Top 250 - West
BERMAN TABACCO
Nicole Lavallee, Managing Partner of the firm's San Francisco office, balances her leadership responsibilities with an active securities litigation practice. She served as lead partner and liaison counsel for a set of plaintiffs and the class in litigation arising from Bayer's $63 billion acquisition of The Monstanto Company, which culminated in a $38 million settlement approved in October 2025. Lavallee has been cheered on by her peers for her “communication, strategy and expertise in the field.”
BLANK ROME
Linda Kornfeld, who hails out of Blank Rome's Los Angeles office, is the Co-Chair of the firm's Insurance Recovery Practice Group. She is well-regarded in the insurance space with peers noting her as "one of the best policyholder-side lawyers out there" who has "gained a lot of visibility for her high-dollar recoveries, which span a large and novel range of industries."
BUNSOW DE MORY
Denise De Mory, managing partner and co-founder of Bunsow De Mory, remains a prominent figure in the intellectual property litigation arena. In 2025, she led TOT Power Control to a trial victory against Apple in a patent infringement dispute involving wireless communications technology, securing a jury verdict of approximately $111 million in damages. Having joined the matter only a year before trial, De Mory was instrumental in charting the path to victory and adding another marquee result to her record.
HUESTON HENNIGAN
Allison Libeu of Hueston Hennigan continued to build on her growing profile through a series of high-stakes appellate and headline-generating matters. She helped secure a major victory for Monster, with the Ninth Circuit upholding a record-setting $311 million judgment and permanent injunction in a false advertising and trade secrets dispute. Libeu was also part of the team that successfully defended Amazon and Twitch in litigation arising from the Buffalo mass shooting, with a New York appellate court holding that Section 230 shielded the social media companies from liability. In addition, she represented Epic Games in widely watched litigation alleging that Fortnite's design intentionally fosters addiction among minor players, positioning her at the center of one of the year's most prominent dispute issues in the gaming industry.
HUNTON ANDREWS KURTH
Shannon Broome of Hunton Andrews Kurth is a leading environmental litigator whose practice sits at the intersection of climate change, air quality, ESG and complex regulatory disputes. As Managing Partner of the firm's San Francisco office and leader of its California Environmental Practice, Broome plays a central role in steering high-stakes matters for clients in the oil and gas, manufacturing, and other industrial sectors. Most recently, she secured a significant Maryland Supreme Court victory affirming the dismissal of Baltimore's climate change nuisance lawsuit, further cementing her reputation in climate-related litigation. Working alongside Broome on many of these precedent-setting matters, Cassandra "Sandy" Collins is widely respected for her command of complex procedural, discovery, and jurisdictional issues. A key member of Hunton Andrews Kurth's climate litigation team, Collins has played an instrumental role in shaping defense strategies for energy-sector clients facing significant environmental disputes. Colleagues describe her as a "master technician," particularly on personal jurisdiction issues, and credit her with orchestrating a significant climate litigation victory through her handling of complex jurisdictional arguments.
PAUL WEISS RIFKIND WHARTON & GARRISON
Described by one peer as "excellent," Melinda Haag has led significant government-facing disputes for major corporate clients. She co-led Amazon's defense in a consumer protection action brought by the District of Columbia Attorney General that ended in a favorable settlement, and represented Invitation Homes in resolving a California Attorney General investigation into eviction and rent practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SHOOK HARDY & BACON
Shook's First-Chair Trial Partner Jessica Grant has built a reputation handling complex class actions across the product liability and employment arenas. Her practice also encompasses PFAS litigation and a range of commercial disputes involving allegations of copyright infringement, fraud, and tortious interference. Grant's standing in the market was recently underscored by her shortlisting for Benchmark Litigation's 2026 Product Liability Litigator of the Year award.
SUMMIT LAW
Jessica Goldman is a senior partner at Seattle boutique Summit Law who stands out for her command of constitutional and public law disputes. Her practice regularly places her at the center of consequential litigation involving government entities and elected bodies, including the Washington State Legislature. Recently, Goldman successfully defended a Snohomish County judge against defamation claims brought by an election opponent and also delivered a significant win for the City of Seattle in litigation against Uber.
