Richard T. Kienzler, a partner in Freeborn & Peters LLP’s Litigation Practice Group, is one of Law Bulletin Media’s 2019 40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty, which recognizes the “most talented young attorneys working in Illinois” under age 40. A Freeborn attorney has been included in the 40 Under Forty each of the last 20 years.

Publisher of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer magazine, Law Bulletin Media selected the 40 Under Forty from among more than 1,500 nominations. The honorees are chosen for their intelligence, passion, success in the office, desire to help their community, and willingness to work hard at their profession.

The firm said Kienzler represents large companies, owner-managed businesses and individuals in state and federal cases across the country, as well as in arbitrations and other proceedings conducted outside of court. A large part of his practice involves disputes concerning non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, as well as fast-paced, emergency proceedings in which parties seek temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions. In addition, he has successfully resolved significant, large-scale commercial contract disputes, partnership and shareholder disputes, and class action lawsuits.

Kienzler received his J.D. (magna cum laude) from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Iowa.

Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has 30 attorneys representing a wide variety of practice areas on the 2019 Texas Super Lawyers list, which includes some of the top lawyers in the state.

According to Super Lawyers’ publisher, only the top five percent of Texas lawyers are chosen each year through the patented peer-review process it developed. The guide is reported to be one of the nation’s most respected legal guides. The 2019 guide is published in the October issue of Texas Monthly and in the Texas edition of Super Lawyers magazine.

Read about the honors.

Harrity & Harrity, LLP received the Washington Business Journal (WBJ) Corporate Citizenship Award in recognition of its partnership with the American Heart Association (AHA) of Greater Washington Region.

Part of the WBJ’s Corporate Philanthropy Awards, the Corporate Citizenship Award honors partnerships between Washington, D.C. metro area businesses and nonprofits that demonstrate positive outcomes for both organizations. Harrity and other winners will be formally honored in November at the WBJ’s annual Corporate Philanthropy Awards event.

The firm said Harrity began its partnership with the AHA of Greater Washington in 2017, joining forces to fight heart disease by working to educate policy makers, health care professionals, and the general public, with the goal of one day ending heart disease. The partnership was borne out of John Harrity’s personal experience of suffering and recovering from a “widow maker” heart attack in 2016 at the age of 49. The following year, Harrity launched Harrity 4 Charity, through which Harrity partners pledge to give 5 percent of their profits and Harrity employees pledge to donate a portion of their paychecks to partner charities.

Since 2017, Harrity partners and employees have donated countless volunteer hours to fighting heart disease. The firm also partners with the AHA of Greater Washington for its annual Lawyers Have Heart 10K Race, 5K Run & Fun Walk, which this year raised more than $900,000 for the cause. The last two years, Harrity has not only been the top corporate sponsor of the race, but also the top fundraiser. Most recently, the AHA of Greater Washington named John Harrity and Harrity & Harrity Controller Sandra Maxey co-chairs of the 30th annual Lawyers Have Heart 10K Race, 5K Run & Fun Walk. Also as part of its commitment to the cause, Harrity hosts the annual Harrity Race 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Run, with 100 percent of the event’s proceeds going to the AHA of Greater Washington.

Bailey Brauer co-founders Clayton Bailey and Alex Brauer are among the “agents of change” in the legal profession singled out by Texas Lawyer magazine to receive the publication’s inaugural Texas Trailblazers recognition.

Bailey and Brauer were chosen for their leadership in reshaping expectations for legal boutiques in Texas.

In a release, the firm said the pair, unsatisfied with the burdensome constraints of Big Law, walked away from their positions at an international law firm to open their own firm six years ago. From the start, their business model was unwavering.

“Our approach is very similar to that of a Big Law litigation or appellate practice, but without the inflexibility that results from overhead demands and far-reaching conflicts,” said Bailey. “We provide the same level of expertise and sophistication demanded of Big Law, but in a much nimbler fashion.”

The firm said former clients immediately took notice, bringing their work to Bailey Brauer. Since then, many more companies and individuals have engaged the six-attorney firm on new high-stakes litigation matters.

The legal community too has taken notice, with the firm receiving professional accolades that frequently take other firms more than twice as long to achieve. These individual and firm honors include recognition from Benchmark Litigation, Chambers USA, BTI Consulting Group, The Best Lawyers in America, the National Law Journal, Texas Super Lawyers and D Magazine.

“Honors are a tricky thing,” said Brauer. “Winning them is not something you spend a lot of time trying to accomplish. But when you earn recognition from your peers, that validates that your focus is in the right place. You don’t earn respect without achieving a certain amount of success on behalf of your clients.”

