Chambers USA 2026 Recognized Calfee, Halter & Griswold as a Leading Law Firm With 19 Department and 45 Attorney Recognitions

Calfee is proud to announce recognition as a 2026 Leading Law Firm in Ohio, Indiana, Texas, and nationally in the recently released edition of Chambers USA Guide: America’s Leading Business Lawyers^®. 

We sincerely thank our clients and business associates who have served as references and participated in the Chambers feedback surveys. Your candid and anonymous comments are highly weighted in the research process, and we appreciate the time you take to submit your feedback on behalf of the firm. We are also grateful to the attorneys and support staff who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality work product and exceptional client service every day.

With more than 200 researchers, Chambers has been conducting independent research into top law firms worldwide for more than 30 years and is considered the preeminent ranking organization in the legal industry globally.

Chambers USA 2026 recognized Calfee in the following practice areas and jurisdictions:

1. Antitrust (Ohio: Band 2)
2. Banking & Finance (Ohio: Band 2)
3. Construction (Ohio: Band 4)
4. Corporate/M&A (Ohio-North: Band 1)
5. Corporate/M&A (Ohio-South & Central: Band 2)
6. Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Ohio: Band 2) 
7. Energy & Natural Resources (Indiana: Band 1)
8. Energy & Natural Resources (Ohio: Band 1)
9. Environment (Ohio: Band 3)
10. Government Relations: State & Local (USA-Nationwide: Band 1)
11. Insurance: Policyholder (Ohio: Band 1)
12. Intellectual Property (Ohio: Band 1)
13. Investment Funds: Regulatory & Compliance (USA-Nationwide: Band 3)
14. Labor & Employment (Ohio-North: Band 3)
15. Labor & Employment (Ohio-South & Central: Band 4)
16. Litigation: General Commercial (Ohio: Band 2)
17. Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Ohio: Band 2)
18. Public Finance (Ohio: Band 2)
19. Real Estate (Ohio: Band 2)

Chambers and Partners assesses law firms on technical legal ability, client service, commercial vision and business understanding, diligence, value, and depth of teams. Law firm departments are ranked on the qualities of their attorneys and the effectiveness and capability of the department as a whole (its strength and depth). Law firms and individual lawyers are ranked in bands from 1 (highest) to 6. Being ranked in any band is considered a significant achievement in the global legal community.

Chambers ranks individual attorneys based on their legal knowledge, experience, ability, effectiveness, and client service. Each of the following Calfee attorneys has been recognized as a “Leader in Their Field" by Chambers USA 2026:

1. Blake C. Beachler – Public Finance (Ohio: Band 1)
2. Fritz E. Berckmueller – Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Ohio: Band 2)
3. Karl S. Beus – Banking & Finance (Ohio: Band 1)
4. Michael W. Bowen – Government Relations: State & Local (USA-Nationwide: Up & Coming)
5. David T. Bules – Litigation: General Commercial (Ohio: Band 4)
6. John R. Cernelich – Labor & Employment (Ohio-North: Band 3)
7. Matthew A. Chiricosta – Insurance: Policyholder (Ohio: Band 2)
8. John S. Cipolla – Intellectual Property (Ohio: Band 1)
9. Jennifer Walwyn Colvin – Labor & Employment (Ohio-South & Central: Band 4)
10. Mara E. Cushwa – Real Estate (Ohio: Band 4)
11. Steven W. Day – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds: Band 2)
12. Terrence F. Doyle – Corporate/M&A (Ohio-North: Band 4)
13. Gary L. Ellsworth – Real Estate (Ohio: Band 4)
14. Michael K. Gall – Tax (Ohio: Band 2)
15. Elizabeth Zoller Golish – Real Estate (Ohio: Band 4)
16. Arthur C. Hall III – Corporate/M&A (Ohio-North: Eminent Practitioner)
17. Patrick D. Hayes – Investment Funds: Regulatory & Compliance (USA-Nationwide: Band 2)
18. James C. Holsclaw – Energy & Natural Resources (Indiana: Band 2)
19. Maura L. Hughes – Antitrust (Ohio: Band 1) and Litigation: General Commercial (Ohio: Band 4)
20. Michael B. Hurley – Corporate/M&A (Ohio-South & Central: Band 2)
21. Christopher Jones – Environment (Ohio: Band 1)
22. James F. Lang – Energy & Natural Resources (Ohio: Band 1)
23. James M. Lawniczak – Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Ohio: Senior Statesperson)
24. Mark W. McDougall – Intellectual Property (Ohio: Band 2)
25. Brian A. McMahon – Banking & Finance (Ohio: Band 2)
26. Matthew M. Mendoza – Construction (Ohio: Band 4) and Insurance: Policyholder (Ohio: Band 3)
27. Robert A. Miller – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Ohio: Band 1)
28. Douglas A. Neary – Corporate/M&A (Ohio-North: Eminent Practitioner)
29. Colleen M. O'Neil – Litigation: General Commercial (Ohio: Band 3)
30. Todd F. Palmer – Labor & Employment (Ohio-North: Band 4)
31. Leah Pappas Porner – Government Relations: State & Local (USA-Nationwide: Band 1)
32. Brent M. Pietrafese – Corporate/M&A (Ohio-North: Band 3)
33. Billy C. Raulerson – Intellectual Property (Ohio: Band 3)
34. Karla M. Rogers – Real Estate (Ohio: Band 3)
35. Jason A. Rothman – Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation (Ohio: Band 2)
36. Joshua R. Sanders – Government Relations: State & Local (USA-Nationwide: Band 1)
37. Ann Z. Seger – Banking & Finance (Ohio: Band 1)
38. Jodi D. Spencer – Insurance: Policyholder (Ohio: Band 3)
39. K. James Sullivan – Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder (USA-Nationwide: Band 3) and Insurance: Policyholder (Ohio: Band 1)
40. Salvatore J. (Sam) Totino – Corporate/M&A (Ohio-North: Band 4)
41. Todd Tucker – Intellectual Property (Ohio: Band 2)
42. Jennifer L. Vergilii – Corporate/M&A (Ohio-North: Band 3)
43. Christopher M. Ward – Environment (Ohio: Band 4)
44. Thomas M. Welsh – Corporate/M&A (Ohio-North: Band 4)
45. Christopher S. Williams – Litigation: General Commercial (Ohio: Band 1)

The Chambers High Net Worth Guide will release its 2026 rankings in July. Calfee's Estate and Succession Planning and Administration practice group was ranked in Chambers HNW 2025 as a "Leading Law Firm" in Private Wealth Law in Ohio (Band 2). Four of Calfee's Estate and Succession Planning and Administration attorneys were ranked as "Leaders in their Field" in Private Wealth Law in Ohio for 2025: Joseph M. Mentrek, Partner and Chair of the practice group (Band 1), Jaclyn M. Vary, Partner (Band 2), Amy K. Friedmann, Senior Counsel (Band 3), Stephanie M. Glavinos, Senior Counsel (Band 3), and Zachary J. Stackhouse, Associate Attorney (Associate to Watch).

About Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP

Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP is a full-service corporate law firm with 160 attorneys serving clients in the Midwest, nationally and globally in the areas of Corporate and Finance, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, Energy and Utilities, Estate and Succession Planning and Administration, Government Relations and Legislation, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Real Estate Law. A founding member of Lex Mundi, Calfee offers international representation through a network of independent law firms with access to 22,000 attorneys located in more than 125 countries. Additional information is available at Calfee.com.