Best Lawyers, the world’s oldest peer-review research and marketing company in the legal profession, has released the 31st edition of “The Best Lawyers in America” and fifth edition of “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.”
These recognitions highlight outstanding legal talent and represent the top 5% of lawyers across the United States, providing invaluable guidance to clients and legal professionals.
More than 100 Chattanooga-area legal professionals made the 2025 list, with more than a dozen earning the “Lawyer of the Year” recognition, given to one individual in each practice area and geographic region per edition. These individuals are selected based on peer feedback. Receiving this designation reflects a high level of respect among other leading lawyers in the same communities and practice areas for their abilities, professionalism and integrity.
Chattanooga-area Lawyers of the Year include:
• William P. Aiken: health care law
• Alan B. Easterly: transportation law
• Leah M. Gerbitz: insurance litigation
• Timothy M. Gibbons: const. law
• James M. Haley IV: banking and finance law and real estate law
• John C. Harrison: employment law–management
• Jeffrey W. Maddux: bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law
• Donna Mikel: employment law–individuals and litigation–labor and employment
• Charles B. Lee: labor-management
• W. Scott McGinness, Jr.: corporate law
• Ansley T. Moses: tax law
• Gary S. Napolitan: insurance law
• Richard C. Rose: construction litigation and health care litigation
• Mark Turner: mergers and acquisitions law
The Chattanooga-area Best Lawyers and Ones To Watch include:
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Best Lawyers
• Emily Stuart Horn: business organizations law, mergers and acquisitions law
• Eric Setterlund: privacy and data security law
Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel Best Lawyers
• Stephen D. Adams: patent law
• William P. Aiken: corporate law, health care law, mergers and acquisitions law
• Stephen D. Barham: bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, commercial litigation, litigation–bankruptcy, litigation–health care
• James L. Catanzaro, Jr.: corporate law, health care law, nonprofit/charities law
Shelton Swafford Chambers: nonprofit/charities law
• Mark A. Cunningham: corporate law, health care law, mergers and acquisitions
• Cathy S. Dorvil: litigation–health care
• Justin L. Furrow: litigation–labor and employment law
• Timothy M. Gibbons: construction law, litigation–construction
• Jeffrey G. Granillo: commercial litigation, product liability litigation–defendants
• Frederick L. Hitchcock: energy law
• Richard T. Hudson: real estate law
• Anthony A. Jackson: litigation–First Amendment, media law, product liability litigation–defendants
• John G. Jackson: advertising law, litigation–intellectual property, litigation–patent
• Jeffrey W. Maddux: bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, commercial litigation, litigation–bankruptcy
• Rebecca H. Miller: trusts and estates
• Jason R. Mirmelstein: business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships)
• Harold L. North, Jr.: bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law
• Dana B. Perry: elder law, trusts and estates
• William H. Pickering: commercial litigation, employment law–management, litigation–ERISA, litigation–labor and employment
• Michael N. St. Charles: corporate law, real estate law
• Michael J. Stewart: banking and finance law
• Mark Turner: banking and finance law, business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships), mergers and acquisitions law, real estate law, securitization and structured finance law
• Gregory D. Willett: trusts and estates
• Kirby Waddell Yost: land use and zoning law, real estate law
• Jay A. Young: banking and finance law, project finance law
Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel Ones To Watch
• Courtney J. Keehan: corporate law, health care law, mergers and acquisitions law
• Nathan L. Kinard: appellate practice, commercial litigation, product liability litigation–defendants
• Martha Culp Millener: real estate law
• Kathleen M. Siciliano: labor and employment law–management, litigation–labor and employment
• Logan C. Threadgill: commercial litigation, construction law, litigation–bankruptcy, litigation–construction
Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison Best Lawyers
• David C. Higney: environmental law and energy regulatory law
Husch Blackwell Best Lawyers
• Ryan A. Burgett: bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law
• Caleb T. Holzaepfel: bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law
• Shelby D. Lomax: banking and finance law
• Alexandra McFall: banking and finance law; financial services regulation law; litigation–banking and finance
Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan Best Lawyers
• C. Christopher Brown: personal injury litigation–defendants and workers’ compensation law–employers
• Thomas J. Dement II: product liability litigation–defendants
• C. Douglas Dooley: construction law, insurance law, litigation–construction, litigation–health care, litigation–insurance, personal injury litigation–defendants and workers’ compensation law–employers
