RankWell Legal Announces Winners of the Inaugural 2026 RankWell Legal Awards Program
Independent Awards Program Honors Distinguished Attorneys and Law Firms Across the United States
LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RankWell Legal, an independent awards and recognition program honoring distinguished attorneys and law firms across the United States, today announced the winners of its inaugural 2026 awards program.
The recognition arrives at a pivotal moment for the profession. The legal industry now counts more than 1.37 million active attorneys nationwide, a record high, according to the American Bar Association's 2025 Profile of the Legal Profession, roughly one lawyer for every 240 Americans. The U.S. legal services market is estimated at more than $380 billion in 2026, with New York and California alone accounting for nearly a quarter of the country's licensed attorneys. In a profession this large and this fragmented, independent, merit-based recognition helps clients and referral partners identify attorneys who have distinguished themselves from their peers.
RankWell Legal was created in response to a clear need in the legal industry: recognition that reinforces trust, professional standards and long-term reputation, not simply visibility. In its inaugural year, the program evaluated more than 5,000 legal professionals across 27 practice area and professional categories spanning 11 states, including litigation, corporate and regulatory practice, leadership, client impact, pro bono contribution, and more. Nominations were reviewed by experienced evaluators applying consistent, transparent criteria across every category, with no public voting, no popularity contests and no purchase requirement for consideration or selection.
"The legal profession is built on dedication, integrity and an unwavering commitment to clients, and this year's winners exemplify those qualities at the highest level," said Travis Grant, Managing Director of RankWell Legal. "We extend our sincere congratulations to each of our inaugural 2026 RankWell Legal Award winners. Their hard work, professionalism and meaningful contributions to the legal community have earned this recognition, and we are proud to celebrate their achievements."
The 2026 RankWell Legal Award winners include:
NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS
Boutique Law Firm of the Year: Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3)
Business Dispute Litigation Lawyer of the Year: Jason Baruch, Holland & Knight
Catastrophic Injury Lawyer of the Year: Rob Wilhite, The Wilhite Law Firm
Civil Rights Lawyer of the Year: Peter Sadelski, Sadelski Law
Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year: Jeffrey Pagliuca, Haddon, Morgan, and Foreman PC
Defense Law Firm of the Year: Shannon Smith, Shannon Smith Law PC
DUI / DWI Defense Lawyer of the Year: Jason Newcombe, Washington State Attorneys, PLLC
Employment Law Lawyer of the Year: Whitney Betts, Betts Law Group
Healthcare Transactions Lawyer of the Year: Jennifer Papapanagiotou, Liles Parker
Insurance Defense Lawyer of the Year: William Healy, Wade Clark Mulcahy LLP
International Tax Lawyer of the Year: Alvaro Acevedo, Brickell Law Group P.A.
Juvenile Defense Lawyer of the Year: Shanlon Wu, DC Student Defense
Real Estate Litigation Lawyer of the Year: Lorenzo Rovini, Paykin Law
STATE AWARD WINNERS
Appellate Lawyer of the Year (Illinois): Radomir Jurewicz, U.S. Army JAG Corps
Civil Litigation Lawyer of the Year (Washington): Timothy Emery, Emery | Reddy, PC
Class Action Litigation Lawyer of the Year (Washington): Anderson Berry, Emery | Reddy, PC
Construction Law Lawyer of the Year (California): Joseph von Meier, Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson (CGS3)
Consumer Litigation Lawyer of the Year (Texas): Zachary Lemelin, The Debt Defenders by Ciment Law Firm, PLLC
Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year (Florida): Zachary Chaney, Smith & Eulo Law Firm
Domestic Violence & Protective Order Lawyer of the Year (Georgia): Cary Racioppi, Stearns Montgomery & Proctor
Immigration Lawyer of the Year (Texas): Daniel Weiss, Roy Petty & Associates, PLLC
IP Litigation Lawyer of the Year (Colorado): Brian Boerman, Sheridan Ross PC
Landlord-Tenant Law Lawyer of the Year (California): Sean Gaffney, Crosbie Gliner Schiffman Southard & Swanson LLP (CGS3)
Patent Lawyer of the Year (Ohio): Josiah Collier, Collier Legal, LLC
Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year (Florida): Armando Edmiston, Armando Personal Injury Law
Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year (New York): Richard Kenny, Law Office of Richard M. Kenny
Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year (Texas): Derek Potts, Potts Law Firm
Real Estate Lawyer of the Year (Illinois): Katherine O'Dell, Amari & Locallo
Top Entertainment & Media Lawyer (New York): Caroline Keegan, Kurzman Eisenberg Corbin & Lever, LLP
Top Real Estate Lawyer (Arizona): Brett Meyer, Law Offices of Scott M. Clark, P.C.
About RankWell Legal
Part of the RankWell organization, RankWell Legal is an independent awards and recognition program honoring distinguished attorneys and law firms across the United States. Built on principled evaluation and defined merit criteria, RankWell Legal recognizes excellence in legal practice, leadership within the profession, and meaningful client impact, without public voting, popularity contests, or purchase requirements for selection. Nominations are reviewed by experienced evaluators applying consistent standards across all practice area categories. Recognition through RankWell Legal is designed to reinforce professional credibility, support career advancement, and uphold the integrity the legal profession demands. For more information, visit rankwelllegal.com.
About RankWell
RankWell is a growing family of independent awards and recognition programs serving high-trust professions, built on the same principled, merit-based review across every vertical: no public voting, no popularity contests, and no purchase requirement for consideration or selection. RankWell Legal is joined by additional RankWell programs recognizing excellence in medical, dental, and financial services, with more professional categories launching in the year ahead.
RankWell does not endorse any individual attorney or law firm depicted in this recognition program and does not advise consumers or clients to select counsel solely on the basis of an award designation. Recognition reflects the opinions of RankWell's evaluators and should not be construed as a guarantee of future results.
Media Contact:
Travis Grant
RankWell Legal
travis@rankwellawards.com
949 667 4475
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