(Memphis, TN/July 18, 2008) The recently released 2008 edition of Chambers USA, a highly regarded directory of America's leading lawyers for business, has ranked 16 practice areas and 38 attorneys with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC as leading practices and practitioners in their respective states. Of those, six practice areas and twelve attorneys received rankings in Band 1, the top tier in Chambers USA.
Baker Donelson's 16 practice area rankings listed by tier are:
• Band 1: Real estate (Alabama), corporate/commercial (Mississippi), banking and finance (Tennessee), banking and finance: regulatory (Tennessee), health care (Tennessee) and real estate (Tennessee);
• Band 2: Corporate/commercial (Alabama), labor and employment (Alabama), energy and natural resources (Louisiana), litigation (Louisiana), litigation (Mississippi), real estate (Mississippi), labor and employment (Tennessee) and litigation (Tennessee); and
• Band 3: Labor and employment (Mississippi) and corporate/mergers and acquisitions (Tennessee).
In individual rankings, 38 of the Firm's attorneys were recognized in Chambers USA as among the leaders in their field.
• Band 1: Edward H. "Hank" Arnold III, energy and natural resources: marine finance (Louisiana); Leo Bearman Jr., general commercial litigation (Tennessee); Roy C. Cheatwood, general commercial litigation (Louisiana); Richard G. Cowart, health care (Tennessee); Steven J. Eisen, who achieved the top ranking in both banking and finance and banking and finance: regulatory (Tennessee); H. Chervis Isom, real estate (Alabama); Robert C. Liddon Jr., real estate (Tennessee); Randal S. Mashburn, bankruptcy litigation (Tennessee); Edward P. Meyerson, construction litigation (Alabama); William S. Painter, corporate/commercial (Mississippi); James H. Roussel, energy and natural resources: marine finance (Louisiana); and Fern H. Singer, labor and employment (Alabama)
• Band 2: Mary L. Aronov, real estate (Tennessee); Robert J. DelPriore, corporate/mergers and acquisitions (Tennessee); Stephen Edds, corporate/commercial: municipal finance (Mississippi); Kenneth P. "Pete" Ezell Jr., real estate (Tennessee); John A. Gupton III, real estate (Tennessee); John S. Hicks, general commercial litigation (Tennessee); Walker W. "Bill" Jones III, general commercial litigation (Mississippi); William S. Mendenhall, corporate/commercial (Mississippi); B. G. Minisman Jr., corporate/commercial (Alabama); William N. Norton, corporate/mergers and acquisitions (Louisiana); Daniel L. Singletary, real estate (Mississippi); and W. Scott Welch, general commercial litigation (Mississippi)
• Band 3: Gary M. Brown, corporate/mergers and acquisitions (Tennessee); Ashby Q. Burks, health care (Tennessee); Brooks Eason, labor and employment (Mississippi); Barry W. Ford, general commercial litigation (Mississippi); Thomas O. Kolb, real estate (Alabama); J. Randall Patterson, labor and employment (Mississippi); Charles A. Powell IV, labor and employment (Alabama); William N. Reed, general commercial litigation (Mississippi); J. Carter Thompson Jr., general commercial litigation (Mississippi); Steven H. Trent, labor and employment (Tennessee); M. Kim Vance, labor and employment (Tennessee); and Edward R. Young, labor and employment (Tennessee)
• Up and Coming: David A. Rueff Jr., real estate (Mississippi)
Considered a cornerstone directory whose listings are given much weight among business leaders selecting legal counsel, Chambers USA ranks law firm practice areas and individual attorneys based on research conducted by the directory's team of more than 40 full-time researchers, including in-depth interviews with clients and attorneys. For the current Chambers USA directory, over 14,000 interviews were conducted over a period of six months.