Chambers and Partners, in its 2026 edition of Chambers USA, ranked Haynes Boone among the nation’s leading law firms as the firm achieved record results with 111 lawyers and 44 practice rankings. This year represents the firm’s strongest performance to date and highlights its continued growth, with 15 lawyers ranked Band 1 and three newly ranked practices in Texas.
Published annually, Chambers USA recognizes the nation’s leading lawyers and law firms through extensive independent research and in-depth interviews with practitioners and clients, evaluating criteria such as technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial insight, diligence, commitment and additional qualities most valued by clients.
Firm highlights from Chambers USA 2026 include:
- Three Haynes Boone lawyers earned Band 1 national rankings, Chambers’ highest distinction: Deborah Coldwell (Franchising), Craig Stahl (Oil and Gas Litigation) and Laura Prather (First Amendment Litigation).
- 15 lawyers earned Band 1 rankings in state directories: Kit Addleman (Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations), Jeffrey Becker (Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright and Trade Secrets), Charles A. Beckham Jr. (Bankruptcy/Restructuring), Carrie DiCanio (Insurance), Ernest Martin Jr. (Insurance), David McCombs (Intellectual Property), Val McWhorter (Construction: Mediators), Mary Mendoza (Environment), Ann Marie Painter (Labor & Employment), Purvi Patel Albers (Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright and Trade Secrets), Erin Simmons (Banking and Finance), Leslie Thorne (Litigation: General Commercial), Brian Vella (Construction), Victor Vital (Litigation: Trial Lawyers) and Susan Wetzel (Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation).
- This year, eight Haynes Boone attorneys earned Chambers rankings for the first time: Joseph Lawlor (Advertising: NAD Proceedings), Reid Pillifant (First Amendment Litigation), Adrian Azer (Insurance: Policyholder), Chris Knight (Litigation: Appellate), David Harper (Litigation: General Commercial), Tim Newman (Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations), Sharon Baldasare (Real Estate: Mainly Dirt) and Gavin George (Technology: Corporate & Commercial).
- Three Haynes Boone attorneys earned Chambers rankings in the following categories for the first time: Tiffany Ferris (Advertising: NAD Proceedings), Kathryn Muldoon Griffin (Government Contracts) and Tom Chen (Intellectual Property: Patent Prosecution),
- Three practices debuted with rankings in Texas: Tax, Environment: Mainly Transactional and Technology: Outsourcing.
- Haynes Boone’s Insurance Practice Group was ranked Band 1 in Texas for the 23rd consecutive year.
The following Haynes Boone practice groups are ranked this year:
USA – Nationwide
- Banking & Finance
- Derivatives
- Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
- Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional)
- Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Compliance)
- First Amendment Litigation
- Franchising
- Government Contracts: The Elite
- Intellectual Property: Patent Trial and Appeal Board
- Intellectual Property: Trademark & Copyright
- Occupational Safety and Health
- Oil & Gas Litigation
- Real Estate
- Securities: Regulation: Enforcement
California
- Intellectual Property: Patent Prosecution
Colorado
- Corporate/M&A
District of Columbia
- Insurance: Policyholder
New York
- Banking & Finance
- Real Estate: Mainly Corporate & Finance
- Real Estate: Mainly Dirt
North Carolina
- Banking & Finance
Texas
- Antitrust
- Banking & Finance
- Bankruptcy/Restructuring
- Corporate/M&A: The Elite
- Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation (Electricity)
- Environment
- Environment: Mainly Transactional
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Intellectual Property
- Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets
- Labor & Employment
- Litigation: Appellate
- Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
- Real Estate
- Tax
- Technology: Corporate & Commercial
- Technology: Outsourcing
Texas: Austin & Surrounds
- Litigation: General Commercial
Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds
- Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
- Litigation: General Commercial
Virginia
- Construction
Below are the individually recognized Haynes Boone lawyers and their respective practice areas:
Advertising: NAD Proceedings
- Tiffany Ferris (USA – Nationwide)
- Joseph Lawlor (USA – Nationwide)
Antitrust
- Ronald Breaux (Texas)
Appellate Law
- Dan Geyser (USA – Nationwide)
Banking & Finance
- Erin Simmons (Colorado)
- Todd Cubbage (North Carolina)
- Charles Harris (North Carolina)
