97 Richards, Layton & Finger Attorneys Named in Best Lawyers
August 20, 2026
Firm News
WILMINGTON, Delaware (August 20, 2026) – Ninety-seven Richards, Layton & Finger attorneys are named in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, more lawyers than from any other Delaware firm. Twelve Richards Layton attorneys were also named 2027 Wilmington, Delaware Lawyer of the Year, an honor awarded to one outstanding lawyer in each practice area in a metropolitan area.
“Best Lawyers in America offers a meaningful perspective on the caliber of our lawyers and the work they perform for clients,” said Paul Heath, president of Richards Layton. “Because this recognition is based on peer review, we are especially grateful for the respect and confidence of our colleagues, and we appreciate the time and consideration they devote to the selection process.”
The Richards Layton attorneys named in The Best Lawyers in America are listed below. An asterisk denotes a 2027 Wilmington, Delaware Lawyer of the Year honoree; the corresponding award practice area appears in bold.
- Michael Allen – Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law
- Paul Altman – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships); Corporate Law
- Jennifer Veet Barrett – Corporate Law
- Stephen Bigler – Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Robert Burns – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law
- Malcolm Cochran IV – Commercial Litigation
- Susan Hannigan Cohen – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law
- * Mark Collins – Banking and Finance Law; Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Peter Conaty Jr. – Tax Law; Trusts and Estates
- Frederick Cottrell III – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Patent; Patent Law; Trademark Law
- Matthew Criscimagna – Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Brock Czeschin – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law
- Doneene Damon – Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Catherine Dearlove – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
- Daniel DeFranceschi – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Raymond DiCamillo – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
- Daniel Dreisbach – Commercial Litigation
- Richard Facciolo – Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- * Kelly Farnan – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Patent
- Steven Fineman – Litigation – Intellectual Property
- Anne Foster – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
- Kevin Gallagher – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
- * Mark Gentile – Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Kevin Gross – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- William Haubert – Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Christine Dealy Haynes – Commercial Litigation
- Paul Heath – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- John Hendershot – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law
- Tara Hoffner – Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Travis Hunter – Commercial Litigation
- *Jennifer Jauffret – Commercial Litigation; Employment Law – Management; Labor Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Cynthia Kaiser – Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
- Cory Kandestin – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- * Bernard Kelley – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships); Corporate Law
- Beth Gansen Knight – Tax Law; Trusts and Estates
- * John Henry Knight – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Rudolf Koch – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
- Mark Kurtz – Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
- Kyle Lachmund – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law
- Gregory Ladner – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships); Corporate Law
- James Leyden Jr.– Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships); Corporate Law; Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Claire Love– Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Stephen Lukes Jr. – Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
- Elisa Erlenbach Maas – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Robert Maddox – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Michael Merchant – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Katharine Lester Mowery – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property
- * Jeffrey Moyer – Commercial Litigation; Copyright Law; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Patent; Patent Law
- Matthew Murphy – Corporate Law; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
- Stephanie Norman – Corporate Law
- Matthew Perri – Corporate Law
- * J. Weston Peterson – Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- * Mark Purpura – Banking and Finance Law; Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships); Financial Services Regulation Law
- Srinivas Raju – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships); Commercial Litigation; Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law
- Marcos Ramos – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Jason Rawnsley – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Trade Secrets Law
- Richard Rollo – Corporate Law
- Antonios Roustopoulos – Real Estate Law
- Lisa Schmidt – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
- Eric Schwartzman – Securitization and Structured Finance Law
- Chad Shandler – Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Trusts and Estates
- Zachary Shapiro – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Russell Silberglied – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Donald Sparks II – Tax Law; Trusts and Estates
- * Robert Stearn Jr. – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Bet-the-Company Litigation; Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Amanda Steele – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Stanford Stevenson III – Tax Law
- Melissa Stubenberg – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Nathaniel Stuhlmiller – Corporate Law
- * Sara Wagner – Real Estate Law
- Robert Whetzel – Environmental Law; Litigation – Environmental
- Gregory Williams – Appellate Practice; Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions; Mergers and Acquisitions Law; Securities / Capital Markets Law
- * William Yemc – Commercial Transactions / UCC Law; Insurance Law
- John Mark Zeberkiewicz – Corporate Governance Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
The Richards Layton attorneys named in Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” are:
- Mari Boyle Abedi – Commercial Litigation
- Matthew Ady – Banking and Finance Law
- Ryan Brady – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Cayla Dupuis – Corporate Law
- Alexandra Ewing – Commercial Litigation; Intellectual Property Law; Litigation – Intellectual Property
- Elizabeth Freud – Commercial Litigation
- Zachary Greer – Commercial Litigation
- Nicole Henry – Commercial Litigation
- Zachary Javorsky – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Grace Jennings – Corporate Law
- Madeleine Jolles – Tax Law
- Jamila Jones – Corporate Law
- Jonathan Kaplowtiz – Corporate Law
- Robert Kissel – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Vicky Liu – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Brian Mammarella – Corporate Governance and Compliance Law
- Stanley Medlin – Commercial Litigation
- Sara Metzler – Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property
- Andrew Milam – Commercial Litigation
- David Milano – Corporate Law
- John O’Toole – Commercial Litigation; Corporate Governance and Compliance Law; Corporate Law; Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Frank Sun – Banking and Finance Law
- Sandy Xu – Commercial Litigation
Best Lawyers bases their rankings on the peer reviews of attorneys in the same geographical and practice area.
About Richards, Layton & Finger
Richards, Layton & Finger has been defining Delaware law since 1899. Delaware’s largest law firm and one of its oldest, Richards Layton helps sophisticated clients navigate complex issues and the intricacies of Delaware law. We advise global companies, business partnerships, leading financial institutions, local businesses, and individuals across a wide range of practices, including corporate law, alternative entities, commercial law, bankruptcy and corporate restructuring, intellectual property, tax, trusts and estates, commercial real estate, and litigation.