Best Lawyers has announced its 2011 Lawyers of the Year selections, including six Husch Blackwell attorneys: Stephen T. Adams, Craig S. Biesterfeld, Benjamin F. Mann, Maury B. Poscover, Kenneth A. Slavens and Gregory R. Smith.
Partner Stephen T. Adams has been named Best Lawyers' 2011 Kansas City, MO Health Care Lawyer of the Year. Adams' work on behalf of healthcare clients includes structuring and negotiating hospital affiliations, physician/hospital affiliations, developing co-management agreements, developing new hospitals and ancillary facilities, developing corporate compliance plans for major hospital systems, and extensive development and restructuring of medical staff bylaws and policies. He also represents hospitals in physician disciplinary proceedings, in multiple physician/hospital joint ventures and joint ventures among hospitals, including acquisition and affiliation of non-profit hospitals, and developing medical office buildings, including medical office condominiums.
Partner Craig S. Biesterfeld has been named Best Lawyers' 2011 St. Louis Land Use & Zoning Lawyer of the Year. Biesterfeld has extensive experience in issues related to acquisition, leasing and development, zoning and land use regulation and government regulation and permitting. He has assisted clients in the use of numerous economic development programs such as Tax Increment Financing, Special Business Districts and Community Improvement Districts.
Kansas City Office Managing Partner Benjamin F. Mann has been named Best Lawyers' 2011 Kansas City, MO Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Lawyer of the Year. Mann is nationally recognized for his expertise in bankruptcy, restructuring and creditors’ rights and regularly represents debtors, creditors, committees, trustees and buyers in bankruptcy actions throughout the country. In addition, he represents clients in a variety of debtor-creditor disputes outside of bankruptcy in federal and state courts, as well as arbitration proceedings.
Partner Maury B. Poscover has been named Best Lawyers' 2011 St. Louis Equipment Finance Lawyer of the Year. Poscover represents commercial financial institutions in structuring secured, cash-flow and unsecured loans, developing strategies, handling financial restructurings and advising on lender liability avoidance. He also provides counsel to middle-market and multinational companies alike, serving their many needs, including mergers, acquisitions and disposition of their businesses.
Partner Kenneth A. Slavens has been named Best Lawyers' 2011 St. Louis Construction Lawyer of the Year. Slavens is experienced in all aspects of construction and design law and is recognized as a leader in the field by his peers. He has successfully represented construction and design firms in numerous business and design liability disputes.
Partner Gregory R. Smith has been named Best Lawyers' 2011 St. Louis Eminent Domain and Condemnation Lawyer of the Year. Smith counsels public and private clients in all facets of real estate development and government relations. He has been very active in identifying and structuring public incentives for corporate relocations, commercial real estate developments and significant public projects.
After more than a quarter-century in publication, Best Lawyers is designating “Lawyers of the Year” in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is being honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.” Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 17th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2011) is based on more than 3.1 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.