Sanders, Jr. – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
- Sarah Cronan Spurlock – Health Care Law
- W. Patrick (Pat) Stallard – Environmental Law
- Charles H. Stopher – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Insurance, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Edward H. Stopher – Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
- John L. Tate – Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Richard A. (Rick) Vance – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Banking and Finance, and Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Zachary M. (Zack) VanVactor – Commercial Litigation, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- T. Morgan Ward, Jr. – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Insurance, Litigation – Real Estate, and Litigation – Trusts and Estates
- Whitney Frazier Watt – Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Terry L. Wright – Patent Law, and Trademark Law
- Robin D. Miller – Commercial Litigation, and Litigation Construction
- Herbert B. (Bert) Wolf, Jr. – Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, and Tax Law
- Erika R. Barnes – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Edward H. Burrell III – Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- A. Stuart Campbell – Corporate Law
- Rebecca McKelvey Castañeda – Family Law
- Elizabeth A. Garrett – Family Law, Family Law Arbitration, and Family Law Mediation
- Philip D. Irwin – Commercial Litigation, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Jeffrey R. (Jeff) King – Land Use and Zoning Law, and Real Estate Law
- Brenton H. Lankford – Family Law
- Alexandra (Alex) MacKay – Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, and Trademark Law
- Samuel F. (Sam) Miller – Litigation – Intellectual Property, and Litigation – Patent
- Richard S. Myers, Jr. – Copyright Law
- Lauren Paxton Roberts – Litigation – Banking and Finance
- S. Madison (Matt) Roberts – Real Estate Law
- Gregory D. (Greg) Smith – Family Law
- John R. Wingo – Commercial Litigation
- Grant M. Ehrlich – Patent Law
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America honorees include:
Atlanta, Ga.
- Joshua F. (Josh) Barnette – Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Julie Comer Cahill – Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Law, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Covington, Ky.
- Olivia C. Keller – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, and Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs
Jeffersonville, Ind.
- Chelsea Stanley – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Lexington, Ky.
- Gentry C. Collins – Litigation – Trusts and Estates, and Trusts and Estates
- Katie M. Glass – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Robin E. McGuffin – Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Alison M. (Ali) Zeitlin – Banking and Finance Law, and Corporate Law
Louisville, Ky.
- Caitlyn M. Barnes – Commercial Litigation, Professional Malpractice Law, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Neil E. Barton – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Frederick R. (Reggie) Bentley – Appellate Practice, and Commercial Litigation
- Daniel C. Boswell – Banking and Finance Law, and Corporate Law
- Donovan D. Gibbs II – Intellectual Property Law
- James Hayne – Patent Law
- Jennifer Henry Jackson – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Brian P. Lee – Real Estate Law
- Alisa Micu – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, and Commercial Litigation
- Jeffrey S. Moad – Commercial Litigation, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- Ashley Russell – Real Estate Law
- Gary N. (Nick) Stewart – Litigation – Intellectual Property, and Patent Law
- Charles H. Stopher – Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Nashville, Tenn.
- Ann Ralls Brown – Family Law, and Trusts and Estates
- Ashley N. Goins – Appellate Practice, Family Law, and Insurance Law
- Ann H. Murphy – Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Construction
- Mary Lucille (Mary Lu) Noah – Banking and Finance Law, and Real Estate Law
- Joseph V. Ronderos, Jr. – Commercial Litigation, and Financial Services Regulation Law