SUSMAN GODFREY
Kalpana Srinivasan, the firm's Managing Partner, continues to bolster her reputation as one of Susman Godfrey's premier trial lawyers. She recently secured a $175 million verdict for House Canary in a fraud and trade secrets dispute against AmRock, marking the second major trial victory she has achieved for the client. Her courtroom success continues to attract praise from the market, with one peer simply describing her as "excellent." Krysta Pachman remains at the forefront of complex litigation. Alongside Davida Brook, she is leading a closely watched class action against Pornhub parent company MindGeek, alleging sex-trafficking and child exploitation violations arising from the platform's publication and monetization of explicit content involving minors. The litigation has produced a series of notable victories, including defeating substantial portions of MindGeek's motion to dismiss and securing certification of an international class encompassing thousands of alleged victims. These successes underscore Pachman's ability to navigate novel and high-stakes disputes. Davida Brook continues to play a prominent role in groundbreaking litigation. In addition to her work alongside Krysta Pachman in the closely watched MindGeek litigation, she serves as co-lead counsel to The New York Times in its landmark copyright infringement action against Microsoft and OpenAI, alleging the unauthorized use of millions of news articles to train generative AI models. The first lawsuit of its kind brought by a newspaper publisher, the case cleared a significant hurdle in 2025 when Susman Godfrey defeated motions to dismiss key contributory infringement claims. Brook's involvement in these precedent-setting matters highlights her standing in cutting-edge commercial litigation.
WILMERHALE
Sonal Mehta continues to stand out as one of the most highly regarded trial lawyers in the market. Described by one colleague as a “powerhouse,” she earns consistent praise for her strategic judgment, courtroom presence, and ability to steer high-stakes disputes. Clients are equally enthusiastic. One notes, “Sonal is a skilled litigator and negotiator for[us]and we rely on her advice across much of our litigation profile.” Another goes even further, declaring: “Sonal is the best lead trial counsel I have ever worked with. Strategic, practical, and a good human above all else.” Such endorsements underscore Mehta’s reputation as a trusted adviser and formidable advocate in complex litigation.
BERMAN TABACCO
Nicole Lavallee, Managing Partner of the firm's San Francisco office, balances her leadership responsibilities with an active securities litigation practice. She served as lead partner and liaison counsel for a set of plaintiffs and the class in litigation arising from Bayer's $63 billion acquisition of The Monstanto Company, which culminated in a $38 million settlement approved in October 2025. Lavallee has been cheered on by her peers for her “communication, strategy and expertise in the field.”
BLANK ROME
Linda Kornfeld, who hails out of Blank Rome's Los Angeles office, is the Co-Chair of the firm's Insurance Recovery Practice Group. She is well-regarded in the insurance space with peers noting her as "one of the best policyholder-side lawyers out there" who has "gained a lot of visibility for her high-dollar recoveries, which span a large and novel range of industries."
BUNSOW DE MORY
Denise De Mory, managing partner and co-founder of Bunsow De Mory, remains a prominent figure in the intellectual property litigation arena. In 2025, she led TOT Power Control to a trial victory against Apple in a patent infringement dispute involving wireless communications technology, securing a jury verdict of approximately $111 million in damages. Having joined the matter only a year before trial, De Mory was instrumental in charting the path to victory and adding another marquee result to her record.
HUESTON HENNIGAN
Allison Libeu of Hueston Hennigan continued to build on her growing profile through a series of high-stakes appellate and headline-generating matters. She helped secure a major victory for Monster, with the Ninth Circuit upholding a record-setting $311 million judgment and permanent injunction in a false advertising and trade secrets dispute. Libeu was also part of the team that successfully defended Amazon and Twitch in litigation arising from the Buffalo mass shooting, with a New York appellate court holding that Section 230 shielded the social media companies from liability. In addition, she represented Epic Games in widely watched litigation alleging that Fortnite's design intentionally fosters addiction among minor players, positioning her at the center of one of the year's most prominent dispute issues in the gaming industry.
