Larger Doesn't Always Mean Best: Ogletree Deakins Leads All Firms In Best Employment Lawyers

ATLANTA – September 4, 2007 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins) announced today that 77 Ogletree Deakins attorneys have been named to the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Of these 77 lawyers, 70 were named top lawyers in the area of Labor and Employment Law. This gives Ogletree Deakins the most Best Lawyers in the field of Labor and Employment Law in the U.S. – despite the fact that many other law firms are significantly larger in total number of attorneys. 

According to Ogletree Deakins’ Managing Shareholder, Gray Geddie: “Though we have certainly experienced significant growth the last several years, we remain committed to maintaining the highest level of quality.  We are honored to again be recognized by Best Lawyers as having the top legal talent in the U.S.”  Since 2001, Ogletree Deakins has more than doubled its number of offices (to 32) and tripled its total number of lawyers (to nearly 400). 

Ogletree Deakins attorneys appearing on the 2008 Best Lawyers list include:

Atlanta, Georgia
John K. Anderson – Labor and Employment Law
Margaret H. Campbell – Labor and Employment Law
A. Craig Cleland – Labor and Employment Law
Homer L. Deakins, Jr. – Labor and Employment Law
William A. Gray – Employee Benefits Law
Robert O. Sands – Labor and Employment Law

Austin, Texas
Scott A. Brutocao – Labor and Employment Law
Michael W. Fox – Labor and Employment Law

Birmingham, Alabama
Beverly P. Baker – Labor and Employment Law
Richard Carrigan – Labor and Employment Law
Harry L. Hopkins – Labor and Employment Law
Peyton Lacy, Jr. – Labor and Employment Law
Timothy A. Palmer – Labor and Employment Law

Charleston, South Carolina
Eric C. Schweitzer – Labor and Employment Law, Environmental Law

Charlotte, North Carolina
James B. Spears, Jr. – Labor and Employment Law

Chicago, Illinois
Robert P. Casey – Labor and Employment Law
Charles E. Murphy – Labor and Employment Law
Randolph E. Ruff – Construction Law
Arthur B. Smith, Jr. – Labor and Employment Law

Cleveland, Ohio
Wade M. Fricke – Labor and Employment Law
Bruce G. Hearey – Commercial Litigation
Dan Pace – Labor and Employment Law

Columbia, South Carolina
Katherine Dudley Helms – Labor and Employment Law
Leigh M. Nason – Labor and Employment Law
Elizabeth B. Partlow – Environmental Law
Charles T. Speth, II – Labor and Employment Law

Dallas, Texas
Michael R. Buchanan – Labor and Employment Law
John E. McFall – Labor and Employment Law

Greenville, South Carolina
Thomas M. Christina – Employee Benefits Law
Donald A. Cockrill – Labor and Employment Law
John G. Creech – Labor and Employment Law
J. Howard Daniel – Labor and Employment Law
Joel A. Daniel – Employee Benefits Law
L. Gray Geddie, Jr. – Labor and Employment Law, Commercial Litigation, Bet-the-Company Litigation
Thomas G. Greaves, III – Labor and Employment Law
Knox L. Haynsworth, Jr. – Labor and Employment Law
Phillip A. Kilgore – Labor and Employment Law
Robert O. King – Labor and Employment Law
William R. McKibbon, Jr. – Labor and Employment Law
R. Allison Phinney – Labor and Employment Law
Lewis T. Smoak – Labor and Employment Law
J. Hamilton Stewart, III – Labor and Employment Law
Kristofer K. Strasser – Labor and Employment Law
Fred W. Suggs, Jr. – Labor and Employment Law
M. Baker Wyche, III – Labor and Employment Law

Houston, Texas
Jeffrey C. Londa – Labor and Employment Law
Michael D. Mitchell – Labor and Employment Law

Indianapolis, Indiana
Charles B. Baldwin – Administrative Law
Kim F. Ebert – Labor and Employment Law
Brian L. McDermott – Labor and Employment Law

Jackson, Mississippi
Herbert C. Ehrhardt – Labor and Employment Law
M. Curtiss McKee – Labor and Employment Law
Emile C. Ott – Labor and Employment Law
Jerrald L. Shivers – Labor and Employment Law

Memphis, Tennessee
Donna K. Fisher – Labor and Employment Law
Thomas L. Henderson – Labor and Employment Law
Charles V. Holmes – Labor and Employment Law
Frederick J. Lewis – Labor and Employment Law

Miami, Florida
David M. DeMaio – Labor and Employment Law

Morristown, New Jersey
Mark Diana – Labor and Employment Law
Peter O. Hughes – Labor and Employment Law
Sharon P. Margello – Labor and Employment Law
Richard C. Mariani – Labor and Employment Law
Patrick M. Stanton – Labor and Employment Law

Nashville, Tennessee
Keith D. Frazier – Labor and Employment Law
Richard R. Parker – Labor and Employment Law

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Barry Simon – Labor and Employment Law

Phoenix, Arizona
Joseph T. Clees – Labor and Employment Law

Raleigh, North Carolina
Rodolfo R. Agraz – Labor and Employment Law
Gretchen W. Ewalt – Labor and Employment Law
Thomas A. Farr – Labor and Employment Law
C. Matthew Keen – Labor and Employment Law

San Antonio, Texas
Robert E. Bettac – Labor and Employment Law
Lawrence D. Smith – Labor and Employment Law

Tampa, Florida
Grant D. Petersen – Labor and Employment Law

Tucson, Arizona
Tibor Nagy, Jr. – Labor and Employment Law

Washington, DC
Stanley R. Strauss – Labor and Employment Law

About Ogletree Deakins

Ogletree Deakins is the nation’s third largest labor and employment law specialty firm, representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. The firm has nearly 400 lawyers located in 32 offices from Miami to Los Angeles. In addition to handling labor and employment law matters, the firm has thriving practices focused on business immigration, employee benefits, and workplace safety and health law.  Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the U.S.

For more information, please contact Karen Gonzales, communications manager, at 210-277-3606.