Awards & Recognition

Chambers USA ranks the nation’s leading firms and lawyers in a wide range of practice areas and features client commentary. McKool Smith’s 2020 rankings include:

• Ranked in Band 1 (highest ranking) for Intellectual Property in Texas. “They are a fantastic patent firm. They're probably the savviest firm available for patent litigation in East Texas.”
• Ranked in Band 1 for Litigation: General Commercial in Texas. “On the trial front, the lawyers with whom I have worked are superb.”
• Ranked in Band 1 for Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder in New York. “They have been at the top of the game for a long time and do a great job for clients.”
• Ranked in the Spotlight Table (highest ranking) for Litigation: Securities: Institutional Plaintiffs in New York. “They're doing an excellent job – they have exceptional attention to detail and a thorough understanding of the procedural intricacies of New York state practice.”
• Ranked nationally as a leading firm for Intellectual Property. “McKool Smith has fantastic trial lawyers; they just get how to try a case and are easy to deal with.”
• Ranked nationally as a leading firm for Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder.
• Ranked as a leading firm for Litigation: General Commercial in California. “The quality of the work is excellent. The level of communication is great – they're always responsive.”
• Ranked as a leading Bankruptcy/Restructuring firm in Texas.
• 12 firm principals are ranked as individual leaders in their fields: Samuel Baxter, Douglas Cawley, Kirk Dillman, Michael Hennigan, William LaFuze, Lewis LeClair, Mike McKool, Steven Pollinger, Hugh Ray, Robert Scheef, Theodore Stevenson, and William Wood.

Chambers Global identifies leading lawyers and firms in more than 190 countries. McKool Smith's 2019 rankings include:

• Ranked as a leading U.S. firm in the Intellectual Property: Patent category
• Ranked individuals: Samuel Baxter, Douglas Cawley, Mike McKool and Theodore Stevenson

• Recognized as an “Insurance Group of the Year” (2016-2017, 2019-2020)
• Recognized as an “Intellectual Property Group of the Year” (2013, 2018)
• Recognized as a “Trial Group of the Year” (2017)
• Named a Texas Powerhouse (2014, 2018-2019)

Benchmark Litigation focuses exclusively on litigation in the U.S. McKool Smith's rankings include:

• Ranked nationally as a “Top 20 Trial Law Firm”
• Ranked Tier 1 (highest ranking) nationally for Intellectual Property and Insurance
• Ranked as a “Highly Recommended” litigation firm in Texas and “Recommended” in New York
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers: Douglas Cawley and Theodore Stevenson
• Litigation Stars: Samuel Baxter, Douglas Cawley, J. Michael Hennigan, Chris Johnson, Lewis LeClair, Zach Mazin, Mike McKool, Ashley Moore, Josh Newcomer, Hugh Ray, David Sochia, and Theodore Stevenson
• 40 & Under Hot List: Courtney Statfeld

For the past two decades, The Legal 500 Series has provided the most comprehensive worldwide coverage currently available on legal services providers in more than 100 countries. McKool Smith's rankings include:

• Ranked nationally as a leading firm for Insurance: Advice to Policyholders. “Experience across a wide range of insurance issues, including asbestos-related matters, as well as other product liability, environmental, toxic tort cases, and D&O matters. The team also has significant regulatory expertise.”
• Ranked nationally as a leading firm for Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation. “A very professional and focused firm that has its clients’ commercial interests at heart.”
• Recommended lawyers: Sam Baxter, Douglas A. Cawley, Mike McKool, Ted Stevenson, and Willie Wood.

McKool Smith received national and regional rankings in the 2020 edition of IAM Patent 1000:  The World's Leading Patent Professionals.

• One of seven trial powerhouses ranked nationally in the “Firms: plaintiff” category
• One of five firms ranked Gold (highest tier) in Texas in the “Firms: litigation” category
• Ranked practitioners (Texas): Samuel Baxter, Douglas Cawley, Mike McKool, and Theodore Stevenson

• Managing IP is a leading global resource covering all aspects of IP law and practice. Our 2020 accolades:

  • Named U.S. “Firm of the Year: Plaintiff” and winner in the “Patent Contentious: South” category
  • IP Stars: Samuel Baxter, Douglas Cawley, William LaFuze, Mike McKool, Steven Pollinger, and Theodore Stevenson

Best Lawyers compiles lists of outstanding lawyers by conducting surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their peers. McKool Smith's ranked practitioners for 2021 include:

• Blake Bailey, Samuel Baxter, John Campbell, Douglas Cawley, Gary Cruciani, J. Wiley George, J. Michael Hennigan, William LaFuze, Lewis LeClair, Kat Li, Robert Manley, Veronica Manning, Mike McKool, Michael Miguel, Ashley Moore, Steven Pollinger, James Quigley, Marcus Rabinowitz, Hugh Ray, Kevin Schubert, David Sochia, Theodore Stevenson, Albert Suarez, Jennifer Truelove, Lauren Varnado, and Avery Williams

Best Law Firms features national and metropolitan firm rankings. Below are the complete 2021 McKool Smith rankings:

National Tier 1

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Litigation – Patent
• Litigation – Securities

Metropolitan Tier 1

Austin

• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Litigation – Patent

Dallas/Fort Worth

• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Banking & Finance
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Litigation – Mergers & Acquisitions
• Litigation – Patent
• Litigation – Securities

Houston

• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Litigation – Patent

Los Angeles

• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Real Estate
• Litigation – Securities

New York City

• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tyler (TX)

• Bet-the-Company Litigation
• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Litigation – Patent