Ballard Spahr
Press Release

Ballard Spahr Practices, Lawyers Named to Legal 500 2026

June 11, 2026

Legal 500 has recognized 64 Ballard Spahr lawyers and 18 firm practices for national excellence in the 2026 edition of its annual industry guide.

This highly regarded guide to the U.S. legal field recognizes Ballard Spahr lawyers and practices across a range of legal disciplines and industries, demonstrating the firm’s exceptional capabilities spanning regulatory, transactional, and litigation practices.

Of note this year, five Ballard Spahr attorneys were named as Leading Partners, two were named Next Generation Partners, and one was named a Leading Associate. These honors are based upon recognition from their industry peers. Four firm attorneys were newly ranked in the Energy: Renewable/Alternative practice area, with another three achieving new rankings in both the Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense, and Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance practice areas.

Leading Partners

Next Generation Partners

Leading Associate

Among the practice area recognitions, Ballard Spahr’s Consumer Financial Services Group maintained its Tier 1 national ranking, the highest ranking possible, for the practice area of Financial Services Regulation, and the firm's Real Estate Department saw its ranking elevated to Tier 2 for the Real Estate - Mid-Market ($0-500m) practice area.

Ballard Spahr Practice Areas Recognized by The Legal 500 for 2026

  • Antitrust – Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defense
  • Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense
  • Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation, and Retirement Plans: Design
  • Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power
  • Financial Services Litigation: Consumer Finance
  • Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance
  • Fintech
  • Labor and Employment: Labor-Management Relations
  • M&A/Corporate and Commercial – M&A: Middle-Market (sub-$500m)
  • Media and Entertainment: Litigation
  • Product Liability, Mass Tort, and Class Action – Automotive/Transport: Defense
  • Project Finance: Energy and Power
  • Real Estate
  • Real Estate Finance
  • Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
  • Real Estate: Land Use/Zoning
  • Restructuring (Including Bankruptcy): Municipal
  • Securities Litigation: Defense

Ballard Spahr Attorneys Recognized by The Legal 500 for 2026

Antitrust - Civil Litigation/Class Action: Defense

  • Stephen J. Kastenberg
  • Jason A. Leckerman
  • Emilia McKee Vassallo

Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense

  • David L. Axelrod
  • Celia Cohen
  • Lesley Frieder Wolf
  • Henry E. Hockeimer, Jr.
  • James A. Mitchell
  • Beth Moskow-Schnoll
  • Marjorie J. Peerce
  • Stephen Stigall

Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation, and Retirement Plans – Design

  • Brian M. Pinheiro – Leading Partner
  • D. Finn Pressly

Energy: Renewable/Alternative Power

  • Brendan K. Collins
  • Bruce F. Johnson
  • Harry Weiss
  • Katie Leesman
  • Lea A. Phillips
  • Patrick R. Gillard

Financial Services Litigation: Consumer Finance

  • Thomas Burke
  • Daniel JT McKenna
  • Jenny N. Perkins
  • John D. Socknat

Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance

  • Richard J. Andreano, Jr.
  • Daniel JT McKenna
  • Kaley N. Schafer
  • Joseph J. Schuster – Next Generation Partner
  • John D. Socknat
  • Daniel Wilkinson

Fintech

  • John L. Culhane, Jr.
  • Peter Jaslow
  • Marjorie J. Peerce
  • John D. Socknat
  • Ronald K. Vaske

Labor and Employment: Labor – Management Relations

  • Meredith S. Dante
  • Priya B. Vivian

M&A/Corporate and Commercial – M&A: Middle-Market (sub-$500m)

  • Brian D. Doerner – Leading Partner
  • Barbara Lano Rummel
  • Micheal E. Morgan
  • Nathan E. Seiler
  • Gregory L. Seltzer – Leading Partner

Media and Entertainment: Litigation

  • Michael Berry
  • Seth D. Berlin
  • Chad R. Bowman

Project Finance: Energy and Power

  • Patrick R. Gillard
  • Katie Leesman

Real Estate Finance

  • Thomas A. Hauser
  • Siobhan M. O’Donnell Sachs
  • Joseph W. Weill

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

  • J. Thomas Bashore II – Leading Associate
  • Craig Solomon Ganz
  • Douglas M. Fox – Leading Partner
  • Wendi L. Kotzen

Real Estate: Land Use/Zoning

  • Amy M. McClain
  • Matthew N. McClure – Leading Partner
  • Steven P. Mehr
  • Jill S. Parks

Restructuring (Including Bankruptcy): Municipal

  • Tobey M. Daluz – Leading Partner
  • Laurel D. Roglen – Next Generation Partner
  • Matthew G. Summers
  • William P. Wassweiler

Securities Litigation: Defense

  • David L. Axelrod
  • Alan C. Cardenas-Moreno
  • Lauren Engelmyer
  • M. Norman Goldberger
  • David J. Margules
  • Elizabeth A. Sloan
  • Emily C. Friedman

Legal 500’s methodology encompasses both qualitative and quantitative research and analysis. Listings are based on feedback from 300,000 legal and business professionals worldwide, as well as law firm submissions, lawyer interviews, and analysis by experienced legal market researchers. The listings are not approved or endorsed by any judicial body.

For media inquiries, please contact Will Ashenmacher at 612.371.5792.


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