Attorneys named in the 2017 publication were chosen through several phases of research: namely, the review of their recent case work, peer review in which we consider how attorneys at peer legal institutions might rank them, and a consideration of client feedback on their performances.
The Top 250 Women in Litigation in the US for 2017 as decided by the Benchmark Litigation research staff is listed below, with hyperlinks provided for those who provided bios. Also included is the Top 25 Women in Litigation in Canada, which are listed below the Top 250 in the US. Congratulations to all of the winners.
In addition, the editorials for the US nominees by region are available here:
The Northeast
The Midwest
The South
The West
TOP 250 WOMEN IN US LITIGATION
Samantha Adams - Adams + Crow Law, New Mexico
Mary Rose Alexander - Latham & Watkins, Illinois
Lori Alvino McGill - Wilkinson Walsh Eskovitz, DC
Labella Alvis - Christian & Small, Alabama
Catherine Amirfar - Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
Christa Anderson - Keker Van Nest & Peters, California
Jennifer Anderson - Modrall Sperling, New Mexico
Natalie L. Arbaugh - Winston & Strawn, Texas
Cristina Arguedas - Arguedas Cassman & Headley, California
Kim J. Askew - K&L Gates, Texas
Lois Baar - Holland & Hart, Utah
Rebecca Bacon - Bartlit Beck, Illinois
Mindy Barfield - Dinsmore & Shohl, Kentucky
Alison Barnes - Robbins Russell Englert Orseck Untereiner & Sauber, DC
Judy Barrasso - Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, Louisiana
Martine Beamon - Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York
Lisa Beckerman - Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, New York
Leora Ben-Ami - Kirkland & Ellis, New York
Robin Bergen - Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, DC
Landis Best - Cahill Gordon & Reindel, New York
Rachel Bien - Outten & Golden, New York
Catharine Biggs Arrowood - Parker Poe, North Carolina
Sheila Birnbaum - Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, New York
Frances Bivens - Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York
Lisa Blatt - Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, DC
Elise Bloom - Proskauer Rose, New York
Kim Boyle - Phelps Dunbar, Louisiana
Shari Brandt - Richards Kibbe & Orbe, New York
Leah Brannon - Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, DC
Sara Brody - Sidley Austin, California
Juanita Brooks - Fish & Richardson, California
Heidi Brooks Bradley - Lane Powell, Washington
Susan Brune - Brune Law, New York
Susanna Buergel - Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, New York
Angela Burgess - Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York
Jane Byrne - Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, New York
Elizabeth Cabraser - Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, California
Theresa Canaday - Frost Brown Todd, Kentucky
Helen Cantwell - Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
Marinn Carlson - Sidley Austin, DC
Alice Carmichael Richey - Alexander Ricks, North Carolina
Jacqueline M. Carolan - Fox Rothschild, Pennsylvania
Kim Catullo - Gibbons, New Jersey
Dale Cendali - Kirkland & Ellis, New York
Sarah Chapin Columbia - McDermott Will & Emery, Massachusetts
Linda Chatman Thomsen - Davis Polk & Wardwell, DC
Victoria W. Chavey - Jackson Lewis, Connecticut
Lori Cohen - Greenberg Traurig, Georgia
Robin Cohen - McKool Smith, New York
Abby Cohen Smutny - White & Case, DC
Cassandra Collins - Hunton & Williams, Virginia
Jan M. Conlin - Ciresi Conlin , Minnesota
Shayna S. Cook - Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum, Illinois
Nina Cortell - Haynes and Boone, Texas
Sandra A Crashaw-Sparks - Proskauer Rose, New York
