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14 Pender & Coward Attorneys Included in The Best Lawyers in America® and Ones to Watch 2023 Edition

08/19/22

Virginia Beach, Va. – 14 Pender & Coward attorneys have been included in the 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America® and The Best Lawyers in America®: Ones to Watch* for outstanding work in individual practice areas. These rankings are based on a rigorous process that captures meaningful and substantive peer review evaluations. 

Dave Arnold - Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law

Arnold founded the firm’s eminent domain practice group and serves as chief executive officer on the firm's executive committee.  Recognized for the 7th year by Best Lawyers®, Arnold was also named as Best Lawyers® 2022 Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law “Lawyer of the Year” for the Norfolk area.  He focuses his practice on eminent domain and right of way condemnation for government and business entities, including real estate transactions and litigation.

Daniel Berger – Commercial Litigation

Berger focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation.  He represents businesses and individuals in commercial disputes involving a wide range of issues including contract law, unfair competition and trade secrets, professional liability, and business torts.

Tom Berkley – Admiralty and Maritime Law

Berkley is recognized for the 11th year by Best Lawyers®.  For more than 20 years, he has represented a variety of maritime and waterfront focused businesses and individuals and focuses his practice on federal and state litigation, maritime and admiralty, transportation, and federal and state workers compensation law.  

Jo Ann Blair-Davis - Trusts and Estates

Blair-Davis has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® every year since 1995. She focuses her practice in the areas of estate and gift tax planning, estate administration and probate and succession planning for small businesses.

Jeff Gray – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Securities, Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants

Recognized by Best Lawyers® in three categories, Gray is a seasoned commercial litigator. He focuses his practice on a wide array of commercial litigation matters including banking, construction, and investment and securities industry disputes. 

Alex Johnson – Trusts and Estates

Johnson has over 35 years of experience assisting clients with estate planning and business succession matters.  He focuses his practice on wills, trusts, estate planning and administration, corporate and transactional law, real estate, and non-profit and tax-exempt status representation.

Anne Lahren – Family Law

Lahren focuses her practice on family law, immigration, labor and employment and litigation matters.  She is skilled in handling international family law and immigration issues.

Bill Lascara – Construction Law and Real Estate Law

Recognized by Best Lawyers® in two categories, Lascara focuses his practice on government contract law, construction law, litigation, real estate, and corporate and transactional law matters.  He has represented small and large businesses as well as individuals for more than 20 years and served as in-house general counsel for a ship repair, electronics, construction and computer graphics company for over 10 years.

Burke Margulies – Real Estate Law and Trusts and Estates

Recognized by Best Lawyers® in two categories, Margulies focuses his practice in the areas of wills, trusts, estate planning and administration and real estate.  He has over 50 years of experience advising clients in all aspects of estate planning.

Bryan S. Peeples* – Environmental Law and Workers Compensation Law

Recognized by Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch in environmental law and workers compensation law, Peeples is a member of the firm’s waterfront law team focusing on waterfront (riparian) property rights law, maritime and admiralty law, and environmental law and he is also a member of the firm’s workers’ compensation team.

Bob Samuel – Workers Compensation Law, Personal Injury Litigation for Defendants and Plaintiffs

Samuel has been recognized by Best Lawyers® for since 2006 and is currently recognized in three categories.  He focuses his practice in the areas of workers compensation, personal injury and litigation.

Dan Schieble - Personal Injury Litigation for Defendants and Plaintiffs

Schieble has been recognized since 2013 by Best Lawyers® for Personal Injury Litigation.  He has over 35 years of experience handling personal injury litigation.

Kerry Stolz* – Workers’ Compensation Law

Recognized by Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch in workers’ compensation law, Kerry focuses her practice on workers' compensation, insurance defense and civil litigation.  She advises businesses on the merits of workers’ compensation and injury cases and the risks of defense of those cases.

Diane Thompson - Trusts and Estates

Thompson has been recognized for more than 30 years by Best Lawyers® for work in trusts and estates.  She focuses on the areas of estate planning and administration, fiduciary income taxation, federal estate and gift taxation and post-mortem tax and disclaimer planning. Thompson was also named Best Lawyers® 2015 Trusts and Estates “Lawyer of the Year” in the Norfolk area.

About Pender & Coward

For more than 130 years, Pender & Coward has been dedicated to the success of its clients, representing businesses of all sizes, governmental entities and individuals. The firm’s attorneys practice throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and remain committed to accomplishing client goals through proven experience, resourceful solutions and effective communication. For more information, visit www.PenderCoward.com.

About Best Lawyers

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers® lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Lawyers named to The Best Lawyers in America® publication were recognized by their peers in the legal industry for their professional excellence.  Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch, the newest award initiative from Best Lawyers®, recognizes attorneys who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.  For more information visit www.bestlawyers.com.