Akin Secures Top Rankings in The Legal 500 US 2025

In its 18th edition, The Legal 500 United States has recognized Akin with 39 ranked practices and over 170 named individuals, highlighting the firm and its lawyers as market-leaders. Akin secured tier 1 rankings for the tenth consecutive year in both Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate and Government Relations, and for the third year running, in International trade: customs, export controls and economic sanctions and International trade: trade remedies and trade policy. The firm also earned two new practice rankings in Commercial Lending: advice to direct lenders / private credit and M&A / Corporate and Commercial: large deals ($1bn+),

According to the publication, the rankings reflect the overall strength and depth of a team, considering not only technical excellence and market-leading work, but also client base, cross-practice capabilities and strategic investment in the practice. Akin’s recognition is a testament to the consistency and quality of our lawyers across all levels and our ability to deliver on the most complex, high-profile matters.

A number of Akin lawyers have been ranked as “Leading Partners,” “Next Generation Partners” and “Leading Associates” in their respective fields.

The firm’s 20 “Leading Partners” are:

• Supreme Court & appellate practice co-head Pratik Shah
• Corporate & finance partner John Goodgame
• Projects & energy transition partner Vanessa Richelle Wilson
• Financial restructuring partners Abid Qureshi, Ira Dizengoff and Phil Dublin
• Lobbying & public policy practice co-heads Hunter Bates and Brian Pomper
• Healthcare & life sciences partner Nathan Brown
• Government contracts practice head Michael Vernick
• American Indian law & policy regulation practice head Donald Pongrace
• International trade partners Lars-Erik Hjelm, Bernd Janzen, Stephen Kho, Tom McCarthy, Matthew Nicely and Kevin Wolf
• Investment management partner Jan-Paul Bruynes
• Media & entertainment practice head Christopher Spicer
• Telecom, media & technology practice head Jennifer Richter.

Akin’s eight “Next Generation Partners” are:

• Shariff Barakat (projects & energy transition)
• April Kim (projects & energy transition)
• Sara Brauner (financial restructuring)
• Kelly Cleary (healthcare & life sciences)
• Katherine Padgett (international trade)
• Suzanne Kane (international trade)
• Yujin Kim McNamara (international trade)
• Vanessa Roman (media & entertainment).

Akin associates Brad Warner (projects & energy transition), Marta Thompson (government contracts), Sarah Kirwin (international trade) and Lauren Epstein (media & entertainment) were named among the guide’s “Leading Associates.”

Additionally, 39 of the firm’s practices are recognized and more than 170 Akin attorneys are listed as key lawyers:

Antitrust: merger control

• Gorav Jindal
• Brian Rafkin
• Dennis Schmelzer

Appellate: Courts of appeals

Appellate: Supreme Courts (States and Federal)

• Julius Chen
• Pratik Shah
• James Tysse

Capital Markets: debt offerings

• Jesse Brush
• John Clayton
• Ryan Cox
• Garrett DeVries
• John Goodgame

Capital Markets: high-yield debt offerings

• Jesse Brush
• John Clayton
• Garrett DeVries
• John Goodgame
• Rosa Testani

Commercial Lending: advice to borrowers

• Matthew Bivona
• Jaisohn Im

Commercial Lending: advice to direct lenders / private credit

• Jaisohn Im
• William Brady
• Scott Colton
• Ranesh Ramanathan

Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: advice to corporates

Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: advice to individuals

• James J Benjamin Jr.
• Charles F. Connolly
• Katherine R. Goldstein
• Parvin Moyne

Education

• Scott Barnard
• Anthony Pierce
• Marta Thompson
• Michael Vernick

Energy: renewable/alternative power

• Shariff Barakat
• Ike Emehelu
• Hayden Harms
• Matthew Kapinos
• April Kim
• Dan Lynch
• Vanessa Richelle Wilson
• Zachary Wittenberg

Energy Transactions: electric power

• Ike Emehelu
• Hayden Harms
• Matthew Kapinos
• Brad Warner
• Vanessa Richelle Wilson

Energy Transactions: oil and gas

• Cole Bredthauer
• Trent Bridges
• Leana Garipova
• Ian Goldberg
• John Goodgame
• Dasha Hodge
• Mary Lovely
• Rob Shearer
• Wesley Williams
• Zachary Wittenberg