Margaret A. Dale - Proskauer Rose, New York
Susan Davies - Kirkland & Ellis, Washington, DC
Cari Dawson - Alston & Bird, Georgia
Catherine Dearlove - Richards Layton & Finger, Delaware
Kelly Dermody - Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, California
Bindu Donovan - Sidley Austin, New York
Martica S. Douglas - Douglas Denham Buccina & Ernst, Maine
Barbara Duffy - Lane Powell, Washington
Karen Dunn - Boies Schiller & Flexner, DC
Kimberly A. Dunne - Sidley Austin, California
Daralyn Durie - Durie Tangri, California
Patty Eakes - Calfo Eakes & Ostrovsky , Washington
Maja Eaton - Sidley Austin, Illinois
Barbara Edelman - Dinsmore & Shohl, Kentucky
Marci Eisenstein - Schiff Hardin, Illinois
Carol Elder Bruce - K&L Gates, DC
Nancy Erfle - Gordon & Rees, Oregon
Carolyn Fairless - Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell, Colorado
Jennifer Fletcher - Jennifer Wheatley Fletcher PC, Georgia
Frances Floriano Goins - Ulmer & Berne, Ohio
Laura Foggan - Crowell Moring, DC
Mary Beth Forshaw - Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, New York
Karen Frink Wolf - Verrill Dana, Maine
Kat Gallagher - Beck Redden, Texas
Deborah Garza - Covington & Burling, DC
Faith Gay - Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, New York
Martha Gaythwaite - Verrill Dana, Maine
Kathi Giddings - Akerman , Florida
Jeanne M. Gills - Foley & Lardner, Illinois
Amy Ginensky - Pepper Hamilton, Pennsylvania
Patricia Glaser - Glaser Weil Fink Jacobs Howard Avchen & Shapiro, California
Jessica Goldman - Summit Law, Washington
Marcia Goldstein - Weil Gotshal & Manges, New York
Sandra Goldstein - Cravath Swaine & Moore, New York
Celia Goldwag Barenholtz - Cooley, New York
Elaine Golin - Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, New York
Sara Gourley - Sidley Austin, Illinois
Melanie Gray - Winston & Strawn, Texas
Helen Gredd - Lankler Siffert & Wohl, New York
Laura Grossfield Birger - Cooley, New York
Christine Guerola Sarchio - Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, DC
Nina Gussack - Pepper Hamilton, Pennsylvania
Melinda Haag - Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, California
Caitlin Halligan - Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, New York
Jennifer Haltom Doan - Haltom Doan, Texas
Virginia Hamilton Snell - Wyatt Tarrant & Combs, Kentucky
Michele Hangley - Hangley Aronchick Segal & Pudlin, Pennsylvania
Jennifer Haworth McCandless - Sidley Austin, DC
Patricia Head Moskal - Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Tennessee
Lynne Hermle - Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, California
Elizabeth S. Hess - Kirkland & Ellis, Illinois
Melissa A. Hewey - Drummond Woodsum, Maine
Sally Higgins - Higgins & Owens , North Carolina
Paula Hinton - Winston & Strawn, Texas
Michele Hirshman - Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, New York
Mary Beth Hogan - Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
Angela Holt - Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Alabama
Holly House - Paul Hastings, California
Heidi Hubbard - Williams & Connolly, DC
Annette Hurst - Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, California
Caryn Jacobs - Winston & Strawn, Illinois
Hara K. Jacobs - Ballard Spahr, Pennsylvania
Helene Jaffe - Fox Rothschild, New York
Janet Jakubowicz - Bingham Greenebaum Doll, Kentucky
Leslie John - Ballard Spahr, Pennsylvania
Dixie Johnson - King & Spalding, DC
Emily Johnson Henn - Covington & Burling, California
Christy Jones - Butler Snow , Mississippi
Lisa Jose Fales - Venable, DC
Paula Junghans - Zuckerman Spaeder, DC
Perlette Michele Jura - Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, California
Heather L. Kafele - Winston & Strawn, DC
