Awards and Rankings

Best Law Firms Recognizes Ballard Spahr With 29 National Tier 1 Rankings, 124 Top Regional Rankings, and Law Firm of the Year Honors in Media Law

November 6, 2025

Ballard Spahr received 29 National Tier 1 rankings, 124 Tier 1 Regional rankings, and earned Law Firm of the Year honors for Media Law in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms released today.

Best Law Firms recognizes firms for professional excellence based on feedback provided by clients and other attorneys about performance, capabilities, and professionalism. The Law Firm of the Year honor is awarded to just one firm nationally for each practice area, reserved for the firms that have an outstanding overall performance record in a particular practice area.

This marks the second time in three years that Ballard Spahr’s Media and Entertainment Law Group has been named Law Firm of the Year for Media Law, and a continuation of the firm’s success in these awards, with Ballard Spahr receiving 2025 Law Firm of the Year honors for the category of Litigation - First Amendment last year.

Ballard Spahr earned Tier 1 national rankings in 29 areas spanning transactional, regulatory, and litigation practices, showcasing the firm’s deep strength across areas of client need. The 29 practice areas are:

Banking and Finance Law

Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Commercial Litigation

Corporate Law

Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Employment Law - Management

Environmental Law

Financial Services Regulation Law

Labor Law - Management

Land Use and Zoning Law

Litigation - Banking and Finance

Litigation - Bankruptcy

Litigation - Construction

Litigation - First Amendment

Litigation - Intellectual Property

Litigation - Labor and Employment

Litigation - Real Estate

Media Law

Mergers & Acquisitions Law

Patent Law

Project Finance Law

Public Finance Law

Real Estate Law

Securities/Capital Markets Law

Securities Regulation

Tax Law

Trademark Law

Trusts & Estates Law

In all, Ballard Spahr earned a total of 246 Best Law Firms rankings for 2026. The 124 Tier 1 Regional rankings across our offices nationwide include the addition of 36 new rankings between our Anchorage, Portland, and Seattle offices, as a result of our combination with Pacific Northwest firm Lane Powell PC at the beginning of 2025. Furthermore, Ballard Spahr’s Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and Phoenix offices each earned three new rankings this year, alongside additional new rankings for our Delaware, Philadelphia, and Utah offices.

Best Law Firms compiles its rankings by assessing feedback provided by law firm clients and professional references about responsiveness, understanding of client businesses and needs, cost-effectiveness, and civility. For further information, please see Best Law Firms’ methodology page.

For media inquiries, please contact Will Ashenmacher at 612.371.5792.

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