HOUSTON – Over 100 Bracewell LLP lawyers have been recognized for excellence in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, six Bracewell lawyers earning the distinction of “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective cities:
- Bradley J. Benoit – Houston Regulatory Enforcement Litigation Lawyer of the Year
- Tim J. Deithloff – Austin Banking and Finance Lawyer of the Year
- Cristy C. Edwards – Houston Public Finance Lawyer of the Year
- Wilson G. Jones – Dallas/Ft. Worth Healthcare Lawyer of the Year and Dallas/Ft. Worth Healthcare Litigation Lawyer of the Year
- W. Glenn Opel – Austin Public Finance Lawyer of the Year
- Phillip L. Sampson Jr. – Houston Real Estate Litigation Lawyer of the Year
Established in 1981, Best Lawyers, a BL Rankings, LLC publication, is one of the oldest peer-review publications in the legal profession. “Lawyer of the Year” is a designation given to individual lawyers who receive the highest overall peer feedback in a specific practice area within a given geographic location.
2026 Best Lawyers in America Rankings
Austin
- W. Stephen Benesh – Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Banking and Finance Litigation and Construction Litigation
- Elizabeth Rippy Bowes – Municipal Law and Public Finance Law
- Sara M. Burgin – Environmental Law, Environmental Litigation and Water Law
- Michael Chibib – Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation and Patent Law
- Conor M. Civins – Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, Patent Law, Trade Secrets Law and Trademark Law
- Kevin D. Collins – White-Collar Criminal Defense, Environmental Law and Environmental Litigation
- Christopher “Kit” L. Crumbley – Intellectual Property Litigation
- Tim J. Deithloff – Banking and Finance Law and Public Finance Law
- W. Glenn Opel – Energy Law and Public Finance Law
- Victoria N. Ozimek – Public Finance Law and Tax Law
- Matt Paulson – Environmental Law and Environmental Litigation
- Whit Swift – Energy Law, Environmental Law and Environmental Litigation
- Timothy A. Wilkins – Environmental Law and Environmental Litigation
Dallas
- K. Brock Bailey – Real Estate Law
- Bucky Brannen – Tax Law
- Robert R. Collins III – Public Finance Law
- J. Dean Hinderliter – Tax Law
- Wilson G. Jones – Healthcare Law and Healthcare Litigation
- Jonathan C. Leatherberry – Healthcare Law and Public Finance Law
- Matthew G. Nielsen – White-Collar Criminal Defense
- Julie Melton Partain – Economic Development Law and Public Finance Law
- George G. Rodriguez – Healthcare Law and Public Finance Law
- Paul F. Schuster – Healthcare Law and Healthcare Litigation
Houston
- Will Anderson – Banking and Finance Law
- Jeffrey B. Andrews – IT Outsourcing Law and Technology Law
- Bradley J. Benoit – Commercial Litigation, Regulatory Enforcement Litigation and Securities Litigation
- Susan Ormand Berry – Commercial Finance Law and Corporate Law
- Gregory M. Bopp – M&A Law and Tax Law
- Heather L. Brown – Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Finance Law, Project Finance Law and Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Mary F. Buzak – Economic Development Law
- Peggy B. Christman – Public Finance Law
- Jason G. Cohen – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Bankruptcy Litigation
- Stephen B. Crain – Commercial Litigation and Securities Litigation
- W. Cleland Dade – Corporate Law, Energy Law and M&A Law
- Kate H. Day – Banking and Finance Law
- Keith R. Derrington – Patent Law
- Bryan S. Dumesnil – Regulatory Enforcement Litigation
- Cristy C. Edwards – Public Finance Law
- Mark C. Evans – Banking and Finance Law, International Trade and Finance Law and Project Finance Law
- Jonathan K. Frels – Public Finance Law
- Kelly Frels – Education Law and Government Relations Practice
- Dewey J. Gonsoulin Jr. – Banking and Finance Law and Oil and Gas Law
