(Memphis, TN/October 18, 2011) Nineteen attorneys with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, have been recognized as "Lawyers of the Year" by The Best Lawyers in America 2012. A well-respected listing that is widely regarded as a definitive guide to legal excellence, Best Lawyers has designated a select group of individuals as "Lawyers of the Year" in high-profile specialties in large legal communities. Only a single attorney in each specialty in each community is being honored for 2012.
Baker Donelson's "Lawyers of the Year" are:
• Leo M. Bearman Jr., Memphis Appellate Practice Lawyer of the Year
• Samuel D. Chafetz, Memphis Securities Regulation Lawyer of the Year
• Roy C. Cheatwood, New Orleans Banking and Finance Litigation Lawyer of the Year
• Monica A. Frois, New Orleans Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants Lawyer of the Year
• Jan M. Hayden, New Orleans Bankruptcy Litigation Lawyer of the Year
• Matthew S. Heiter, Memphis Mergers and Acquisitions Law Lawyer of the Year
• Wilton J. Johnson III, Jackson (Mississippi) Public Finance Law Lawyer of the Year
• Errol J. King Jr., Baton Rouge Insurance Law Lawyer of the Year
• Thomas O. Kolb, Birmingham Venture Capital Law Lawyer of the Year
• Dan M. McDaniel Jr., Jackson (Mississippi) Gaming Law Lawyer of the Year
• B.G. Minisman Jr., Birmingham Securities/Capital Markets Law Lawyer of the Year
• Carla Peacher-Ryan, Memphis Real Estate Law Lawyer of the Year
• Joshua Powers, Chattanooga Medical Malpractice Law Lawyer of the Year
• William E. Robinson, Chattanooga Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Lawyer of the Year
• James H. Roussel, New Orleans Admiralty and Maritime Law Lawyer of the Year
• Gary C. Shockley, Nashville Environmental Litigation Lawyer of the Year
• Stacy E. Thomas, Jackson (Mississippi) Tax Litigation and Controversy Lawyer of the Year
• Bradley E. Trammell, Memphis Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer of the Year
Best Lawyers compiles its list of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 18th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2012) is based on more than 3.9 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.
The attorneys being honored as "Lawyers of the Year" have received particularly high ratings in these surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism and integrity.