37 Eastman & Smith Attorneys Included in 2026 Best Lawyers® Lists

8/21/25

Eastman & Smith is pleased to announce that 37 of our attorneys have been recognized in the 2026 Best Lawyers® lists, including 28 attorneys recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® and nine attorneys recognized in the 2026 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America list.

Additionally, four attorneys received Best Lawyers® 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” awards. Only one attorney per metropolitan region for each of the Best Lawyers® categories can receive a Lawyer of the Year award. These attorneys were the recipients of the largest total peer feedback for the practice area and geographic region in which they received this honor. The four Eastman & Smith honorees are:

• Kevin D. Devaney was named the Best Lawyers 2026 Mergers and Acquisitions Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Toledo

• Joseph R. Durham was named the Best Lawyers 2026 Litigation – Environmental “Lawyer of the Year” in Columbus, Ohio

• D. Casey Talbott was named the Best Lawyers 2026 Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants “Lawyer of the Year” in Toledo

• James B. Yates was named the Best Lawyers 2026 Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Toledo

To qualify for Best Lawyers in America®, an attorney must be nominated, then reviewed by other attorneys and finally has to be in good standing with their respective state bar association ethics committee. Less than 5% of attorneys in the U.S. are listed in Best Lawyers®. Below are the names of Eastman & Smith attorneys on this year's list as well as the categories in which they appear.

Business Law

• Gene R. Abercrombie
   o Real Estate Law

• Graham A. Bluhm
   o Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
   o Corporate Law
   o Mergers and Acquisitions Law

• Kevin D. Devaney
   o Corporate Law
   o Mergers and Acquisitions Law

• David L. Kuhl
   o Corporate Law
   o Health Care Law
   o Mergers and Acquisitions Law

• Fadi V. Nahhas
   o Corporate Law
   o Mergers and Acquisitions Law

• Patrick A. Sadowski
   o Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law

• Lane D. Williamson
   o Construction Law
   o Land Use and Zoning Law
   o Real Estate Law

Employment Law

• Thomas J. Gibney
   o Arbitration
   o Employment Law – Management
   o Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers

• Heidi N. Hartman
   o Litigation – Labor and Employment

• Brigid E. Heid
   o Employment Law – Management
   o Labor Law – Management
   o Litigation – Intellectual Property

• Mark A. Shaw
   o Litigation – Labor and Employment
   o Workers' Compensation Law – Employers

• Carrie L. Urrutia
   o Litigation – Labor and Employment
   o Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers

• James B. Yates
   o Employment Law – Management

Environmental Law

• Brian P. Barger
   o Natural Resources Law

• Joseph R. Durham
   o Environmental Law
   o Litigation – Environmental

Estate Planning, Trusts and Probate Law

• David W. Carter
   o Trusts and Estates

• Frank D. Jacobs
   o Trusts and Estates

• David C. Krock
   o Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
   o Tax Law
  o Trusts and Estates

Litigation

• Stephen E. Chappelear
   o Commercial Litigation
   o Litigation – Construction
   o Litigation – Intellectual Property
   o Litigation – Labor and Employment
   o Litigation – Trusts and Estates

• Stuart J. Goldberg
   o Commercial Litigation
   o Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

• Matthew D. Harper
   o Commercial Litigation
   o Litigation – Construction
   o Litigation – Land Use and Zoning

• Reginald S. Jackson, Jr.
   o Commercial Litigation
   o Criminal Defense: White-Collar

• Jared J. Lefevre
   o Commercial Litigation

• Todd A. Long
  o Criminal Defense: White-Collar

• Adam S. Nightingale
   o Criminal Defense: White-Collar

• Rudolph A. Peckinpaugh, Jr.
   o Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants

• Karl H. Schneider
   o Criminal Defense: White-Collar

• D. Casey Talbott
   o Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
   o Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
   o Railroad Law

The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America encompasses attorneys who show “outstanding professional excellence” and who are in the early phase of practicing law. The nine attorneys included in the 2026 list are:

• Nicholas W. Bartlett
   o Commercial Litigation
   o Professional Malpractice Law

• Elizabeth L. Bolduc
   o Labor and Employment Law – Management
   o Litigation – Labor and Employment

• Claire M. Griffin
   o Litigation – Intellectual Property
   o Litigation – Labor and Employment
   o Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

• Taylor L. Hanenkrath
   o Trusts and Estates

• Lauren A. Lowe
   o Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)

• Jade L. Robinson
   o Labor and Employment Law – Management

• Anna L. Schroeder
   o Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
   o Trusts and Estates

• Kyle D. Tucker
   o Land Use and Zoning Law
   o Real Estate Law

• Kade J.R. Weaver
   o Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)

The Firm congratulates these attorneys for their recognition.

The full methodology for The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America is available on Best Lawyers' web site.