Best Lawyers - 2008

The verdict is in: Local attorneys pick the top lawyers in their fields

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THIS LIST is excerpted from the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, the preeminent referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. Published since 1983, Best Lawyers lists attorneys in 78 specialties, representing all 50 states, who have been chosen through an exhaustive survey in which thousands of the nation’s top lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The 2008 edition of Best Lawyers is based on more than 1.8 million evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

The method used to compile Best Lawyers remains unchanged since the first edition was compiled more than 20 years ago. Lawyers are chosen for inclusion based solely on a vote of their peers. Listings cannot be bought, and no purchase is required to be included. In this regard, Best Lawyers remains the gold standard of reliability and integrity in lawyer ratings.

The nomination pool for the 2008 edition consisted of all lawyers whose names appeared in the previous edition of Best Lawyers, lawyers who were nominated since the previous survey and new nominees solicited from listed attorneys. In general, lawyers were asked to vote only on nominees in their own specialty in their own jurisdiction. Lawyers in closely related specialties were asked to vote across specialties, as were lawyers in smaller jurisdictions. Where specialties are national or international in nature, lawyers were asked to vote nationally as well as locally. Voting lawyers were also given an opportunity to offer more detailed comments on nominees. Each year, half of the voting pool receives fax or e-mail ballots; the other half is polled by phone.

Voting lawyers were provided this general guideline for determining if a nominee should be listed among “the best”: “If you had a close friend or relative who needed a real estate lawyer (for example), and you could not handle the case yourself, to whom would you refer them?” All votes and comments were solicited with a guarantee of confidentiality—a critical factor in the viability and validity of Best Lawyers surveys. To ensure the rigor of the selection process, lawyers were urged to use only their highest standards when voting, and to evaluate each nominee based only on his or her individual merits. The additional comments were used to make more accurate comparisons between voting patterns and weight votes accordingly. Best Lawyers uses various methodological tools to identify and correct for anomalies in both the nomination and voting process.

Ultimately, of course, a lawyer’s inclusion is based on the subjective judgments of his or her fellow attorneys. While it is true that the lists may at times disproportionately reward visibility or popularity, the breadth of the survey, the candor of the respondents and the sophistication of the polling methodology largely correct for any biases.

For all these reasons, Best Lawyers lists continue to represent the most reliable, accurate and useful guide to the Best Lawyers in the United States available anywhere.

Best Lawyers lists are available at bestlawyers.com. “Best Lawyers” and “The Best Lawyers in America” are registered trademarks of Woodward/White, Inc.

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW

Nancy O. Dix
DLA Piper
401 B Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA 92101-4297
619-699-2700

ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Douglas A. Glass
Glass Mediations
2550 Fifth Avenue, Suite 605
San Diego, CA 92103
619-234-7790

Craig Higgs
Higgs, Fletcher & Mack
401 West A Street, Suite 2600
San Diego, CA 92101-7908
619-236-1551

Scott S. Markus
Markus Kruis Mediation
402 West Broadway, Suite 700
San Diego, CA 92101
619-239-2020

Thomas E. Sharkey
Sharkey, Roberts & Chodzko
402 West Broadway, Suite 2300
San Diego, CA 92101
619-239-8499

Maureen A. Summers
Summers & Shives
8755 Aero Drive, Suite 230
San Diego, CA 92123
858-874-1800

ANTITRUST LAW

Jeffery M. Shohet
DLA Piper
401 B Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA 92101-4297
619-699-2700

APPELLATE LAW

Charles A. Bird
Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps
600 West Broadway, Suite 2600
San Diego, CA 92101
619-236-1414

Kathryn E. Karcher
DLA Piper
401 B Street, Suite 1700
San Diego, CA 92101-4297
619-699-2700

Lynda A. Romero
5173 Waring Road, Suite 220
San Diego, CA 92120
619-286-6992

Charles M. Sevilla
The Law Office of Charles Sevilla
1010 Second Avenue, Suite 1825
San Diego, CA 92101-4902
619-232-2222

Lewis A. Wenzell
5070 Narragansett Avenue, Suite 303
San Diego, CA 92107-3028
619-224-9422

BANKING LAW

Kurt L. Kicklighter
Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps
600 West Broadway, Suite 2600
San Diego, CA 92101
619-236-1414

BANKRUPTCY & CREDITOR-DEBTOR RIGHTS LAW

Michael T. Andrew
Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps
600 West Broadway, Suite 2600
San Diego, CA 92101
619-236-1414

Mikel R. Bistrow
Duane Morris
101 West Broadway, Suite 900
San Diego, CA 92101-8285
619-744-2200

Jeffry A. Davis
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo
5355 Mira Serrento Place, Suite 600
San Diego, CA 92121
858-320-3000

Margaret M. Mann
Heller Ehrman
4350 La Jolla Village Drive
Seventh Floor
San Diego, CA 92122-1246
858-450-8400

David L. Osias
Allen Matkins Leck Gamble & Mallory
501 West Broadway
15th Floor
San Diego, CA 92101-3541
619-233-1155

Victor A. Vilaplana
Foley & Lardner
402 West Broadway, Suite 2100
San Diego, CA 92101
619-234-6655

Dennis J. Wickham
Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek
Symphony Towers, Suite 2100
750 B Street
San Diego, CA 92101
619-685-3003

BET-THE-COMPANY LITIGATION

Robert S. Brewer Jr.
McKenna Long & Aldridge
750 B Street, Suite 3300
San Diego, CA 92101
619-595-5400

Gerald L. McMahon
Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek
Symphony Towers, Suite 2100
750 B Street
San Diego, CA 92101
619-685-3003

David J. Noonan
Kirby, Noonan, Lance & Hoge
600 West Broadway, Suite 1100
San Diego, CA 92101-3387
619-231-8666

Michael J. Weaver
Latham & Watkins
600 West Broadway, Suite 1800
San Diego, CA 92101-3375
619-236-1234

BIOTECHNOLOGY LAW

L. Kay Chandler
Cooley Godward Kronish
4401 East Gate Mall
San Diego, CA 92121-1909
858-550-6000

Thomas A. Coll
Cooley Godward Kronish
4401 East Gate Mall
San Diego, CA 92121-1909
858-550-6000

Lisa A. Haile
DLA Piper
4365 Executive Drive, Suite 1100
San Diego, CA 92121-2133
858-677-1400

Anthony M. Insogna
Jones Day
12265 El Camino Real, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92130-4096
858-314-1200

Richard A. Kaufman
Heller Ehrman
4350 La Jolla Village Drive
Seventh Floor
San Diego, CA 92122-1246
858-450-8400

Kate H. Murashige
Morrison & Foerster
12531 High Bluff Drive, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92130-2040
858-720-5100

Frederick T. Muto
Cooley Godward Kronish
4401 East Gate Mall
San Diego, CA 92121-1909
858-550-6000

Faye H. Russell
Latham & Watkins
12636 High Bluff Drive, Suite 400
San Diego, CA 92130
858-523-5400

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