Chambers USA 2026 Recognizes 170 Ballard Spahr Attorneys and 71 Practices
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The 2026 edition of the Chambers USA legal industry guide has seen Ballard Spahr once again featured extensively throughout the rankings. Chambers recognized 170 Ballard Spahr attorneys across a total of 189 individual rankings, as well as 71 Ballard Spahr practice rankings.
Within the firm’s 71 practice area rankings, 14 received Band 1 rankings, including a new top-tier placement for Arizona Environment. Ballard Spahr’s Band 1 practice area rankings include Nationwide First Amendment Litigation; Arizona Environment; Delaware Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigation; District of Columbia Media & Entertainment, Maryland Real Estate; Pennsylvania Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation; Pennsylvania Litigation: Securities; Pennsylvania Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigation; Pennsylvania Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use; Pennsylvania (Philadelphia & Surrounds) Banking & Finance; Pennsylvania (Philadelphia & Surrounds) Real Estate; Washington Banking & Finance; Washington Construction; and Washington Healthcare.
Ballard Spahr also earned new practice area rankings for Nationwide Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded, and California Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded. These new rankings were received following the opening of the firm’s San Francisco office and addition of the country’s leading litigation team for retail consumer class action defense in February of this year.
Among Ballard’s individual attorney honors, the firm received 35 Band 1 rankings in a range of practice areas and jurisdictions. Seth D. Berlin, David J. Bodney, Alan S. Kaplinsky, Jon M. Laria, Michael E. Morgan, Mark Pollak, and Raymond G. Truitt were recognized as Senior Statespeople. Charles D. Tobin was newly recognized as a Star Individual. Across the complete attorney rankings, 17 attorneys were ranked in more than one practice area, and 20 were ranked for first time. The complete list of attorneys to receive Band 1 rankings this year includes:
- Amy L. Arndt, Corporate/Commercial (South Dakota)
- David L. Axelrod, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Pennsylvania)
- Kara Backus, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Oregon)
- Stanton P. Beck, Construction (Washington)
- Jennifer McMillan Beyerlein, Construction (Washington)
- Chad R. Bowman, Media & Entertainment (District of Columbia)
- Jay Ward Brown, First Amendment Litigation (Nationwide); Media & Entertainment (District of Columbia)
- Angela M. Christy, Real Estate (Minnesota)
- David W. Criswell, Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Oregon)
- Douglas M. Fox, REITs: Maryland Counsel (Nationwide)
- Gregory R. Fox, Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Washington)
- M. Norman Goldberger, Litigation: Securities (Pennsylvania)
- Henry E. Hockeimer, Jr., Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Pennsylvania)
- Alan S. Kaplinsky, Banking & Finance: Mainly Regulatory (Pennsylvania)
- Denise M. Keyser, Labor & Employment (New Jersey)
- Robert C. Kim, Corporate/Commercial (Nevada)
- Wendi L. Kotzen, Tax (Pennsylvania)
- Brian W. LaCorte, Intellectual Property (Arizona)
- Matthew N. McClure, Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use (Pennsylvania)
- Bart I. Mellits, Real Estate (Pennsylvania (Philadelphia & Surrounds))
- Beth Moskow-Schnoll, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Delaware)
- Dustin O'Quinn, Immigration (Washington)
- Michael Parise, Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Alaska)
- Christopher W. Payne, Real Estate: Hotels & Leisure (Colorado)
- Brian D. Pedrow, Labor & Employment (Pennsylvania)
- Richard S. Perelman, Banking & Finance (Pennsylvania (Philadelphia & Surrounds))
- Brian M. Pinheiro, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Pennsylvania)
- Alan S. Ritterband, Real Estate (Pennsylvania (Philadelphia & Surrounds))
- Gabriela Sanchez, Healthcare (Oregon)
- Margaret "Peg" Sonnenfeld (Brivanlou), Ph.D., Intellectual Property: Patent: Transactional (New York)
- Thomas B. Sullivan, Media & Entertainment: First Amendment Litigation (New York)
- Charles D. Tobin, Media & Entertainment (District of Columbia)
- Roger D. Winston, Real Estate (District of Columbia)
- Lesley Frieder Wolf, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Delaware)
The Chambers USA methodology involves client interviews, peer reviews, and independent research. The rankings reflect the criteria considered most valued by clients—legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness, diligence, and value.
See full list of rankings below.
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