Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Sami R. Achem, Jr. practices in the area of general defense litigation, with an emphasis upon complex litigation involving premises liability, automobile negligence, products liability, trucking/transportation, indemnification disputes, insurance disputes, Lemon Law litigation, landlord/tenant litigation, and negligent security. Mr. Achem has been recognized by Best Lawyers of America since 2023. He was also elected to Florida Super Lawyers as a Rising Star for 2017-2021. He is as an AV Preem...

Jennifer Adair is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP Atlanta office, Vice-Chair of the firm's Tort and Catastrophic Loss national practice section, and Chair of the firm's Southeast Tort practice team. Jennifer has extensive experience representing commercial motor carrier, their drivers, and their insurers in trucking lawsuits throughout Georgia. As a member of FMG’s construction section, Jennifer defends design professionals, owners and contractors in design and construction ...

Richard B. Adams is a partner in the firm’s Miami office. For more than thirty years he has been one of the most active trial lawyers in South Florida. Mr. Adams' practice has encompassed all aspects of civil litigation, with a focus on the defense of personal injury, professional malpractice lawsuits, and insurance coverage issues. He also has experience in appellate practice, and carries an "AV" rating with Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Adams earned his Bachelor's Degree at Washington &...

Fields Alexander has won verdicts for both plaintiffs and defendants in a number of difficult venues. His success with juries has been recognized by his peers, as evidenced by his election into the International Society of Barristers, The American Board of Trial Advocates, and by his repeated recognition as one of the best lawyers in America in several practice areas. He has a national practice, and frequently appears for clients not only across Texas, but throughout the country. He has also ...

Mr. Alford represents public utilities and other clients in a variety of matters, including commercial and tort litigation, regulatory proceedings, and contract and property issues. Representative cases include construction disputes, securities actions, antitrust and unfair trade practice claims, medical licensing, and consumer litigation. Mr. Alford also counsels clients concerning regulatory compliance, employment, and general business issues. Mr. Alford graduated from Louisiana State Unive...

David Allen practices litigation for a broad variety of clients. He has been trying lawsuits for more than 30 years with close to 100 juries empaneled during that time. A former president of the North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys (NCADA), David is a frequent lecturer on substantive and technical aspects of trial practice for numerous sponsors of continuing legal education presentations, having addressed both the NCADA and the North Carolina Advocates for Justice in recent years. ...

Russell Q. Allison is a founding shareholder of Carr Allison and serves as the firm’s president. Resident in the Birmingham (AL) office, Russ advises and represents clients in a broad range of businesses with an emphasis on clients in the insurance industry. Russ is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Alabama and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Russ sits on the board of the EC Defense Network, which he co-founded in 2016, and is se...

Craig Anderson is the president, as well as a shareholder and co-chair of the firm’s litigation department. His practice focuses on civil rights defense and serious personal injury claims including wrongful death and premises liability. Mr. Anderson has extensive trial experience having tried more than 40 jury trials in both federal and state court. He has obtained defense verdicts in cases involving police shootings, wrongful deaths, and medical malpractice. Mr. Anderson has also resol...

Mr. Anderson’s insurance defense practice involves the representation of policyholders, insurance companies, and self-insured corporations. Mr. Anderson provides comprehensive legal services in all aspects of insurance-related litigation, arbitration, subrogation, risk management, and alternative dispute resolution. In addition, Mr. Anderson has extensive experience in providing coverage analyses and representing and advising insurance companies regarding declaratory judgment actions an...

Keith Andress, office managing shareholder in the Birmingham office, concentrates his practice in civil litigation, primarily in the areas of business, construction and real estate. He has extensive experience representing financial institutions, title insurers and others involved in loan security and improvements to real property. He has devoted a significant amount of his practice to defending mortgage lenders and servicers against lender liability charges, allegations of mortgage fraud, an...

Frank Arleo has tried scores of criminal and civil cases in courts throughout the State of New Jersey. Indeed, he has more trial experience than most of the lawyers at the largest firms in the State. Since he began practicing law in 1982, Frank has built an impressive track record as a litigator who can quickly get to the essence of the case. He is skilled at identifying the crucial issues in each case and marshalling the facts and law to his clients’ advantage, which has led him to obt...

James E. Arnold is recognized as one of Ohio's top trial lawyers. He was recognized by Best Lawyers as Central Ohio's "Securities Litigation Lawyer of the Year" in 2012, as the "Bet-The-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year" in 2013, and as the "Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer of the Year" in 2014. Since 2001 he has consistently been recognized by Best Lawyers in multiple fields, including bet-the-company, personal injury (plaintiffs and defense), commercial, intellectual property and...