The 2019 Texas Trailblazers listing recognizes the efforts of 50 innovative attorneys throughout the state who have made significant contributions to the practice, policy and technological advancements of the legal profession.

For the ninth consecutive year, Freeborn & Peters LLP has been named by Midwest Real Estate News as among the top regional real estate law firms. Included in the top 15 for 2019, Freeborn this year earned its highest ranking ever.

The Midwest Real Estate News “Best of the Best” edition also ranks the industry’s top regional owners, financial intermediaries, brokers, direct lenders, property managers, and construction companies.

Trial lawyer Laura Benitez Geisler of Dallas-based Sommerman, McCaffity, Quesada & Geisler has been designated a Texas Trailblazer by Texas Lawyer magazine for her significant impact on the legal profession.

A personal injury lawyer and the first Hispanic president of the Dallas Bar Association, Geisler made the 2019 list of the Texas attorneys deemed “agents of change” based on her commitment to ensuring legal representation for low-income citizens, the firm said in a release.

As DBA president, Geisler initiated the Entrepreneurs in Community Lawyering Program, an intensive year-long program that gives beginning solo practitioners the tools to succeed as business owners and lawyers, serving a low-income and modest means clientele. In exchange, participants commit at least 200 hours of pro bono service to lower-income residents during the program. Geisler also raised over $1 million for the DBA’s Dallas Volunteer Program while serving as 2014-15 co-chair of the Equal Access to Justice Campaign.

Geisler has held several leadership positions in the legal community, including serving on the Dallas Bar Association Board of Directors since 2006, and as a past president of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and the Dallas Women Lawyers Association.

For more than 21 years, Geisler has represented clients in personal injury and wrongful death cases, with a trial history that includes multimillion-dollar jury verdicts and settlements. She has earned a place on the Texas Super Lawyers list for her personal injury work and she is recognized in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Ms. Geisler was also named to the 2019 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America.

The 2019 Texas Trailblazers list is featured in the October/November issue of Texas Lawyer.

Deans & Lyons LLP co-founder Michael Lyons has been selected among the Top 100 Dallas-Fort Worth attorneys in the 2019 edition of the Texas Super Lawyers legal guide.

The Top 100 list recognizes the DFW region’s leading attorneys regardless of practice focus. He earned additional recognition among the state’s leading trial lawyers for his work handling catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases, and complex business disputes.

Super Lawyers is the most recent accolade for Lyons, who earlier this year was selected to The Best Lawyers in America and D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas lists. A member of both the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums, he also is a Lifetime Achievement member of America’s Top 100 Attorneys for Texas.

Also earning 2019 Texas Super Lawyers honors were firm co-founder Greg Deans for his business litigation work and partner Katie Stepp for her general litigation practice.

“This firm’s focus is all about winning results for clients, and our attorneys demonstrate that through innovative and aggressive representation,” said Mr. Lyons. “Honors such as Super Lawyers demonstrate a respect for that approach from our peers in the legal world.”

In 2019, all six of the firm’s eligible attorneys earned recognition from either Texas Super Lawyers or the companion Rising Stars listing of the state’s top young attorneys.

Partners Courtney Bowline and Chris Simmons were named to the Risings Stars list earlier this year for their work on personal injury and wrongful death cases and Stephen Higdon was selected for his general business litigation practice. Mr. Simmons earned additional recognition among Rising Stars’ Up-and-Coming 100.

Kevin F. O’Malley, of counsel in Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.’s St. Louis office, has been appointed ambassador in residence and professor of practice affiliated with the Center for International and Comparative Law at Saint Louis University School of Law (SLU LAW).

A graduate of SLU LAW, O’Malley previously served as the U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2014 to 2017 under the administration of President Barack Obama.

In his new role, O’Malley will counsel students and serve as a resource for the Center for International and Comparative Law, which builds networks and alliances locally and internationally and provides high-quality legal talent that is conversant and comfortable with other cultures and legal environments.

O’Malley also practiced at Greensfelder prior to his ambassadorship, previously leading the firm’s medical negligence and white-collar crime practice areas. A former federal prosecutor, O’Malley has tried numerous cases to conclusion in federal and state courts. As U.S. ambassador to Ireland, he partnered with the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland and other entities to promote the work of the 700 American businesses based in Ireland and flourishing there and throughout the European Union.

Dallas lawyer Steve Stodghill, a partner in Winston & Strawn LLP, has been appointed to the Texas Public Safety Commission by Governor Greg Abbott for a term running through Jan. 1, 2024.

