Shumaker is proud to announce that 127 of the firm's lawyers have been selected for inclusion in the 2026 editions of Best Lawyers in America® and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™. Among the ranked lawyers, 99 were selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers, and 28 were included in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, which recognizes lawyers who are early in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice. Additionally, seven lawyers received the “Lawyer of the Year” designation, awarded annually to only one lawyer with the highest peer feedback per practice and geographic region.
The full list of Shumaker's recognized lawyers include:
Lawyer of the Year
Akron
- Amanda M. Leffler: Insurance Law
Charleston
- G.P. Diminich: Tax Law
Charlotte
- Warren P. Kean: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- John D. Kocher: Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
Tampa
- Mindi M. Richter: Litigation – Intellectual Property
Toledo
- M. Scott Aubry: Corporate Law
- Mark Wagoner: Appellate Practice
Best Lawyers in America®
Akron
- Stacy R.C. Berliner: Insurance Law, Litigation – Insurance
- P. Wesley Lambert: Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law
- Amanda M. Leffler: Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Litigation – Insurance
Charleston
- G.P. Diminich: Corporate Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
- Katie Hinson Lewis: Real Estate Law
- Felix C. Pelzer: Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
Charlotte
- Lynn F. Chandler: Trusts and Estates
- Philip S. Chubb: Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- David H. Conaway: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Andrew S. Culicerto: Construction Law, Litigation – Construction
- Lucas D. Garber: Commercial Litigation
- J. Douglas Grimes: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Intellectual Property
- Patrick B. Horne: Litigation – Intellectual Property, Trademark Law
- Warren P. Kean: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law
- John D. Kocher: Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
- S. Alex Long, Jr.: Patent Law
- Steven A. Meckler: Commercial Litigation
- Terence S. Reynolds: Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
- Joseph J. Santaniello: Franchise Law
- Karen H. Stiles: Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Frederick M. Thurman, Jr.: Employment Law – Individuals, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Christina Davidson Trimmer: Litigation – Intellectual Property
Columbus
- David F. Axelrod: Corporate Compliance Law
- Michael E. Born: Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental
- Michael J. O’Callaghan: Environmental Law
Sarasota
- Steven J. Chase: Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Mediation
- Douglas A. Cherry: Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Patent Law, Trademark Law
- Daniel J. DeLeo: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Construction
- Cheryl L. Gordon: Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
- Benjamin R. Hanan: Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Gregory M. Marks: Tax Law
- Hunter G. Norton: Commercial Litigation
- Jan W. Pitchford: Real Estate Law
- Malcolm J. Pitchford: Real Estate Law
- Meghan O. Serrano: Commercial Litigation
- Juan C. Villaveces: Real Estate Law
St. Petersburg
- Andrew F. Ford: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
Tampa
- Jaime Austrich: Commercial Litigation
- Steven M. Berman: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation
- Willard A. Blair: Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- C. Philip Campbell, Jr.: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – First Amendment, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Ronald A. Christaldi: Health Care Law
- Duane A. Daiker: Appellate Law
- Grant P. Dearborn: Health Care Law
- Hugo S. deBeaubien: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Julio C. Esquivel: Corporate Governance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Michele Leo Hintson: Commercial Litigation
- W. Kent Ihrig: Banking and Finance Law, Real Estate Law
- Ernest J. Marquart: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation
- Andrew J. Mayts: Banking and Finance Law, Construction Law
- Peter P. Murnaghan: Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Matt Newton: Land Use and Zoning Law
- W. Jan Pietruszka: Employment Law – Individuals, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Samuel P. Queirolo: Real Estate Law
- David Ricco: Real Estate Law
- Mindi M. Richter: Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Trademark Law
- Darrell C. Smith: Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation
- J. Todd Timmerman: Copyright Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Patent Law, Trademark Law
- Seth P. Traub: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Thomas M. Wood: Commercial Litigation
- Gregory C. Yadley: Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation
Toledo
- M. Scott Aubry: Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- John C. Barron: Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Thomas C. Blank: Banking and Finance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation
- John H. Burson: Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates
- James R. Carnes: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Railroad Law
- David J. Coyle: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Katherine S. Decker: Commercial Litigation
- Gary R. Diesing: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
- Thomas P. Dillon: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Antitrust, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Michael E. Dockins: Litigation – Patent
- Robert H. Eddy: Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Sharon M. Fulop: Real Estate Law
- William H. Gosline: Trusts and Estates
- W. Reed Hauptman: Real Estate Law
- Douglas G. Haynam: Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental
- John W. Hilbert, II: Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
- Regina M. Joseph: Corporate Law
- Peter E. Krebs: Corporate Law
- Timothy C. McCarthy: Employment Law – Management
- Michael S. McGowan: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law, Corporate Law, Tax Law
- Brian N. McMahon: Franchise Law
- J. Douglas Miller: Litigation – Patent
- John K. Nelson: Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
- Scott D. Newsom: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation – ERISA
- Thomas G. Pletz: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – First Amendment, Litigation – Labor and Employment
- David J. Rectenwald: Trusts and Estates
- Rebecca E. Shope: Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Gregory S. Shumaker: Real Estate Law
- John J. Siciliano: Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
- Peter R. Silverman: Arbitration, Commercial Litigation, Franchise Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Securities, Mediation
- Joseph S. Simpson: Environmental Law
- Bennett H. Speyer: Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Tax Law
- Nicholas T. Stack: Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation
- David P. Strup: Commercial Litigation
- Gregory H. Wagoner: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Banking and Finance
- Mark D. Wagoner: Antitrust Law, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Franchise Law
- David F. Waterman: Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Tax Law
- James F. White, Jr.: Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law
- David W. Wicklund: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Antitrust, Litigation – Intellectual Property
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™
Charleston
- Hannah Campbell: Trusts and Estates
Charlotte
- Tom BenGera: Intellectual Property Law, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Litigation – Patent, Patent Law, Technology Law
- Rhett N. Butler: Corporate Law, Health Care Law
Columbus
- Meagan R. Cyrus: Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law
- Marcus A. Miller: Commercial Litigation
Sarasota
- C. Jade Davis: Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation – Construction, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
- James E. Fanto: Litigation – Securities
- David B. Heedy: Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
- Hanna M. Lindsay: Insurance Law
- James D. O’Donnell: Commercial Litigation
- Raven K. Peters: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Construction, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
- Charles A. Wood: Commercial Litigation
Tampa
- Jillian Askren: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
- Mary B. Catala: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Corporate Law, Nonprofit / Charities Law
- Haley D. Kole: Labor and Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Thomas F. McDonnell, Jr.: Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Christina C. Nethero: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Ashley B. Norus: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law
- Andrew J. Oppenheim: Commercial Litigation
- Samantha R. Peckham: Insurance Law
- Julianne M. Servetas: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Toledo
- Katherine S. Decker: Labor and Employment Law – Management
- Kristen M. Fries: Intellectual Property Law
- Nicholas A. Huckaby: Commercial Litigation, Labor and Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants
- Matthew T. Kemp: Commercial Litigation
- Eric L. Simpson: Real Estate Law
- Lindsay Rich Steinmetz: Environmental Law
- Benjamin J. Timmerman: Real Estate Law
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers honors the professional accomplishments of the top legal talent based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.