News & Knowledge

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is pleased to announce that 41 FormanWatkins attorneys have been recognized in the 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.

FormanWatkins is also proud to have partner, Nick Giallourakis, selected as Lawyer of the Year in Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants. Lawyer of the Year is awarded to only one attorney in each community and practice area, highlighting exceptional achievement and peer recognition.

Of the forty-one attorneys, thirteen were recognized as Ones to Watch, a list recognizing associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.

Attorneys selected to 2026 Best Lawyers in America©:

• Charles H. Abbott – Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Mary Clift Abdalla – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
• Michael H. Abraham – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Pete F. Andarsio – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Michael L. Baker – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• James L. Banks – Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• B. Battaglini – Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, and Natural Resources Law
• Tanya D. Ellis – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Sharon M. Garner – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Edwin S. Gault, Jr. – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Insurance, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Nicholas C. Giallourakis – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Tim Gray – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Action – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Brian B. Hannula – Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Fred Krutz – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• David W. Ledyard – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• McCann LeFeve – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Amy L. Maccherone – Litigation – Environmental and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Mitch McGuffey – Commercial Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Alison O’Neal McMinn – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Production Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Joshua J. Metcalf – Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Daniel J. Mulholland – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Patrice Pujol – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation Defendants
• Michelle M. Roy – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Jennifer M. Studebaker – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Caroline Upchurch – Commercial Litigation and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Walter G. Watkins III – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Walter G. Watkins, Jr. – Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Malissa Wilson – Litigation – Labor and Employment and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Attorneys selected to 2026 Best Lawyers in America©: Ones to Watch:

• Whitney M. Antoine – Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law
• Melissa D. Fuller – Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Joel Fyke – Appellate Practice, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Courtney Hunt – Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Sampada Kapoor – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Chelsea C. Lewis – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Ruth Maron Huskey – Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Margaret W. McLaughlin – Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Prodcut Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Catherine Pettis Rule – Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Autumn T. Smith – Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and personal Injury Litigation
• Peyton Smith – Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Andrew Stubbs – Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Taylor Delrie Waxley – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants

Best Lawyers has earned the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and has since expanded to more than seventy-five countries.

Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America© list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise and undergo a verification process to confirm that they are in current practice and good standing.