Best Lawyers has recognized two of the firm's principals as 2021 "Lawyers of the Year" in their respective regions/practices areas. Based on peer reviews, only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.”

McKool Smith's 2019 honorees include:

Mike Hennigan2022 Los Angeles “Lawyer of the Year” for Banking and Finance Litigation

Mike is a founding principal of McKool Smith Hennigan and specializes in complex commercial cases and “bet-the-company” matters. He has served as lead counsel in more than 45 jury trials in state and federal court, and has obtained judgments and settlements amounting to more than $8 billion for his clients. Mike was previously recognized as the Best Lawyers real estate litigation “Lawyer of the Year” in 2012, 2016, and 2019.

Lew LeClair2022 Dallas “Lawyer of the Year” for Real Estate Litigation

Lew has more than forty years’ experience handling complex commercial litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants. He has a particular specialization in complex financial litigation, antitrust, and accounting issues. Lew’s recent achievements include representing a dental supplier in a long-running antitrust case against industry giant Henry Schein and obtaining an extremely favorable settlement weeks before trial. He also secured a significant appellate victory on behalf of a renewable energy producer and its investors before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which affirmed a $63 million arbitration award for the plaintiffs following a failed joint venture.

About Best Lawyers

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become widely regarded as one of the definitive guides to legal excellence. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey. Over 79,000 leading attorneys are eligible to vote, and more than 6.2 million votes have been received to date on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice."

For more information on Best Lawyers visit www.bestlawyers.com.

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