Thirty-nine Dentons Davis Brown attorneys were recently selected for inclusion in the 28th edition of The Best Lawyers in America® in their respective fields. Selection is based on an annual peer-review survey in which more than 87,000 attorneys cast millions of votes on the legal abilities of other attorneys in their practice areas around the country.

Eight attorneys were also recognized by their peers as “Lawyer of the Year” in the Des Moines metropolitan area in their respective practice areas:

• William Boatwright, Trusts and Estates
• Scott Brennan, Litigation – Insurance
• Susan Freed, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Julie Johnson McLean, Banking and Finance Law
• Elizabeth Meyer, Litigation – Trusts and Estates
• Jason Stone, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Deborah Tharnish, Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Elizabeth Van Arkel, Immigration Law

The following 39 attorneys are listed as “Best Lawyer” in their practice areas:

• Jeff Baker, Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
• William Boatwright, Nonprofit/Charities and Trusts and Estates
• Scott Brennan, Commercial Litigation, Government Relations Practice, and Litigation – Insurance
• Michele Brott, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Frank Carroll, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Tax Law
• Lori Chesser, Immigration Law
• Beth Coonan, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, and Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
• Tim Coonan, Government Relations Practice
• Robert Douglas, Banking and Finance Law and Real Estate Law
• Julie Johnson McLean, Banking and Finance Law and Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Elizabeth Meyer, Construction Law and Litigation – Trusts and Estates
• Gary Myers, Real Estate Law
• Joni Ploeger, Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers
• Mike Richards, Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, and Litigation – Insurance
• Jason Ross, Business Organization (including LLCs and Partnerships)
• Patty Scallon, Public Finance Law
• John Shors, Corporate law, Health Care Law, and Tax Law
• David Erickson, Litigation – Real Estate and Real Estate Law
• Susan Freed, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Health Care Law
• Beau Gamble, Banking and Finance Law
• Tara Hall, Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Kent Herink, Litigation – Intellectual Property and Litigation – Patent
• Tom Houser, Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates
• Chris Jannes, Commercial Litigation
• Becky Knutson, Administrative/Regulatory Law, Education Law, Employment Law – Management, and Labor Law – Management
• Mike Kulik, Corporate Law and Utilities Law
• Matthew Laughlin, Litigation – Real Estate and Real Estate Law
• Jodie McDougal, Construction Law
• Jason Stone, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Tax Law
• Courtney Strutt Todd, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Chris Talcott, Commercial Transactions/UCC Law – newly ranked, Land Use and Zoning Law, and Real Estate Law
• Deborah Tharnish, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Stan Thompson, Commercial Litigation and Litigation – Antitrust
• Elizabeth Van Arkel, Immigration Law
• David VanSickel, Public Finance Law
• Mark Walz, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Jana Weiler, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law – newly ranked and Trusts and Estates
• Jo Ellen Whitney, Employment Law – Management and Health Care Law
• Jonathan Wilson, Litigation – Real Estate and Real Estate Law

About Best Lawyers®
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Almost 87,000 industry-leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and we have received almost 10 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, more than 10.8 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 66,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.

About Dentons Davis Brown
Dentons Davis Brown PC is a progressive, full-service Iowa law firm committed to delivering practical, useful legal advice to clients – from individuals to Fortune 500 companies. Founded in 1929, the firm is one of the largest in Iowa, with almost 80 attorneys across three offices, and as part of Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, connected to talent in over 80 countries. Dentons’ polycentric and purpose-driven approach, commitment to inclusion and diversity, and world-class talent challenge the status quo to advance client and community interests in the New Dynamic. Learn more at www.dentons.com/ddb

For more information, please contact Cara Seidl at cara.seidl@dentons.com.