Environment: transactional

• Jessica Maloney
• Andrew Oelz
• David Quigley

General commercial disputes

• Scott Barnard
• Uri Itkin
• Neal Marder
• Brennan Meier
• Anthony Pierce
• Douglas Rappaport
• Joseph Sorkin

Government contracts

• Scott Heimberg
• Susan Lent
• McKenzie Miller
• Angela Styles
• Marta Thompson
• Michael Vernick

Government relations

• Reggie Babin
• Hunter Bates
• Casey Higgins
• Jeffrey McMillen
• Ed Pagano
• Brian Pomper
• Hans Rickhoff
• Zachary Rudisill
• Chris Treanor

Healthcare: Life sciences

• Nathan Brown
• Kelly Cleary
• John Jacob
• Robert Salcido

Intellectual Property: Patents: litigation (full coverage)

• Cono Carrano
• Rachel Elsby
• Michael Kahn
• Steven Maslowski
• Daniel Moffett
• Matthew Pearson

International trade: CFIUS

• Christian Davis
• Katherine Padgett

International trade: customs, export controls and economic sanctions

• Shiva Aminian
• Lars-Erik Hjelm
• Suzanne Kane
• Susan Kovarovics
• Thomas McCarthy
• Michael Mineiro
• Jason Prince
• Kevin Wolf

International trade: trade remedies and trade policy

• Bernd Janzen
• Stephen Kho
• Sarah Kirwin
• Yujin Kim McNamara
• Matthew Nicely

Investment Fund Formation and Management: alternative / hedge funds

• Jan-Paul Bruynes
• Barbara Niederkofler
• Ann Tadajweski

Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)

• Desiree Busching
• Lauren Leyden
• Robert Lian
• Jessica Taub Rosenberg

M&A / Corporate and Commercial: corporate governance

• Kerry Berchem
• Garrett DeVries
• Dan Fisher
• John Goodgame

* New ranking in M&A / Corporate and Commercial: large deals ($1bn+)

• John Goodgame
• Jason Koenig
• Sergio Urias
• Zachary Wittenberg

Media and entertainment: transactional

• Lauren Epstein
• Alissa Miller
• Elyssa Pak
• Rebecca Pottash
• Vanessa Roman
• Marissa Román Griffith
• Christopher Spicer

Media, technology and telecoms: cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)

• Jo-Ellyn Sakowitz Klein
• Natasha Kohne

Media, technology and telecoms: Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory

• Virginia Hiner Antypas
• Douglas Brandon
• Michael Mineiro
• Jennifer Richter
• Sharanya Sriram
• Steve Rowings

Native American law

• Katie Brossy
• Merrill Godfrey
• Jason Hauter
• Donald Pongrace

Private equity buyouts: middle-market (Up to $500m)

• Andy Lehman
• Eli Miller
• Sergio Urias
• Zachary Wittenberg
• Amy Wollensack
• Thomas Yang

Private equity funds (including venture capital)

• James Deeken
• Michael DiLernia
• Wendy Dodson Gallegos
• Blayne Grady
• Barbara Niederkofler
• Prakash Mehta
• Dennis Pereira
• Fadi Samman

Project finance: energy and power

• Shariff Barakat
• Ike Emehelu
• Hayden Harms
• Matt Kapinos
• April Kim
• Dan Lynch
• Vanessa Richelle Wilson

Real estate

• Marc Epstein
• Avi Feinberg

Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate

• Scott Alberino
• Sara Brauner
• Ira Dizengoff
• Philip Dublin
• Arik Preis
• Abid Qureshi
• Michael Stamer

Securities litigation: defense

• Stephen Baldini
• Scott Barnard
• Uri Itkin
• Stephanie Lindemuth
• Neal Marder
• Douglas Rappaport
• Kate Shapiro
• Joseph Sorkin
• Jacqueline Yecies

Shareholder activism

• Jason Koenig
• Douglas Rappaport

Sport 

• Randall Boe
• Christopher Spicer

U.S. taxes: non-contentious

• Ryan Dahan
• Patrick Fenn
• Stuart Leblang
• Johnathan Pavlich
• Alexander Specht

For further details on the firm’s rankings and commentary, please click here.