The Commission oversees the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS), the agency responsible for statewide planning and policy formation regarding the enforcement of criminal, traffic, and safety laws; crime prevention; and law and public safety education. With an annual budget of $1.2 billion, TxDPS employs 11,000 across 13 divisions including the Texas Rangers, Texas Highway Patrol, Driver License, Regulatory Licensing, and Intelligence and Counterterrorism. In addition, the Commission interfaces with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Department of Defense, and similar federal agencies, while advising the Governor in responding to state emergencies such as natural disasters, mass shootings, insurrections, invasions, and acts of terrorism.

Stodghill is the latest attorney to be appointed to the commission. Recent members have included former Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson, Judge Ada Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Judge Jason Pulliam of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and former Texas secretaries of state John Steen and Carlos Cascos.

One of the founding partners of Winston’s Dallas office, Steve has represented numerous high-profile clients, ranging from prominent billionaires to major corporations, across am array of complex commercial litigation areas.

“Steve is one of the most accomplished and sought-after commercial litigators in the country,” said Tom Melsheimer, Winston’s Dallas Managing Partner. “This appointment is a natural evolution of his work and demonstrates his commitment to helping the community and the State of Texas.”

In addition to his legal practice, Stodghill is chairman of the American Film Institute National Council and board member of The University of Texas Harry Ransom Center, UT College of Liberal Arts Advisory Board, and the UT System Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee. Additionally, he is a member of the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts Executive Board. He also is an Eagle Scout as well as a former Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts of America Executive Committee member.

“It’s a tremendous honor just to be considered for something such as this and to be placed in a position where you can serve the people of your state,” Steve said.

Stodghill received a bachelor of arts from UT-Austin and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP announced that LMG Life Sciences Awards 2019 has named Bradley as the “Firm to Watch” in the nationwide Litigation & Enforcement category. In addition, LMG Life Sciences named Tripp Haston, a partner in the firm’s Birmingham office and co-leader of Bradley’s Life Sciences industry team, among the seven national finalists for “Product Liability Attorney of the Year.”

The LMG Life Sciences Awards recognize the year’s top firms and legal professionals in the life sciences sector. The award winners were announced Sept. 18 at an event in New York City.

The firm said in a release that the LMG Life Sciences Awards, which last year named Bradley the “Product Liability Firm of the Year,” are based on research conducted for the annual LMG Life Sciences referral guide to leading North American law firms and lawyers that focus in the life sciences industry. LMG determines honorees through case evidence, peer feedback surveys, interviews with law firm partners who are active in the relevant research categories, and client feedback from corporate and in-house contacts.

Bradley’s Life Sciences Industry team represents clients involved in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, molecular testing services, drug delivery systems, clinical labs (CLIA), genomic labs, bioinformatics, genomic medical clinics, research institutions, contract research organizations, animal sciences, plant sciences, and healthcare. Among the team’s top accolades are a national ranking by Chambers USA, a Tier 1 national rankings in the 2019 edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions, as well as Tier 1 “Best Law Firms” metropolitan rankings for Product Liability Litigation – Defendants for numerous markets with the Bradley offices.

The firm said Haston represents clients on regional, national and international engagements. He represents medical device and pharmaceutical clients in products liability litigation. In addition, he has served as national trial and coordinating counsel and as a national team member in individual actions as well as mass tort and multi-district litigation. His experience has involved matters throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America.

Haston is a member and past president of the International Association of Defense Counsel, an invitation-only legal organization of leading defense attorneys from more than 50 countries. He has served as a board member of DRI, the nation’s largest organization of defense counsel, and Lawyers for Civil Justice, an organization comprised of leading corporate counsel and defense bar practitioners dedicated to promoting fairness in the U.S. civil justice system. He also is a past chair of the Alabama State Bar’s Leadership Forum and a past president of the Young Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association. Haston has been recognized in numerous attorney directories, including The Best Lawyers in America®, Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, and Who’s Who Legal.

Neal Gerber Eisenberg founding partner Marshall E. Eisenberg is being honored by American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) with the 2019 Jerold S. Solovy Torch of Learning Award. The Torch of Learning Award is presented to an individual who has influenced the course of higher learning in the United States and Israel.

In a release, the firm said Eisenberg has served as a strategic advisor for clients with business and personal interests worldwide. He counsels companies and individuals on a broad range of complex transactions and strategies, including mergers and acquisitions; estate planning; federal, state and international tax controversies and venture capital transactions. For nearly 30 years, Eisenberg has been named to the Best Lawyers in America list, an annual peer survey of lawyers.