- Amy Karff Halevy – Employment Law – Management and Labor and Employment Litigation
- Warren W. Harris – Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
- Ryan S. Holcomb – Energy Law
- Austin T. Lee – Oil and Gas Law
- Nancy C. LeGros – Healthcare Law
- James “JJ” McAnelly III – Energy Law, Natural Resources Law and Oil and Gas Law
- Tamara L. McKinzie – Real Estate Law
- Susan B. Murphy – Healthcare Law
- Robert S. Nichols – Employment Law – Management and Labor Law – Management
- Brian G. Patterson – Labor and Employment Litigation
- G. Alan Rafte – Energy Law, Natural Resources Law, Oil and Gas Law and Project Finance Law
- Constance Gall Rhebergen – Intellectual Property Litigation and Patent Litigation
- Aaron P. Roffwarg – Real Estate Law
- Douglas W. Rommelmann – Patent Law and Trademark Law
- Phillip L. Sampson Jr. – Commercial Litigation and Real Estate Litigation
- Erick Sandlin – Regulatory Enforcement Litigation
- Stephanie Koo Song – Banking and Finance Law and Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Charles H. Still Jr. – Corporate Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law and Securities Regulation
- Tracy C. Temple – Appellate Practice
- Jeffery B. Vaden – White-Collar Criminal Defense
- Tony L. Visage – Securities Litigation
- Barron F. Wallace – Commercial Finance Law, Energy Law and Public Finance Law
- Richard F. Whiteley – Intellectual Property Litigation
- R. Daniel Witschey Jr. – Corporate Law and Securities/Capital Markets Law
- William A. Wood III – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Bankruptcy Litigation
New York
- Daniel S. Connolly – Commercial Litigation and White-Collar Criminal Defense
- James P. Duffy IV – International Arbitration – Commercial
- Theodore F. Duver – Energy Law
- Martin Gusy – International Arbitration – Commercial
- Catherine Hood – Energy Law
- Barbara S. Jones – Administrative/Regulatory Law and White-Collar Criminal Defense
- Joshua Klein – Real Estate Litigation
- Frank Lee – Energy Law
- Parker A. Lee – Energy Law
- Fernando J. Rodriguez Marin – Energy Law
- J. Anthony Terrell – Energy Law
San Antonio
- William T. Avila – Securities Regulation
- Leslie Selig Byrd – Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management and Labor and Employment Litigation
- Carrie Douglas – Commercial Litigation
- James H. Kizziar Jr. – Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management and Labor and Employment Litigation
- Jane H. Macon – Administrative/Regulatory Law, Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law
- Edward C. Prado – Appellate Practice
Seattle
- Douglas F. Stewart – Intellectual Property Litigation
Washington, DC
- Stephen L. Braga – Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense – General Practice, White-Collar Criminal Defense, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Regulatory Enforcement Litigation, Securities Litigation and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Michael W. Brooks – Energy Law and Oil and Gas Law
- Brad Y. Chin –Intellectual Property Litigation
- Hans P. Dyke – Energy Law
- Eugene R. Elrod – Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law and Oil and Gas Law
- Kevin A. Ewing – Energy Law and Environmental Law
- Jeffrey R. Holmstead – Environmental Law and Environmental Litigation
- Jason B. Hutt – Energy Regulatory Law and Environmental Litigation
- Mark K. Lewis – Oil and Gas Law
- Catherine D. Little – Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law, Environmental Law, Environmental Litigation and Oil and Gas Law
- Catherine P. McCarthy – Energy Law
- Charles R. Mills – Derivatives and Futures Law and Securities/Capital Markets Law
- D. Kirk Morgan II – Energy Law and Oil and Gas Law
- Ann D. Navaro – Environmental Law
- David M. Perlman – Energy Law and Oil and Gas Law
- Scott H. Segal – Environmental Law
