87 Whiteford Attorneys Recognized in Best Lawyers in America 2027
Date: August 20, 2026
Eight lawyers were selected as “Lawyer of the Year” for their areas of practice:
- Steven Ellison (West Palm Beach, FL) – Litigation - Real Estate
- John B. Gontrum (Towson, MD) – Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
- Daniel A. Griffith (Wilmington, DE) – Litigation - Insurance
- James R. Jeffcoat (Baltimore, MD) – Admiralty and Maritime Law
- Frank S. Jones, Jr. (Baltimore, MD) – Venture Capital Law
- S. Keith Moulsdale (Baltimore, MD) – Technology Law
- Thomas J. Whiteford (Baltimore, MD) – Litigation - Real Estate
- M. Trent Zivkovich (Baltimore, MD) – Litigation - Environmental
Seven lawyers were selected as “Ones to Watch” for their areas of practice:
- Benjamin Andres (Columbia, MD) – Community Association Law
- P. Thomas DiStanislao (Richmond, VA) – Appellate Practice
- Harrison W. “Whit” Long (Richmond, VA) – Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Nasim Saeidi (Falls Church, VA) – Litigation - Labor and Employment
- Margaret Tippett (Baltimore, MD) – Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Jacob H. Ziff (Baltimore, MD) – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Litigation - Real Estate, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
- Peter N.Y. Zuk (Falls Church, VA) – Corporate Law, Tax Law
The individual lawyers listed in Best Lawyers® and their areas of recognition are below (*newly recognized for 2027):
Delaware - Wilmington
| Marc R. Abrams | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Litigation - Bankruptcy |
| Daniel A. Griffith | Litigation - Insurance |
| Chad J. Toms* | Commercial Litigation Community Association Law Insurance Law Litigation - Real Estate |
Florida - West Palm Beach
| Steven Ellison | Banking and Finance Law Litigation - Real Estate |
Kentucky - Lexington
| Masten Childers III | Insurance Law Litigation - Construction Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs |
| Robert E. Maclin III | Insurance Law Litigation - Banking and Finance Litigation - Insurance Litigation - Trusts and Estates |
Maryland - Baltimore
| Steven E. Bers | Labor Law - Management Litigation - Labor and Employment |
| Todd M. Brooks | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law |
| Robert B. Curran | Corporate Law Tax Law |
| David Daneman | Commercial Litigation Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs |
| Peter J. Davis | CleanTech Law Litigation - Intellectual Property Patent Law |
| Gardner M. Duvall | Commercial Litigation Insurance Law |
| Martin T. Fletcher | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation Litigation - Bankruptcy |
| James R. Jeffcoat | Admiralty and Maritime Law |
| Harry S. Johnson | Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants Product Liability Litigation - Defendants |
| Frank S. Jones, Jr. | Copyright Law Corporate Law Mergers and Acquisitions Law Trademark Law Venture Capital Law |
| Edward U. Lee III | Real Estate Law |
| Paul W. Madden | Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law |
| Michael J. March* | Litigation and Controversy - Tax |
| Rose M. Matricciani | Corporate Law Health Care Law |
| Albert J. Mezzanotte, Jr. | Commercial Litigation Education Law Insurance Law Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants |
| S. Keith Moulsdale | Information Technology Law Litigation - Intellectual Property Privacy and Data Security Law Technology Law |
| Herman B. Rosenthal | Corporate Law Health Care Law Public Finance Law Tax Law |
| William F. Ryan, Jr. | Commercial Litigation Litigation - Environmental Litigation - Intellectual Property |
| Charles L. Simmons, Jr. | Admiralty and Maritime Law Commercial Litigation Insurance Law Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs |
| Ryan J. Stoker | Corporate Law Mergers and Acquisitions Law Tax Law |
| Steven E. Tiller | Litigation - Intellectual Property Litigation - Patent Patent Law Privacy and Data Security Law Technology Law Trade Secrets Law |
| Warren N. Weaver | Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions - Defendants Product Liability Litigation - Defendants |
| Thomas J. Whiteford | Commercial Litigation Litigation - Real Estate Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs |
| M. Trent Zivkovich | Environmental Law Litigation - Environmental |
Maryland - Columbia
| Thomas C. Barbuti | Real Estate Law |
| Robert F. Carney | Construction Law Litigation - Construction Litigation - Real Estate Real Estate Law |
| Adam Cizek | Construction Law Litigation - Construction |
| Gregory A. Dorsey* | Commercial Litigation |
