Best Lawyers® 2026 Edition Recognizes 31 Fishman Haygood Attorneys; Six Named “Lawyer of the Year,” with Bankruptcy Team Earning Top-Listed Honors

Today Best Lawyers® released its annual rankings of The Best Lawyers in America^® and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America. This year, nearly 30,000 individuals engaged in the voting process, collectively providing 3.4 million evaluations on their peers, colleagues, and competitors. Click here to read the announcement.

This year marks the 32^nd edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®. Since the publication’s inaugural edition in 1983, Fishman Haygood attorneys have consistently earned top accolades with twenty-four named to the prestigious The Best Lawyers in America^® annual list in the following practice areas:

BATON ROUGE OFFICE

• Scott D. Chenevert (2012): Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Securities/Capital Markets Law
• Charles A. Landry (1993): Corporate Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Project Finance Law, Public Finance Law, and Real Estate Law
• Louis S. Quinn, Jr. (2003): Banking and Finance Law, Nonprofit/Charities Law, Project Finance Law, Public Finance Law, and Real Estate Law

NEW ORLEANS OFFICE

• Brent B. Barriere (2003): Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, and Commercial Litigation
• Tad Bartlett (2018): Appellate Practice and Environmental Law
• Alicia M. Bendana (2020): Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Jason W. Burge (2019): Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Banking and Finance, and Litigation – Securities
• Daniel J. Dysart (2023):Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Louis Y. Fishman (1983): Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Securities/Capital Markets Law
• Maureen Gershanik (2020): Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, and Securities Regulation
• Stephen J. Herman (2013): Admiralty and Maritime Law, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Legal Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
• Tristan E. Manthey (2019): Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation, and Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Lance C. McCardle (2017): Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Environmental Law, Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Securities, and Oil and Gas Law
• Kerry J. Miller (2010): Administrative/Regulatory Law, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
• Lori G. Mince (2013): Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Construction, Litigation – First Amendment, Litigation – Insurance, Litigation – Real Estate, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Cherie D. Nobles (2019): Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, and Litigation – Bankruptcy
• William H. Patrick III (1995): Banking and Finance Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, and Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Blair Schilling (2023): Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, Litigation – Environmental, and Oil and Gas Law
• Steven C. Serio (2016): Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, and Real Estate Law
• James R. Swanson (2005): Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Litigation – First Amendment, Litigation – Municipal, Litigation – Securities, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
• Paul C. Thibodeaux (2024): Construction Law, Litigation – Construction, and Litigation – Environmental
• Rebekka C. Veith (*): Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Construction, and Litigation – Environmental
• Sharonda R. Williams (2012): Litigation – Municipal
• Sterling Scott Willis (2005): Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Equipment Finance Law, and Real Estate Law

Seven Fishman Haygood attorneys were named Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America by Best Lawyers^® in the following practice areas:

BATON ROUGE OFFICE

• Marina M. Speligene (*): Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Christen C. Triche (*): Banking and Finance Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Nonprofit/Charities Law, and Project Finance Law

NEW ORLEANS OFFICE

• Monica Bergeron (2025): Commercial Litigation
• Joseph A. Caneco (2023): Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy, and Tax Law
• Julie S. Meaders (2025): Commercial Litigation, Environmental Law, and Insurance Law
• Brennan F. O’Keefe (*) : Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation – Construction, and Litigation – Environmental
• Hogan Paschal (2023): Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Antitrust, Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Securities, Litigation and Controversy – Tax, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs

Best Lawyers^® also names “Lawyer of the Year” honorees, which is awarded annually to only one lawyer per practice area in each region based on exceptionally high overall feedback from their peers, making it a distinguished honor. In the Baton Rouge office, partner Scott Chenevert was named the Best Lawyers 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” in Mergers and Acquisitions Law. In New Orleans, Maureen Gershanik (Corporate Law and Securities/Capital Markets Law), Steve Herman (Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs), Kerry Miller (Litigation – Environmental), Lori Mince (Litigation – First Amendment), and Steven Serio (Commercial Finance Law) were recognized as “Lawyers of the Year” in their respective practice areas.

Fishman Haygood also received the “Top-Listed” award, which recognizes the practice areas and jurisdictions where the firm has the most recognized lawyers of any firm in The Best Lawyers in America^®, at both the state and metro levels. The firm was top-listed in Louisiana in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, with six lawyers recognized, and in Litigation – Bankruptcy, with four recognized lawyers. The firm also received the top-listed recognition in these practice areas in New Orleans.

Congratulations to these outstanding Fishman Haygood attorneys!

(Year) First year the lawyer was listed in the publication.

(*) Lawyers who are listed for the first time in Best Lawyers^® or Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^®.