More than 90 Husch Blackwell Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers in America® Ones to Watch
August 21, 2025 - The Best Lawyers in America® has named 94 Husch Blackwell lawyers to its 2026 "Ones to Watch" listing, 36 of whom are being listed for the first time. The "Ones to Watch" list, established in 2020, recognizes attorneys who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.
*Denotes Ones to Watch honorees listed for the first time.
ARIZONA
Phoenix
*Alejandra Curiel-Molina – Commercial Litigation
Andrew McNichol – Commercial Litigation
*Brendan Melander – Commercial Litigation; Labor and Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
*Brandon Stein – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles
Hilda Akopyan – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Allison Scott – Labor and Employment Law – Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Rochelle Smith – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
COLORADO
Denver
*Megan Beebe – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
*Maria Bock – Corporate Law
Megan Fugier – Insurance Law; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Heather Gasper – Real Estate Law
FLORIDA
Palmetto Bay
Caitlyn McCutcheon – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
GEORGIA
Atlanta
Baylee Culverhouse – Health Care Law
ILLINOIS
Chicago
*Mary Deweese – Education Law
*AJ Fabianczyk – Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law
*Jon Micah Goeller – Energy Law; Environmental Law
Claire LaFont – Real Estate Law
Samuel M. Mitchell – Labor and Employment Law - Employee; Labor and Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Jennifer Ralph – Labor and Employment Law - Management
*Kayla Schmidt – Commercial Litigation; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
LOUISIANA
New Orleans
Chelsea Gaudin Favret – Litigation - Environmental; Litigation - Labor and Employment; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Jordan Nixon – Commercial Litigation; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendant; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
Samuel Lee – Energy Law, Real Estate Law
*Mara Pollets – Energy Law, Real Estate Law
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis
Natalia Kruse – Banking and Finance Law; Commercial Litigation
MISSOURI
Jefferson City
*Elizabeth LaFoe – Health Care Law
Kansas City
*Kenyon Briggs – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Drew Canning – Health Care Law
*McKinley Duke – Trusts and Estates
*Sierra Faler – Commercial Litigation
Sara Fevurly – Commercial Litigation
*A.J. James – Education Law
Rachel Kim-Walter – Labor and Employment Law - Employee; Labor and Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Brynna Krough-Deaton – Energy Law; Real Estate Law
*Jessica McDowell – Labor and Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Nikki Multer – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Bryce Navarro – Banking and Finance Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
*Kip Randall – Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Mary Sprouse – Corporate Law, Energy Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
*Courtney Steelman – Labor and Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
*Lucas Whited – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Springfield
Christina Brunty – Commercial Litigation; Labor and Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
*Ryan Olson – Commercial Litigation
St. Louis
Lazaro Aguiar – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Molly Dugan – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Brandon Hall – Corporate Law
*David Human, Jr. – Real Estate Law
Katie Jenner – Real Estate Law
Mary Kate Mullen – Commercial Litigation
Theresa Mullineaux – Commercial Litigation; Education Law
Nicholas Scholz – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Trusts and Estates
*Shmuel Shulman – Commercial Litigation
Sydney Thomas – Alternative Dispute Resolution; Commercial Litigation
Ryan White – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
Sarah Zimmerman – Commercial Litigation
NEBRASKA
Omaha
*Amanda JoLee – Commercial Litigation; Labor and Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Casey Kidwell – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia
Marisa De Feo – Commercial Litigation
TENNESSEE
Chattanooga
*Adam Buddenbohn – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs
Nashville
Shelby Lomax – Banking and Finance Law; Financial Services Regulation Law
Ryan Wautlet – Tax Law; Trusts and Estates
TEXAS
Austin
*Lauren Collins – Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Tara LeDay – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Taylor Wood – Real Estate Law
Alaina Zermeno – Energy Law
Dallas
Alex Brakefield – Appellate Practice; Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Colin Byrne – Litigation - Trusts and Estates
Andrew Katon – Labor and Employment Law – Employee; Labor and Employment Law – Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
*Megan Mainiero – Real Estate Law
*Cooper Page – Labor and Employment Law - Management
Tom Zavala - Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Houston
Jarett Dillard – Construction Law; Litigation - Construction
Quinncy McNeal – Litigation - Construction
*Brenda Phelps – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Joshua Gostel - Commercial Litigation; Insurance Law; Litigation - Construction; Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
*Jamie Nakoa McCabe – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
Julia Kopcienski – Criminal Defense: White-Collar
*Danny Solomon – Appellate Practice; Commercial Litigation
*Ryan Spraker – Education Law
WISCONSIN
Madison
*Catherine Albrecht-Wiese – Banking and Finance Law
Joseph Diedrich – Appellate Practice; Commercial Litigation; Communications Law
*Jordan Hughes – Corporate Law
Mary Parmeter – Banking and Finance Law; Real Estate Law
Milwaukee
Margaret Brend – Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Thomas Chmielnik – Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Catarina Colón – Labor and Employment Law - Employee; Labor and Employment Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment
Angela Harden – Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Real Estate
*Brian Laning – Intellectual Property Law; Patent Law
*Blake Nold – Commercial Litigation; Construction Law
*Rachel Paulus – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Adam Roundy – Banking and Finance Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law
Jason Smathers – Commercial Litigation; Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
McKenzie Tibbetts – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships); Corporate Law; Tax Law
Kelsey Toledo – Education Law; Health Care Law
The firm also has more than 280 attorneys named to The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 listing, which is based on a national survey involving detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.