- Justin Riess (North Carolina)
- Sakina Foster (Texas)
- Timothy Johnston (Texas)
- Neal Kaminsky (Texas)
- James Markus (Texas)
- Scott Night (Texas)
- Tim Powers (Texas)
Bankruptcy/Restructuring
- Charles A. Beckham Jr. (Texas)
- Eli Columbus (Texas)
- Frasher Murphy (Texas)
- Ian Peck (Texas)
- Stephen Pezanosky (Texas)
- Kelli Norfleet (Texas)
Construction
- Jennifer Mahar (Virginia)
- Brian Vella (Virginia)
Construction: Mediators
- Val McWhorter (Virginia)
Corporate/M&A
- Dan Malone (Colorado)
- Brent Beckert (Texas)
- Michael Boone (Texas)
- Larry Shosid (Texas)
Derivatives
- Matthew Frankle (USA – Nationwide)
- Brian Sung (USA – Nationwide)
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
- Chris Kang (Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds)
- Susan Wetzel (Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds)
- Jesse Gelsomini (Texas: Houston & Surrounds)
- Brian Giovannini (Texas: Houston & Surrounds)
Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional)
- Austin Elam (USA – Nationwide)
- Jeremy Kennedy (USA – Nationwide)
- Hugh Tucker (USA – Nationwide)
Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation (Electricity)
- Carlos Carrasco (Texas)
- Diana Liebmann (Texas)
- Jennifer Littlefield (Texas)
Environment
- John Fognani (Colorado)
- Jeff Civins (Texas)
- John Eldridge (Texas)
- Michael Mazzone (Texas)
- Mary Mendoza (Texas)
Environment: Mainly Transactional
- Jeff Civins (Texas)
- Mary Mendoza (Texas)
Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Compliance)
- Giorgio Bovenzi (USA – Nationwide)
- Craig Unterberg (USA – Nationwide)
First Amendment Litigation
- Michael Lambert (USA – Nationwide)
- Reid Pillifant (USA – Nationwide)
- Laura Prather (USA – Nationwide)
- Catherine Robb (USA – Nationwide)
Franchising
- Deb Coldwell (USA – Nationwide)
- Rob Lauer (USA – Nationwide)
Government Contracts
- Ed Amorosi (USA – Nationwide)
- Kathryn Muldoon Griffin (USA – Nationwide)
- John Pachter (USA – Nationwide)
- Zachary Prince (USA – Nationwide)
- Jonathan Shaffer (USA – Nationwide)
Government Contracts: Bid Protests
- Jonathan Shaffer (USA – Nationwide)
Healthcare
- Stacy Brainin (Texas)
- Jennifer Kreick (Texas)
Insurance
- Carrie DiCanio (Colorado)
- Natalie DuBose (Texas)
- Ernest Martin (Texas)
- Micah Skidmore (Texas)
Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder
- Peter Halprin (New York)
Insurance: Policyholder
- Adrian Azer (District of Columbia)
- Barry Buchman (District of Columbia)
- Greg Van Houten (District of Columbia)
Intellectual Property
- Russell Emerson (Texas)
- David McCombs (USA – Nationwide; Texas)
Intellectual Property: Patent Prosecution
- Tom Chen (California)
Intellectual Property: Patent Trial and Appeal Board
- David McCombs (USA – Nationwide)
Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets
- Jeffrey Becker (Texas)
- David Bell (Texas)
- Tiffany Ferris (Texas)
- Mike McArthur (Texas)
- Purvi Patel Albers (Texas)
Labor & Employment
- Matthew Deffebach (Texas)
- Karen Denney (Texas)
- Laura O'Donnell (Texas)
- Ann Marie Painter (Texas)
Life Sciences: IP/Patent Litigation
- Ben Pelletier (California)
Litigation: Appellate
- Nina Cortell (Texas)
- Polly Fohn (Texas)
- Dan Geyser (Texas)
- Chris Knight (Texas)
- Lynne Liberato (Texas)
- Ben Mesches (Texas)
- Ryan Pitts (Texas)
- Karen Precella (Texas)
- Kent Rutter (Texas)
- Mark Trachtenberg (Texas)
Litigation: General Commercial
- Leslie Thorne (Texas: Austin & Surrounds)
- Aimee Furness (Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds)
- David Harper (Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds)
- Victor Vital (Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds)
Litigation: Trial Lawyers
- Victor Vital (Texas)
Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
- Kit Addleman (Texas)
- Stacy Brainin (Texas)
- Ronald Breaux (Texas)
- Nick Bunch (Texas)
- Taryn McDonald (Texas)
- Tim Newman (Texas)
Occupational Safety and Health
- Matthew Deffebach (USA – Nationwide)
- Mini Kapoor (USA – Nationwide)
Oil & Gas Litigation
- David Ammons (USA – Nationwide)
- D.J. Beaty (USA – Nationwide)
- Garrett Martin (USA – Nationwide)
- Craig Stahl (USA – Nationwide)
Projects
- Hugh Tucker (USA – Nationwide)
Real Estate
- Brack Bryant (Texas)
- Scott Drablos (Texas)
Real Estate: Finance
- Steven Koch (New York)
Real Estate: Mainly Dirt
- Sharon Baldasare (New York)
- Bradford Lavender (New York)
- Jeffrey Moerdler (New York)
Securities: Regulation: Enforcement
- Kit Addleman (USA – Nationwide)
- Kurt Gottschall (USA – Nationwide)
Technology: Corporate & Commercial
- Randall Colson (Texas)
- Gavin George (Texas)
- Bill Kleinman (Texas)
Technology: Outsourcing
- Randall Colson (Texas)