| Sigrid C. Haines | Elder Law Health Care Law |
| Joseph J. Mezzanotte | Land Use and Zoning Law Real Estate Law |
| Roberto M. Montesinos | Community Association Law |
| Brent C. Strickland | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Litigation - Bankruptcy |
| Raymond B. Via | Community Association Law Real Estate Law |
| J. Daniel Vorsteg | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law |
Maryland - Towson
| Edwin G. Fee, Jr. | Tax Law Trusts and Estates |
| John B. Gontrum | Land Use and Zoning Law Litigation - Land Use and Zoning Litigation - Real Estate Real Estate Law |
| Peter D. Guattery | Employment Law - Management Litigation - Labor and Employment |
| George S. Lawler | Corporate Law Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law Mergers and Acquisitions Law Venture Capital Law |
New York - New York
| Lisa M. Brauner | Employment Law - Management |
| Paul M. Nussbaum | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Litigation - Bankruptcy |
Virginia - Falls Church
| Robert H. Cox | Commercial Litigation Corporate Law |
| Marla J. Diaz | Community Association Law Litigation - Trusts and Estates |
| Bradford F. Englander | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Corporate Law Litigation - Bankruptcy |
| David W. Gaffey | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Litigation - Bankruptcy |
| Eileen M. Johnson* | Nonprofit/Charities Law |
| Christopher A. Jones | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Litigation - Bankruptcy |
| Edward J. O’Connell III | Community Association Law Real Estate Law |
| Andrew J. Terrell | Litigation - Construction Litigation - Real Estate |
| Eric A. Vendt | Corporate Law Mergers and Acquisitions Law |
Virginia - Richmond
| Ross C. Allen | Corporate Law Litigation - Real Estate Real Estate Law |
| Joseph E.H. “Eric” Atkinson | Administrative/Regulatory Law Health Care Law |
| Gregory S. Bean | Commercial Litigation Trusts and Estates |
| Michael H. Brady | Administrative/Regulatory Law Appellate Practice Commercial Litigation Environmental Law |
| Spencer M. Cox* | Commercial Litigation Health Care Law |
| Mary Elizabeth “Betsy” Davis | Commercial Litigation Education Law Employment Law - Management Labor Law - Management Litigation - Labor and Employment |
| Stephen M. Faraci, Sr. | Commercial Litigation Construction Law Corporate Law Energy Law Litigation - Banking and Finance Litigation - Construction |
| Eric H. Feiler | Commercial Litigation Litigation - Securities Qui Tam Law |
| Thomas F. “Chip” Hancock IV | Corporate Law Health Care Law |
| Brett C. Herbert | Commercial Litigation Litigation - Trusts and Estates |
| Katja H. Hill | Corporate Law Real Estate Law |
| Dwight F. Hopewell | Corporate Law Mergers and Acquisitions Law |
| Vernon E. Inge, Jr. | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation Corporate Law Litigation - Banking and Finance, Bankruptcy, Construction and Municipal Real Estate Law |
| Dale G. Mullen | Environmental Law Litigation - Environmental Real Estate Law |
| Rajiv Radia* | Corporate Law |
| John C. Selbach | Corporate Law Mergers and Acquisitions Law Real Estate Law |
| D. Shane Smith | Corporate Law International Mergers and Acquisitions Litigation - Trusts and Estates Mergers and Acquisitions Law Tax Law Trusts and Estates |
Virginia - Roanoke
| Brandy M. Rapp | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law Commercial Litigation Corporate Law Litigation - Bankruptcy |
Virginia - Virginia Beach
| Robert W. Best | Commercial Litigation |
Washington, DC
| Glenn R. Bonard | Real Estate Law |
| Barry E. Bretschneider | Litigation - Patent Patent Law |
| Jefferson C. Glassie | Nonprofit/Charities Law |
| John J. Hathway* | Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law |
| Kenneth J. Ingram | Education Law |
| Jeffrey C. Seaman | Litigation - Labor and Employment |
About Best Lawyers: Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as a definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers' Purely Peer Review® process draws on the participation of more than 40,000 leading U.S. attorneys, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel Magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
About Whiteford: Whiteford provides comprehensive business law and litigation services to clients ranging from innovative start-ups to middle market companies to Fortune 100 enterprises. With a growing footprint of East Coast offices from New York to Florida, and a new office in Denver, Colorado, we serve clients regionally, nationally and internationally.