One of the leading legal ratings agencies, Chambers and Partners has announced its Chambers USA 2014 rankings. Husch Blackwell continues to maintain its favorable status, receiving high honors in a record nine areas of practice. Recognition continues for the firm in the areas of Corporate/Commercial, Corporate/M&A, Environment, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Litigation: General Commercial and Real Estate, and for the first time in Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation (Electricity) and Healthcare.
“We are gratified to be recognized by Chambers and by our clients,” said Maurice Watson, Husch Blackwell Chairman. “We are proud of the work we do to support our clients’ business goals, and we greatly appreciate their trust and support.”
Chambers defined Husch Blackwell’s Corporate team as having an “excellent track record.” A client said, “They are probably the most pragmatic group of lawyers I’ve worked with, managing their time – the time we pay for – efficiently, and always giving us solid advice.”
With regards to the firm’s Corporate/M&A work, a client said, “They do a good job; they are efficient, timely and responsive.” Another observed the firm as having “a deep bench with a wide breadth of talents and skill sets.”
Chambers stated that Husch Blackwell’s Environmental team “represents a variety of clients such as energy companies, waste management facilities and real estate developers,” and that they have a “well-established presence in the market, with long-standing relationships with the regulatory agencies.” A client observed the group as “frank, thorough, timely and cost-effective.”
Husch Blackwell’s Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation (Electricity) group was described as offering “deep experience in acting for clients before agencies such as the Public Utility Commission of Texas and FERC and houses notable expertise in regulatory compliance.”
Clients praised Husch Blackwell’s Healthcare practice, stating that “the firm is different because of the level of expertise and attention to detail.” Another client called the team “a leading authority on regulatory changes in healthcare.”
In the area of Intellectual Property, the firm was shown to be “highly regarded for success in patent application, prosecution and litigation across a variety of industries, including medical equipment and retail.” A client said, “We use them for all our patents work and we are very impressed with their expertise and their service.”
Chambers described Husch Blackwell’s Labor & Employment group as having “extensive experience serving employers from across a wide range of industries, including pharma and healthcare, agribusiness and foods and financial services.” One client stated, “I always get great service – they are very responsive, with a very good success rate and very good fees.”
A client described Husch Blackwell’s Litigation/General Commercial team by saying, “They have handled some extremely high-profile cases for us and we have great confidence in them." Chambers said the team is known for maintaining “a strong reputation for expertise in mass tort and toxic tort cases,” and that it “represents a number of major clients in the pharmaceuticals, food, chemicals and higher education industries.”
Summarizing the firm’s Real Estate practice, Chambers said the group has “expertise pertaining to real estate matters in a range of sectors such as homebuilding, hospitality, transportation and healthcare,” and that it handles “all matters from financing and acquisition to development and operation.”
In Chambers’ individual recognitions, David W. Hilgers of the firm’s Austin, Texas, office received the ultimate honor of “Nationwide” acclaim in the area of Healthcare: Regulatory & Litigation. Hilgers and 39 additional attorneys received regional honors as well:
Colorado:
Robert P. Attai - Corporate/M&A
Jeffrey A. Chase - Litigation: General Commercial
Paul A. Jacobs - Real Estate
Kevin H. Kelley - Real Estate
District of Columbia:
Hal J. Perloff - Construction - Up & Coming
Tennessee:
Ronald I. Feldman - Real Estate
Texas:
Diane T. Carter - Healthcare
Joseph V. Geraci - Healthcare
David W. Hilgers - Healthcare
R. Keith Hopson - Environment
Hal Katz - Healthcare
*Chris Reeder - Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation (Electricity)
Missouri:
Samuel Digirolamo - Intellectual Property
Alan S. Nemes - Intellectual Property
Kansas City:
James M. Ash - Corporate/M&A
W.C. Blanton - Environment
**Steven F. Carman - Corporate/M&A
David A. Fenley - Real Estate
Gary D. Gilson - Corporate/M&A
Paul F. Pautler Jr. - Labor & Employment
John R. Phillips - Labor & Employment
Jason A. Reschly - Corporate/M&A
Mark D. Welker - Labor & Employment
St. Louis:
Craig S. Biesterfeld - Real Estate
Thomas M. Carney - Litigation: General Commercial
Gary H. Feder - Real Estate
*Josef S. Glynias - Labor & Employment - Up & Coming
Bradley S. Hiles - Labor & Employment
David A. Linenbroker - Real Estate
John P. McNearney - Real Estate
Kathleen T. Mueller - Real Estate
Joseph G. Nassif - Environment
Mary Anne O'Connell - Corporate/M&A
Gregory R. Smith - Real Estate
Robert J. Tomaso - Labor & Employment
Amy L. Wachs - Environment
Robert F. Wilkinson - Environment
Nebraska:
Michaelle L. Baumert - Labor & Employment
Michael S. Degan - Litigation: General Commercial
David E. Gardels - Corporate/Commercial
*First year named to Chambers
**Transferred to Austin, Texas
Chambers and Partners establishes its rankings by utilizing a team of more than 140 researchers who conduct thousands of in-depth interviews with lawyers and their clients worldwide. The team identifies and ranks the world’s best lawyers and legal departments according to the criteria most valued by clients: legal knowledge and experience, ability, effectiveness and client service.