Eisenberg frequently serves as a trustee for families and a director of public and privately owned companies. Currently, as a member of the board of Sally Beauty Holdings (NYSE: SBH); he serves as the chair of the board’s Nominating, Governance and Corporate Responsibility committee.

The Torch of Learning Award is not the first time Eisenberg has been honored nationally. In 2006, Eisenberg received the American Jewish Committee’s Judge Learned Hand Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the legal profession and the community.

Eisenberg will be honored at the 2019 Jerold S. Solovy Torch of Learning Gala Dinner on Sunday, September 22, 2019, at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago.

The 2020 edition of Best Lawyers in America recognized 30 Greenberg Traurig attorneys in 31 practice areas across the global firm’s three Texas offices.

Additionally, Kyle K. Fox, a shareholder in the firm’s Austin office, was named “Lawyer of the Year” in the category of Mergers & Acquisitions. Only one attorney in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as a “Lawyer of the Year.” Those recognized with this honor are selected based on voting averages received during peer-review assessments for their legal acumen, professionalism, and integrity.

Read a list of the honored lawyers.

Farrell Fritz had a combined total of 29 attorneys selected to the 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers and New York Metro Rising Stars lists.

The firm listed 21 attorneys for being selected to the 2019 New York Metro Super Lawyers list. The attorneys and the practice areas for which they have been recognized are: Kathryn Carney Cole, Peter A. Mahler, John P. McEntee and James M. Wicks (Business Litigation); Peter L. Curry (Real Estate); Jed C. Albert, Eric M. Kramer and Patricia C. Marcin (Estate & Probate); John (Jack) J. Barnosky, Ilene Sherwyn Cooper, John R. Morken, Eric W. Penzer and Frank T. Santoro (Estate & Trust Litigation); Martin (Marty) G. Bunin and Patrick T. Collins (Bankruptcy: Business); Charlotte A. Biblow (Environmental); Domenique Camacho Moran (Employment & Labor); Jason S. Samuels (Construction Litigation); Louis Vlahos (Tax); and Joel R. Weiss (Criminal Defense: White Collar).

The firm also listed nine attorneys for being selected to the 2019 New York Metro Rising Stars list. The attorneys and the practice areas for which they have been recognized are: Azriel J. Baer (Estate & Probate); Edward D. Baker, Jaclene D’Agostino, Cheryl Erato and Robert M. Harper (Estate & Trust Litigation); Joshua M. Herman (Business Litigation); Hamutal Lieberman (Intellectual Property); Richard Quatrano (Business/Corporate); and Jacklyn A. Zitelli (Real Estate).

Nine attorneys with Beaumont-based Provost Umphrey Law Firm, LLP, have earned recognition in the 2019 Texas Super Lawyers guide published by Thomson Reuters.

Firm equity partner Bryan O. Blevins Jr. has been recognized for his work representing plaintiffs injured by consumer products. Equity partners Edward D. Fisher, Joe J. Fisher II, D’Juana Parks, James E. Payne and David P. Wilson made the prestigious annual listing for their representation of plaintiffs involved in a variety of personal injury cases.

Firm attorneys Darren L. Brown and Matthew C. Matheny were also honored for their plaintiff’s personal injury work, with attorney Keith J. Hyde earning recognition for his environmental litigation practice.

Trial attorney Barry Sorrels of Sorrels Hagood again has been recognized among the top white-collar criminal defense attorneys in Texas. He has earned selection to the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list each year since its creation in 2003.

The firm said Sorrels has represented clients in high-profile criminal matters both at the state and federal levels. His clientele has included elected officials, business executives, professional athletes, doctors and other medical professionals facing investigations and formal charges, including fraud, corruption and other state and federal white-collar criminal offenses. He was recognized by the 2020 Best Lawyers in America, an honor Sorrels has earned since 1999. He also is consistently named to D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas listing.

He is board certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

A former president of the Dallas Bar Association and the Patrick E. Higginbotham Inn of Court, Sorrels also frequently lends his criminal defense expertise to national news outlets, such as CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, TruTV and Dallas TV news stations.

Ward, Smith & Hill name partners Johnny Ward and Wesley Hill have earned the distinction of being named among the state’s Top 100 attorneys in the 2019 Texas Super Lawyers listing.

