Smith Haughey and its Attorneys Voted “Best” By Their Peers

Grand Rapids, Mich., September 14, 2011 – The law firm of Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge has been selected as #1 in 15 categories as listed in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. For each of these categories, Smith Haughey has more attorneys listed in Best Lawyers than any other firm:

  • Top-listed in Michigan in legal malpractice law.
  • Top-listed in Michigan in medical malpractice law.
  • Top-listed in Ann Arbor in medical malpractice law.
  • Top-listed in Grand Rapids in legal malpractice law.
  • Top-listed in Grand Rapids in medical malpractice law.
  • Top-listed in Grand Rapids in personal injury litigation.
  • Top-listed in Traverse City.
  • Top-listed in Traverse City in bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights law.
  • Top-listed in Traverse City in bankruptcy litigation.
  • Top-listed in Traverse City in bet-the-company litigation.
  • Top-listed in Traverse City in commercial litigation.
  • Top-listed in Traverse City in government relations.
  • Top-listed in Traverse City in insurance law.
  • Top-listed in Traverse City in personal injury litigation.
  • Top-listed in Traverse City in trusts and estates.
  • In addition, a total of 18 attorneys from all three of Smith Haughey’s offices have also been selected for inclusion in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. They are as follows:

    • George F. Bearup (Traverse City office) – Best Lawyers: trust and estates.
    • Charles F. Behler (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: bet-the-company litigation; commercial litigation; construction law; construction litigation.
    • Mark P. Bickel (Traverse City office) – Best Lawyers: bet-the-company; commercial litigation; personal injury litigation defense.
    • Carol D. Carlson (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: medical malpractice law defense.
    • Joseph A. Engel (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: medical malpractice law defense.
    • Dale L. Hebert (Ann Arbor) – Best Lawyers: medical malpractice law defense.
    • William W. Jack, Jr. (Grand Rapids office) – Best lawyers: mediation; legal malpractice law defense; medical malpractice law defense; personal injury litigation defense.
    • Charles B. Judson (Traverse City office) – Best Lawyers: government relations.
    • Brian J. Kilbane (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: medical malpractice law defense.
    • John M. Kruis (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: medical malpractice law defense.
    • E. Thomas McCarthy, Jr. (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: commercial litigation; legal malpractice law defense; personal injury litigation.
    • Todd W. Millar (Traverse City office) – Best Lawyers: insurance law.
    • Craig S. Neckers (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: commercial litigation.
    • John C. O’Loughlin (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: medical malpractice law defense.
    • John R. Oostema (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: legal malpractice law defense.
    • Bud Roegge (Grand Rapids office) – Best Lawyers: bet-the-company; commercial litigation; legal malpractice law; medical malpractice law defense; personal injury litigation defense.
    • Ronald A. Schuknecht (Traverse City office) – Best Lawyers: bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights law/insolvency and reorganization law; bankruptcy litigation.
    • Edward R. Stein (Ann Arbor office) – Best Lawyers: medical malpractice law defense; personal injury litigation defense.

    About Best Lawyers: Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 39,000 leading attorneys cast almost 3.1 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”