Roberta Kaplan - Kaplan and Company LLP, New York
Margaret Keane - Bingham Greenebaum Doll, Kentucky
Jennifer L. Keller - Keller Anderle, California
Elizabeth Kessler - Jones Day, Ohio
Irene Keyse-Walker - Tucker Ellis , Ohio
Ilene Knable Gotts - Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, New York
Kristin Koehler - Sidley Austin, DC
Linda Kornfeld - Kasowitz Benson Torres , California
Rachel Krevans - Morrison & Foerster, California
Carolyn Lamm - White & Case, DC
Ann Laupheimer - Blank Rome, Pennsylvania
Carmen Lawrence - King & Spalding, New York
Tara Lee - Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, DC
Lori E. Lesser - Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, New York
Selena Linde - Perkins Coie, DC
Joan Lukey - Choate Hall & Stewart, Massachusetts
Wendy Lumish - Bowman and Brooke, Florida
Joy Lundeen - Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, Florida
Helen Maher - Boies Schiller & Flexner, New York
Colleen Mahoney - Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, DC
Rita Maimbourg - Tucker Ellis , Ohio
Enu Mainigi - Williams & Connolly, DC
Lorelie Masters - Hunton & Williams, DC
Barbara Mather - Pepper Hamilton, Pennsylvania
Gail Mautner - Lane Powell, Washington
Deanne Maynard - Morrison & Foerster, DC
Eileen McCabe - Mendes & Mount, New York
Heather McDevitt - White & Case, New York
Joan McPhee - Ropes & Gray, New York
Maria D. Melendez - Sidley Austin, New York
Andrea Menaker - White & Case, DC
Jane Michaels - Holland & Hart, Colorado
Retta A. Miller - Jackson Walker, Texas
Loretta Mince - Fishman Haygood Phelps Walmsley Willis & Swanson, Louisiana
Deborah Moeller - Shook Hardy & Bacon, Missouri
Maura Monaghan - Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
Allison Mullins - Turning Point Litigation, North Carolina
Kathleen Nastri - Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, Connecticut
Sharon Nelles - Sullivan & Cromwell, New York
Andrea Neuman - Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, New York
Lynn Neuner - Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, New York
Jennifer Newstead - Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York
Julie North - Cravath Swaine & Moore, New York
Maeve O'Connor - Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
Mary O'Grady - Osborn Maledon, Arizona
Gigi O'Hara - Kutak Rock, Nebraska
Michele Odorizzi - Mayer Brown, Illinois
Anne Oldfather - Oldfather Law Firm, Kentucky
Lana A. Olson - Lightfoot Franklin White, Alabama
Yvette Ostolaza - Sidley Austin, Texas
Leslie Packer - Ellis & Winters, North Carolina
Elizabeth Papez - Winston & Strawn, DC
Kathy Patrick - Gibbs & Bruns, Texas
Karen Patton Seymour - Sullivan & Cromwell, New York
Lea Pauley Goff - Stoll Keenon Ogden, Kentucky
Shannon Phillips - Summit Law, Washington
Donna Phillips Currault - Gordon Arata McCollam Duplantis & Eagan, Louisiana
Bettina Plevan - Proskauer Rose, New York
Debra Pole - Sidley Austin, California
Karen Popp - Sidley Austin, DC
Lisa Prager - Holland & Knight, New York
Yvonne Quinn - Sullivan & Cromwell, New York
Nancy Rafuse - Polsinelli, Georgia
Jennifer S. Recine - Kasowitz Benson Torres , New York
Natalie Reid - Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
Pamela Reiter - Johnson Janklow Abdallah Reiter & Parsons, South Dakota
Tracie Renfroe - King & Spalding, Texas
Stephanie Resnick - Fox Rothschild, Pennsylvania
Ana C. Reyes - Williams & Connolly, DC
Stephanie Rippee - Watkins & Eager, Mississippi
Christine Rolph - Latham & Watkins, DC
Beth Rose - Sills Cummis, New Jersey
Gayle Rosenstein Klein - McKool Smith, New York
Hannah Ross - Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann, New York
Anna Rotman - Kirkland & Ellis, Texas