Ward and Hill also earned recognition in the Top 100 attorneys in Dallas-Fort Worth for their intellectual property litigation. In addition, name partner Bruce Smith was honored for plaintiff personal injury work, and of counsel and former federal Judge T. John Ward earned selection for intellectual property litigation. He has received that honor every year since retiring in 2011 from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

With no more than 5 percent of Texas lawyers selected each year, the Texas Super Lawyers list recognizes the state’s top attorneys based on peer nominations and extensive editorial research.

The firm said Ward, Smith & Hill has received numerous professional accolades, including a recent spot in the 2020 Best Lawyers in America listing and the 2019 legal guide IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2019, which features top global patent firms.

Dallas attorney Meloney Perry of Perry Law P.C. has been selected to the 2019 Texas Super Lawyers listing for her work in insurance coverage.

The Texas Super Lawyers list was compiled following a statewide survey of lawyers, vetting by a blue-ribbon panel of the state’s leading attorneys, and extensive editorial review. Thomson Reuters publishes the list in the October editions of Texas Monthly and Super Lawyers magazines.

Perry is an insurance defense attorney with more than 20 years of experience. She represents insurance companies in coverage disputes, bad faith and class actions. She serves as the primary regional lawyer for a major national insurance carrier and represents companies in insurance and business disputes throughout Texas, New Mexico and Colorado.

In addition to being honored by Super Lawyers, Perry earlier this year was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America. She has served in multiple leadership roles within the State Bar of Texas and is a frequent presenter at legal seminars that focus on insurance coverage, bad faith matters and the law.

Six partners with the boutique family law firm Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP, have earned a place among Texas Super Lawyers’ 2019 listing of the Top 100 attorneys in Texas, the most of any law firm in the state.

Selected to that exclusive ranking were partners Richard Orsinger, Keith Nelson, Scott Downing, Jeff Anderson, Brad LaMorgese and Lon Loveless. Messrs. Nelson, Downing, Anderson, LaMorgese and Loveless earned additional recognition among the Top 100 attorneys in Dallas-Fort Worth. San Antonio-based Mr. Orsinger was selected among the Top 50 attorneys in Central/West Texas.

Super Lawyers also named five other attorneys from the firm to its annual list of top attorneys: William Reppeto, Amber Liddell Alwais, Paul Hewett, Chris Oldner, and James Loveless. Earlier this year, Holly Rampy Baird, Porter Corrigan, Ryan Kirkham, and Taylor Mohr were named to the list of 2019 Texas Rising Stars, bringing the firm’s total attorneys recognized this year to 15.

Orsinger, Nelson, Downing and Anderson have been among the state’s top family law attorneys every year since 2003.

Grace H. Lee has rejoined Venable LLP’s Independent School Practice as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office. Lee is the former vice president of legal affairs at the National Business Officers Association (NBOA), where she oversaw the legal affairs and human resources programming for independent school business officers and served as a resource for member schools on current and evolving legal challenges affecting the independent school community.

In a release, the firm said Lee will continue to work with business officers, board members, human resources professionals, and heads of school to advance the mission priorities and culture of institutions while meeting their business needs and mitigating potential liability. Prior to her role at NBOA, Lee was an attorney at Venable from 2007 to 2012, where she provided guidance and legal counsel to the firm’s independent school clients on a broad range of issues including employee policies, contracts, worker classification issues, difficult employee situations, student and family issues, governance, legal claims, and regulatory compliance. She is a frequent presenter at national and local independent school association conferences, has written extensively on school legal issues, and provides a substantial amount of training to faculty and staff around the country.

Lee received her J.D. from George Washington University School of Law in 2001 and her B.A. from Northwestern University in 1998.

Trial attorney Majed Nachawati, co-founding partner of Dallas-based Fears Nachawati Law Firm, has earned recognition on the 2019 Texas Super Lawyers list.

Nachawati’s selection to the annual peer-review listing was based on his class action and mass torts litigation work. He has successfully represented individuals harmed by prescription drugs, medical devices and defective products.

Nachawati is a member of the State Bar of Texas Professionalism Committee, Dallas Bar Association’s Legal Ethics Committee, the Public Justice Board of Directors, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association Board of Directors and is a Leader’s Forum member of the American Association for Justice. Nachawati also recently earned a spot in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Researchers for Thomson Reuters-owned Super Lawyers compile the annual list of honorees based on nominations from more than 70,000 practicing lawyers in Texas. A blue-ribbon panel of attorneys assists with final selections. Less than 5 percent of all Texas lawyers earn the honor each year.

The Super Lawyers list is published in the October issues of Texas Monthly and the Texas edition of Super Lawyers magazines. The full list is available online at http://www.superlawyers.com.