News & Knowledge

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to announce that 49 of its attorneys have been named to the 2027 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, the oldest and most respected peer-reviewed publication in the legal profession, reaffirming the firm’s standing as a premier litigation power nationwide. Many honorees have appeared on the list year after year, with some recognized for nearly two decades, a testament to the sustained, peer-recognized excellence that clients rely on and that makes FormanWatkins a destination for top litigation talent.

Among this year’s honorees, 20 attorneys were named to the Ones to Watch list, which recognizes associates and other early-career lawyers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. Together, these rising attorneys and long-tenured litigators reflect a firm that invests in lawyers at every career stage.

Attorneys selected to 2027 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
• K.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
• Cleo Fekaris – 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, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – 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, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – 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
• 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
• Vickie R. Thompson – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Caroline Upchurch – Commercial Litigation, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, 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 – Insurance, Litigation – Labor and Employment, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

Attorneys selected to 2027 Best Lawyers in America© - Ones to Watch:

• Albert Adams – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Whitney M. Antoine – Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law
• Kelsi Baldwin – Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Will Brand – Litigation – Labor and Employment and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Melissa D. Fuller – Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, 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 Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Molly McNair – Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Damonta Morgan – Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Etienne F. René – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Daniel Roberts – Product 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 – Defendants
• 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
• Kara Bidstrup Walker – Litigation – Labor and Employment
• 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.