Hollis Salzman - Robins Kaplan, New York
Ank Santens - White & Case, New York
Cheryl Scarboro - Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, DC
Shannon Selden - Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
Penny Shane - Sullivan & Cromwell, New York
Nancy Sher Cohen - Proskauer Rose, California
Elizabeth Sherwin - McKool Smith, New York
Charlene S. Shimada - Morgan Lewis, California
Laura Shores - Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, DC
Anne McClain Sidrys - Kirkland & Ellis, Illinois
Rachelle Silverberg - Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, New York
Leslie Smith - Kirkland & Ellis, Illinois
Jennifer Spaziano - Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, DC
Amelia Starr - Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York
Deborah L. Stein - Simpson Thacher & Bartlett , California
Anita Stork - Covington & Burling, California
Laurie Strauch Weiss - Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, New York
Bettina Strauss - Bryan Cave, Missouri
Sung-Hee Suh - White & Case, New York
Diane Sullivan - Weil Gotshal & Manges, New York
Kathleen Sullivan - Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, New York
Kari Sutherland - Butler Snow, Mississippi
Michelle Thurber Czapski - Bodman, Michigan
Rhonda Tobin - Robinson & Cole, Connecticut
Peggy Tomsic - Magleby Cataxinos Greenwood, Utah
Nancy Turbak - Turbak Law Office, South Dakota
Katherine Turner - Williams & Connolly, DC
Martha Van Oot - Jackson Lewis, New Hampshire
Jennifer Van Zant - Brooks Pierce, North Carolina
Chilton Varner - King & Spalding, Georgia
Christine Varney - Cravath Swaine & Moore, New York
Kathi Vidal - Winston & Strawn, California
Jennifer Voss - Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, Delaware
Alexandra Walsh - Wilkinson Walsh Eskovitz, DC
Margaret Warner - McDermott Will & Emery, DC
Angel West - Nyemaster Goode West Hansell & O'Brien, Iowa
Mary Jo White - Debevoise & Plimpton, New York
Rebecca Wiggs - Watkins & Eager, Mississippi
Beth Wilkinson - Wilkinson Walsh Eskovitz, DC
Phoebe Wilkinson - Hogan Lovells, New York
Penny Windle - Cahill Gordon & Reindel, New York
Tina Wolfson - Ahdoot & Wolfson, California
Dorothy Wolpert - Bird, Marella, Boxer, Wolpert, Nessim, Drooks, Lincenberg & Rhow, California
Sharon Woods - Barris Sott Denn & Driker, Michigan
Elizabeth Wright - Thompson Hine, Ohio
Pamela Yates - Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, California
Marie Yeates - Vinson & Elkins, Texas
Margaret Zwisler - Latham & Watkins, DC
TOP 25 WOMEN IN CANADIAN LITIGATION
Michelle Awad - McInnes Cooper, Atlantics
Sarit Batner - McCarthy Tétrault, Ontario
Catherine Beagan-Flood - Blake Cassels & Graydon, Ontario
Wendy Berman - Cassels Brock, Ontario
Sheila Block - Torys, Ontario
Bernice Bowley - Fillmore Riley, Manitoba
Cindy Clarke - Borden Ladner Gervais, Ontario
Tracey Cohen - Fasken Martineau, British Columbia
Laura Cooper - Fasken Martineau, Ontario
Sandra Forbes - Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg, Ontario
April Grosse - Bennett Jones, Alberta
Ludmila Herbst - Farris Vaughan Wills & Murphy, British Columbia
Patricia Jackson - Torys, Ontario
Monique Jilesen - Lenczner Slaght, Ontario
Katherine Kay - Stikeman Elliott, Ontario
Maureen Killoran, QC - Osler Hoskin & Harcourt, Alberta
Andrea Laing - Blake Cassels & Graydon, Ontario
Stéphanie Lapierre - Stikeman Elliott, Québec
Jill Lawrie - Blake Cassels & Graydon, Ontario
Melissa MacKewn - Crawley MacKewn Brush, Ontario
Sophie Melchers - Norton Rose Fulbright, Québec
Linda Plumpton - Torys, Ontario
Sylvie Rodrigue - Torys, Québec
Linda Rothstein - Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein, Ontario
Cheryl Woodin - Bennett Jones, Ontario