HUNTON ANDREWS KURTH
Shannon Broome of Hunton Andrews Kurth is a leading environmental litigator whose practice sits at the intersection of climate change, air quality, ESG and complex regulatory disputes. As Managing Partner of the firm's San Francisco office and leader of its California Environmental Practice, Broome plays a central role in steering high-stakes matters for clients in the oil and gas, manufacturing, and other industrial sectors. Most recently, she secured a significant Maryland Supreme Court victory affirming the dismissal of Baltimore's climate change nuisance lawsuit, further cementing her reputation in climate-related litigation. Working alongside Broome on many of these precedent-setting matters, Cassandra "Sandy" Collins is widely respected for her command of complex procedural, discovery, and jurisdictional issues. A key member of Hunton Andrews Kurth's climate litigation team, Collins has played an instrumental role in shaping defense strategies for energy-sector clients facing significant environmental disputes. Colleagues describe her as a "master technician," particularly on personal jurisdiction issues, and credit her with orchestrating a significant climate litigation victory through her handling of complex jurisdictional arguments.
PAUL WEISS RIFKIND WHARTON & GARRISON
Described by one peer as "excellent," Melinda Haag has led significant government-facing disputes for major corporate clients. She co-led Amazon's defense in a consumer protection action brought by the District of Columbia Attorney General that ended in a favorable settlement, and represented Invitation Homes in resolving a California Attorney General investigation into eviction and rent practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SHOOK HARDY & BACON
Shook's First-Chair Trial Partner Jessica Grant has built a reputation handling complex class actions across the product liability and employment arenas. Her practice also encompasses PFAS litigation and a range of commercial disputes involving allegations of copyright infringement, fraud, and tortious interference. Grant's standing in the market was recently underscored by her shortlisting for Benchmark Litigation's 2026 Product Liability Litigator of the Year award.
SUMMIT LAW
Jessica Goldman is a senior partner at Seattle boutique Summit Law who stands out for her command of constitutional and public law disputes. Her practice regularly places her at the center of consequential litigation involving government entities and elected bodies, including the Washington State Legislature. Recently, Goldman successfully defended a Snohomish County judge against defamation claims brought by an election opponent and also delivered a significant win for the City of Seattle in litigation against Uber.
SUSMAN GODFREY
Kalpana Srinivasan, the firm's Managing Partner, continues to bolster her reputation as one of Susman Godfrey's premier trial lawyers. She recently secured a $175 million verdict for House Canary in a fraud and trade secrets dispute against AmRock, marking the second major trial victory she has achieved for the client. Her courtroom success continues to attract praise from the market, with one peer simply describing her as "excellent." Krysta Pachman remains at the forefront of complex litigation. Alongside Davida Brook, she is leading a closely watched class action against Pornhub parent company MindGeek, alleging sex-trafficking and child exploitation violations arising from the platform's publication and monetization of explicit content involving minors. The litigation has produced a series of notable victories, including defeating substantial portions of MindGeek's motion to dismiss and securing certification of an international class encompassing thousands of alleged victims. These successes underscore Pachman's ability to navigate novel and high-stakes disputes. Davida Brook continues to play a prominent role in groundbreaking litigation. In addition to her work alongside Krysta Pachman in the closely watched MindGeek litigation, she serves as co-lead counsel to The New York Times in its landmark copyright infringement action against Microsoft and OpenAI, alleging the unauthorized use of millions of news articles to train generative AI models. The first lawsuit of its kind brought by a newspaper publisher, the case cleared a significant hurdle in 2025 when Susman Godfrey defeated motions to dismiss key contributory infringement claims. Brook's involvement in these precedent-setting matters highlights her standing in cutting-edge commercial litigation.
WILMERHALE
Sonal Mehta continues to stand out as one of the most highly regarded trial lawyers in the market. Described by one colleague as a “powerhouse,” she earns consistent praise for her strategic judgment, courtroom presence, and ability to steer high-stakes disputes. Clients are equally enthusiastic. One notes, “Sonal is a skilled litigator and negotiator for[us]and we rely on her advice across much of our litigation profile.” Another goes even further, declaring: “Sonal is the best lead trial counsel I have ever worked with. Strategic, practical, and a good human above all else.” Such endorsements underscore Mehta’s reputation as a trusted adviser and formidable advocate in complex litigation.