The focus of Mr. Arnston’s practice is the defense of long-term care and assisted-living facilities, hospitals, physicians, and nurses in professional liability cases. He also defends product manufacturers and trucking companies in personal injury actions, as well as various corporations in general litigation matters.

Mike Atkinson practices as a trial lawyer and is primarily involved in handling insurance bad faith, product liability and medical malpractice cases. Following graduation from the University of Oklahoma College of Law he was associated with a law firm, before serving as an Assistant Public Defender and later as an Assistant District Attorney in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. In 1975, he received his Master of Laws in Antitrust from the University of Texas College of Law at Austin, after which tim...

Brian J. Aull is a partner in the Jacksonville office. He practices in all phases of civil litigation, including personal injury litigation, construction litigation, employment and labor, insurance coverage and carrier representation, trucking/transportation and professional liability litigation. Prior to joining Cole, Scott & Kissane, Mr. Aull practiced as an Assistant State Attorney, in the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida, where he was a member of the Homicide/Major Crimes Division a...

Joshua M. Auxier is a litigator with nearly two decades of experience representing clients in professional liability, directors and officers liability, and general liability matters. He is retained by some of the country’s most prominent insurance companies to defend their insureds: accountants, actuaries, engineers, insurance brokers and agents, lawyers, and other professionals, as well as directors and officers of corporate and nonprofit boards. He handles general liability matters fo...

David Ayers was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1983 and is admitted to all state and federal courts in Mississippi and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He also has handled cases in a number of other states under pro hac vice privileges. David's experience includes commercial litigation, premises litigation and general personal injury litigation, with an emphasis on automotive, heavy equipment, industrial equipment and recreational product litigation. His cases of ...

Lee H. Ayres is principally a trial lawyer. He has extensive experience in civil litigation, including business and commercial disputes, oil and gas litigation, property disputes, natural resources litigation, products liability claims, professional malpractice defense, trucking defense, personal injury claims, fraud claims, insurance coverage, and insurance bad faith defense. Lee received his undergraduate and law degrees at Louisiana State University Law Center, where he was a member of the...

For more than three decades, Joseph P. H. Babington has handled civil litigation in state and federal courts in Alabama and around the country. Joe has tried cases, argued appeals, and prosecuted and defended arbitrations. He has worked on a broad range of complex matters and has deep experience in products liability defense, catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, and business and commercial disputes. Joe presented the winning argument in the United States Supreme Court in Kumho Tire C...

Donald H. Bacon is a member of Friday, Eldredge & Clark’s Management Committee and a partner in both the Litigation Practice Group and Medical Malpractice Practice Group. While he has represented a diverse set of clients in a variety of litigation, most recently, his focus has been in the area of professional liability representing lawyers, doctors, accountants and insurance agents. In addition to representing them in court, he has represented lawyers before the Office of Profession...

James Bailey is a partner in SBSB Eastham’s Houston office whose practice focuses primarily on litigation and arbitration related to all matters of maritime law. He regularly represents vessel owners, managers, operators, P&I clubs and marine insurers in marine casualty losses and contract disputes including collisions, allisions, cargo damage and loss, charter party disputes, regulatory and environmental matters, oil and hazardous materials pollution and personal injury. Additional...

Dennis Bailey has over 30 years of litigation experience. He has handled a broad range of litigation matters through trial and appellate review, including medical malpractice defense, business and banking disputes, premises liability claims, and serious personal injury claims. He also represents health care professionals in licensing board matters. Prior to starting Waldrep Wall Babcock & Bailey PLLC, Dennis was a partner at Wall Babcock LLP and prior, Carruthers & Bailey, P.A., a Win...

Doug Baker has successfully litigated and tried a number of complicated bet-the-company and other disputes involving commercial, product liability, professional liability, insurance coverage, and tort/personal injury cases, representing local to Fortune 500 Companies. Doug has tried cases to verdict in both state and federal courts, as well as administrative proceedings and arbitrations, achieving favorable verdicts or results for his clients, both plaintiffs and defendants. Doug’s hono...