• Alan B. Easterly: insurance law, litigation–construction, litigation–insurance, personal injury litigation: defendants, product liability litigation–defendants and transportation law
• Brad A. Fraser: construction law and product liability litigation–defendants
• Bruce Gill: construction law, litigation–construction and litigation–insurance
• Andrew J. Godbold: insurance law
• William E. Godbold III: insurance law, medical malpractice law–defendants and personal injury litigation: defendants
• Gary S. Napolitan: insurance law, personal injury litigation–defendants and workers’ compensation law–employers
• Jeffrey E. Nicoson: insurance law, litigation–health care, litigation–insurance, medical malpractice law: defendants, personal injury litigation–defendants, product liability litigation–defendants and transportation law
• David W. Noblit: insurance law, mediation and personal injury litigation–defendants
• Anthony M. Noel: employment law–management, litigation–insurance and personal injury litigation–defendants
• Tracy A. Overstreet: litigation–construction, litigation–insurance and personal injury litigation–defendants
• Kenneth D. Veit: employment law–management and workers’ compensation law–employers
Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan Ones to Watch
• Kathleen J. Lewis: insurance law, litigation – labor and employment, personal injury litigation – defendants and workers’ compensation law – employers
• Kate M. Patton: insurance law, personal injury litigation – defendants and workers’ compensation law–employers
Mikel & Hamill Best Lawyers
• Doug Hamill: employment law–individuals and litigation–labor and employment
• Donna Mikel: employment law–management
Miller & Martin Best Lawyers
• Donald J. Aho: bet–the–company litigation, commercial litigation and litigation: securities
• Evan Allison: real estate law
• Lynzi J. Archibald: qui tam law
• John R. Bode: employment law–management, labor law–management, litigation–labor and employment
• Edward N. Boehm: antitrust law
• Stacie Caraway: employment law–management
• Christopher A. Crevasse: employee benefits (ERISA) law, employment law–management and litigation–ERISA
• Robert L. Dann: real estate law
• Mark Degler: corporate law
• Roger W. Dickson: arbitration, bet–the–company litigation, commercial litigation and mediation
• Marcia Eason: litigation–banking and finance and product liability litigation–defendants
• Kyle W. Eiselstein: commercial litigation, insurance law, litigation–health care and litigation–insurance
• T. J. Gentle: corporate law
• Leah M. Gerbitz: commercial litigation, litigation–insurance, mass tort litigation/class actions–defendants and product liability litigation–defendants
• Zachary H. Greene: commercial litigation and criminal defense: white–collar
• James M. Haley IV: banking and finance law, real estate law, and securitization and structured finance law
• R. Alston Hamilton: corporate law
• Bradford G. Harvey: commercial litigation, employment law–management, labor law–management and litigation–labor and employment
• Thomas L. Hayslett III: real estate law
• John F. Henry, Jr.: mergers and acquisitions law
• April Holland: corporate law
• E. Mattias Jannerbo: mergers and acquisitions law
• Douglas T. Johnson: copyright law, patent law and trademark law
• Laura Ketcham: commercial transactions/UCC law
• Charles B. Lee: employment law–management, labor law–management and litigation–labor and employment
• Alison Bales Martin: commercial litigation
• Allen L. McCallie: real estate law
• W. Scott McGinness, Jr.: corporate law and securities/capital markets law
• Patrick S. Mitchell: corporate law
• Donald E. Morton: employee benefits (ERISA) law and trusts and estates
• Ansley T. Moses: tax law
• Ward W. Nelson: health care law
• Scott Parrish: commercial litigation, corporate law and litigation–construction
• Richard C. Rose: commercial litigation, criminal defense: white–collar, health care law, litigation: construction, litigation–health care and qui tam law
• Hugh F. Sharber: corporate law and mergers and acquisitions law
• Carlos C. Smith: antitrust law, corporate law and energy law
• Mark W. Smith: economic development law and government relations practice
• Stephen John Stark: litigation–intellectual property, patent law and trademark law
• C. Crews Townsend: commercial litigation and product liability litigation–defendants
• William G. Trumpeter: arbitration, employment law–management, labor law–management and litigation–labor and employment
• Franklin M. Williams: mergers and acquisitions law
• James T. Williams: mass tort litigation/class actions–defendants
• W. Randall Wilson: bet–the–company litigation, commercial litigation, litigation–construction, medical malpractice law–defendants and personal injury litigation–defendants
Miller & Martin Ones To Watch
• Meredith Corey Lee: mass tort litigation/class actions, defendants
• Alan W. Madison: corporate law
• Jessica Malloy-Thorpe: labor and employment law, management and litigation–labor and employment
• Haley E. Moody: commercial litigation, mass tort litigation / class actions–defendants and product liability litigation–defendants
• Merrill Nelson: corporate law
• Rachael W. Ruiz: real estate law
Scott Simmons: commercial litigation, labor and employment law–management and litigation–labor and employment