13 Ogletree Deakins Attorneys Named Best Lawyers® 2025 “Lawyer of the Year”

ATLANTA – August 15, 2024 – Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that 13 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized as a Best Lawyers^® 2025 “Lawyer of the Year”. Best Lawyers^® grants this award to individual lawyers with the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one lawyer is recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for each specialty and location.

The Ogletree Deakins attorneys named as Best Lawyers^® 2025 “Lawyers of the Year” include:

• Craig Cleland – 2025 Atlanta Employment Law – Management and 2025 Atlanta Litigation – Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year”
• Anthony DeCristoforo – 2025 Sacramento Litigation – Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year”
• Michael Eckard – Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
• Greg Guidry – 2025 New Orleans Litigation – Labor and Employment “Lawyer of the Year”
• Kevin Hishta –  2025 Atlanta Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
• Matthew Keen – 2025 Raleigh Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
• Kevin Kinney – 2025 Milwaukee Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
• Patrick Maher – 2025 Dallas Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
• John Merrell –  2025 Greenville Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
• Peter Post – 2025 Pittsburgh Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
• Lawrence Smith – 2025 San Antonio Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
• Lewis Smoak – 2025 Greenville Labor Law  – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
• Charles Speth –  2025 Columbia Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”

About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Premier client service, as outlined in the firm’s Client Pledge, is one of the firm’s top priorities and a cornerstone of its core values. Best Law Firms^® has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for 13 consecutive years. In the 2024 edition, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Employment Law – Management category. Ogletree Deakins has more than 1000 attorneys located in 57 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, including many of the Fortune 50 companies in the U.S. www.ogletree.com