James C. Baker focuses his practice on the areas of casualty insurance defense, commercial and construction litigation. He has first-chaired more than 120 jury trials to verdict and he has represented clients in more than 300 non-jury trials, arbitrations and mediations. J.C. speaks regularly on matters regarding trial practice and workers’ compensation, addressing self-insureds, the Arkansas Bar Association, insurance companies and trade and industry associations. Key Matters Represent...

Mike Baker began his practice in 1977 in Strong Pipkin’s Beaumont office. Over those years of practice, he handled or tried to conclusion all types of personal injury litigation: worker's compensation, vehicular collision, industrial, retail or commercial premises liability, railroad crossing accidents, FELA, Jones Act, general maritime and offshore rig accidents, and 42 USCA 1983 actions defending local governmental units involving civil rights violations, and/or work place discriminat...

Professional Experience Kristy practices in the firm’s litigation department, handling cases involving personal injury, employment, business disputes, health insurance and property disputes. Kristy also represents physicians and other health care providers in licensing and disciplinary disputes. Prior to joining Helsell Fetterman, Kristy worked at a boutique law firm for fourteen years. During her time at the firm, she successfully represented clients in a number of matters. Her experie...

David Banker is an experienced civil trial lawyer who has tried a broad range of cases in federal and state courts involving products liability, employment discrimination, medical negligence, personal injury, commercial disputes and consumer disputes. Mr. Banker has also litigated mass tort and class action cases involving prescription drugs, medical devices and consumer products.

Chris Barkas is a shareholder in Carr Allison’s Tallahassee, Florida office where his practice focuses primarily on the defense of commercial vehicle claims, employment-related claims, professional liability claims and retail/premises liability claims. An AV-rated attorney through Martindale-Hubbell, Chris has practiced law in the North Florida area for more than 20 years and has conducted jury trials in many of the counties in the area. In the early part of his career, Chris was an Ass...

Rob is a founding partner at Garnett Powell Maximon Barlow & Farbes. Rob’s trial practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, insurance defense and coverage disputes, criminal defense, and intergovernmental disputes. His complex commercial litigation experience includes business divorces, private company disputes, real estate disputes, breaches of fiduciary duty, breaches of contract, fraud, and other business torts. In his insurance defense practice, Rob has successfully defe...

Michael Barnes has been engaged in active trial practice for more than 25 years, with a focus on product liability, trucking and transportation, toxic torts, class actions and insurance defense. Barnes is the leader of Wright Lindsey Jennings' Trial Team. Barnes’ more recent experience includes: Counsel for an international oil and gas company in litigation resulting from a release of oil from an interstate pipeline. Lead trial counsel in defense of chemical repackaging facility in indi...

Marc Barré draws on 36 years of legal experience as he defends clients in matters involving automobile litigation, premises liability, extracontractual insurance issues, insurance coverage, construction litigation and business owners’ liability issues. He has resolved thousands of cases through the years, including at trial, from small matters to those alleging tens of millions of dollars in damages. His clients include large retailers, insurance carriers, restaurant chains, cons...

Janet Barringer is a Partner in Freeman Mathis & Gary's Boston office. She defends companies and individuals in a variety of matters ranging from employment claims to business disputes to professional liability matters and has tried over 20 cases to verdict. Ms. Barringer's peers have recognized her for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America (Personal Injury Litigation: Defense) and as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer (Employment Litigation: Defense). In her Labor & Employment practice,...

Michelle Bartels is a partner in Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A.’s Tampa office and a Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney. Ms. Bartels' practice focuses in the areas of catastrophic and personal injury, general civil litigation, premises liability, trucking defense, professional malpractice, security negligence, vehicle negligence, significant wrongful death, defective products, foster care lead agency and community based care defense. Ms. Bartels earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, magn...

Beecher A. Bartlett, Jr. is a highly effective trial lawyer with over 30 years of experience. He focuses his practice in the areas of Litigation, Insurance, Personal Injury and Labor and Employment. He strives to create reasonable expectations for his clients in the resolution of their legal matters, which ultimately helps minimize the stress and anxiety that many clients experience. Mr. Bartlett is committed to providing and honest assessment of each matter by engaging in early dispute inter...

Charlie is well-known to New Hampshire judges & lawyers as one of New Hampshire’s foremost civil trial attorneys and mediators. He concentrates in the areas of: Civil rights litigation; Private mediation and arbitration; Employment litigation; and Other complex civil litigation in federal and state courts and administrative agencies. Civil Litigation; Mediation; Arbitration In 2023, while Charlie retired from the active practice of law, he continues to serve as a Mediator and Arbitr...