September 2, 2025 (Atlanta, GA) – Hawkins Parnell & Young is proud to announce that over one-third of the firm's litigators have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This recognition spans 19 different practice areas and includes two "Lawyer of the Year" awards, six first-time honorees, and 11 attorneys named to the "Ones to Watch" category, underscoring the firm's deep bench across multiple disciplines.

FIRM HIGHLIGHTS

• 43 of the firm’s lawyers were recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America
• 2 won Lawyer of the Year in their practice areas
• 6 were chosen for the first time
• 11 were named “Ones to Watch”
• 19 different practice areas covered

LAWYERS OF THE YEAR

• Christine Mast - Professional Malpractice Law (Defendants) in Atlanta: A six-time Lawyer of the Year recipient, Mast has earned this recognition three times each in Professional Malpractice Law and Legal Malpractice Law.
• Catherine McCormack - Personal Injury Litigation (Defendants) in Atlanta. This marks McCormack's first Lawyer of the Year honor. Hawkins Parnell attorneys have earned the Personal Injury Litigation designation in Atlanta in 5 of the past 10 years, with recent recipients including William Major, Warner Fox, and David Marshall.

BEST LAWYERS AND ONES TO WATCH

• Todd C. Alley (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Carl H. Anderson, Jr. (Atlanta) – Litigation - Intellectual Property
• Juan Aragon* (Los Angeles) – Commercial Litigation
• Matthew F. Barr (Atlanta) – Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Frank C. Bedinger, III (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• E. Tyron Brown (Atlanta) – Commercial Litigation; Construction Law; Litigation - Construction
• Haley N. Carson* (Chicago) – Commercial Litigation; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
• Kelly (Ka In) Chan* (Los Angeles) – Insurance Law; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Chelcie A. Charles* (Dallas) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Evelyn Fletcher Davis (Atlanta) – Insurance Law; Litigation - Environmental; Litigation - Insurance; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Garret Drogosch* (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
• Jennifer D. Echegoyen* (Orange County) – Insurance Law; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Real Estate Law; Transportation Law
• Warner S. Fox (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants; Transportation Law
• Elaine K. Fresch (Los Angeles / Las Vegas) – Construction Law; Litigation - Construction; Litigation - Insurance
• Robert B. Gilbreath (Dallas) – Appellate Practice
• Bryan M. Grantham (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Jason Groch (Atlanta) – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Peter A. Jacxsens, Jr. (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Kyle M. Jorgensen* (Chicago) – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Holly Harris* (St. Louis) – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Michael J. Hart (St. Louis) – Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• C. Shane Keith (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
• C. William Knapp* (West Virginia) – Litigation - Environmental; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Teresa E. Lazzaroni (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Martin A. Levinson (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Transportation Law
• Debra E. LeVorse (Atlanta) – Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants; Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Frances Lopez (Tampa) – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Sarah L. Lynch* (West Virginia) – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• William H. Major, III (Atlanta) – Litigation - Banking and Finance; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• David C. Marshall (Atlanta) – Litigation - Environmental; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Christine L. Mast (Atlanta) – Appellate Practice; Commercial Litigation; Construction Law; Employment Law - Management; Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law; Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants; Litigation - Insurance; Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Catherine A. McCormack (Atlanta) – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Robert McKinney (West Virginia) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Nicole M. Ortiz* (Orange County) – Commercial Litigation
• Elliott Ream* (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants; Transportation Law
• Barry R. Schirm (Los Angeles) – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Matthew W. Schuh (St. Louis) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Brian W. Sprinkle (Atlanta) – Insurance Law; Litigation - Insurance
• Kimberly D. Stevens (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
• David H. Wilson (Atlanta) – Commercial Litigation
• William T. Wood, III (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
• Peter R. York (Atlanta) – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Jenni L. Young (Chicago / Detroit) – Commercial Litigation

*Ones to Watch Recipients

RECOGNIZED PRACTICE AREAS

• Appellate Practice
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Employment Law - Management
• Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
• Insurance Law
• Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Litigation - Banking and Finance
• Litigation - Construction
• Litigation - Environmental
• Litigation - Insurance
• Litigation - Intellectual Property
• Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
• Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
• Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
• Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants
• Real Estate Law
• Transportation Law