Best Lawyers® recently announced recognition for Shipman & Goodwin lawyers in three major categories. Six Shipman lawyers have been named “Lawyer of the Year” in their individual practice areas by “The Best Lawyers in America© 2026.” Forty-nine lawyers from Shipman have been selected by their peers to be included in “The Best Lawyers in America© 2026.” And 15 Shipman lawyers have been selected as “Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyers.
Regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence for well over 30 years, Best Lawyers® has been called “the most respected referral list of lawyers in practice” by Corporate Counsel magazine.
Special recognition is awarded to individual lawyers with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region in a Best Lawyers edition. Only one lawyer is recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for each specialty and location. The following Shipman lawyers received particularly high ratings from their peers for their abilities, professionalism and integrity:
Hartford
Bryon W. Harmon – Trusts and Estates
Gabriel J. Jiran – Employment Law – Management
Glenn M. Cunningham – Litigation – Intellectual Property
Mark K. Ostrowski – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
William J. Ronalter – Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
New Haven
Gregory Muccilli – Real Estate Law
“The Best Lawyers in America© 2026” based its selections entirely on peer review, with millions of confidential detailed peer evaluations by leading attorneys. Based on their legal abilities in their respective practice areas, forty-nine lawyers from Shipman have been selected for the 2026 edition in 33 areas of law:
Banking and Finance Law:
James C. Schulwolf (20+ years)
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law:
Eric S. Goldstein
Kathleen LaManna
Andrew M. Zeitlin
Commercial Litigation:
Eric Del Pozo
Mark K. Ostrowski (15+ years)
Karen Staib
Andrew M. Zeitlin
Commercial Transactions/UCC Law:
James C. Schulwolf (20+ years)
Construction Law:
Steven Lapp
Robert J. O’Brien (10+ years)
Corporate Governance Law:
John H. Lawrence Jr. (20+ years)
Corporate Law
Donna L. Brooks (5+ years)
Marc Esterman
John H. Lawrence Jr. (20+ years)
Matthew J. Monteith
Matthew J. Ritter
James C. Schulwolf (20+ years)
Criminal Defense, General Practice:
James W. Bergenn (15+ years)
Morgan Paul Rueckert
Criminal Defense, White-Collar:
James W. Bergenn (15+ years)
Education Law:
Leander A. Dolphin
Anne H. Littlefield (15+ years)
Richard A. Mills (15+ years)
Thomas B. Mooney (20+ years)
Jessica L. Ritter
Rebecca Rudnick Santiago
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law:
Richard I. Cohen
Employment Law – Management:
Brian Clemow (40+ years)
Leander A. Dolphin
Brenda A. Eckert (20+ years)
Julie C. Fay
Gabriel J. Jiran (10+ years)
Thomas B. Mooney (20+ years)
Jessica L. Ritter
Daniel A. Schwartz (20+ years)
Environmental Law:
Aaron Levy
Equipment Finance Law:
James C. Schulwolf (20+ years)
Health Care Law:
Vincenzo Carannante
Joan W. Feldman (10+ years)
Marc C. Lombardi
Labor Law – Management:
Brian Clemow (40+ years)
Gabriel J. Jiran (10+ years)
Jarad M. Lucan
Richard A. Mills (15+ years)
Thomas B. Mooney (20+ years)
Daniel A. Schwartz (20+ years)
Land Use and Zoning Law:
Matthew Ranelli
Litigation – Construction:
Steven Lapp
Robert J. O’Brien (10+ years)
Litigation – Environmental:
Joseph P. Williams (15+ years)
Litigation – Insurance:
Mark K. Ostrowski (15+ years)
Litigation – Intellectual Property:
Glenn M. Cunningham (10+ years)
Patrick M. Fahey
Litigation – Labor and Employment:
Peter J. Murphy
Litigation – Land Use and Zoning:
Matthew Ranelli
Joseph P. Williams (15+ years)
Litigation – Patent:
Patrick M. Fahey
Litigation – Real Estate:
Barry C. Hawkins (30+ years)
Joseph P. Williams (15+ years)
Litigation and Controversy – Tax:
Louis B. Schatz (10+ years)
Municipal Law:
Matthew Ranelli
Matthew J. Ritter
Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs:
James W. Bergenn (15+ years)
William J. Ronalter
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants:
Mark K. Ostrowski (15+ years)
Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs:
James W. Bergenn (15+ years)
William J. Ronalter
Real Estate Law:
Scott M. Gerard
Barry C. Hawkins (30+ years)
Gregory Muccilli
Kent S. Nevins (10+ years)
Lisa M. Zana
Tax Law:
Louis B. Schatz (10+ years)
Trusts and Estates:
Danielle P. Ferrucci (10+ years)
Bryon W. Harmon (10+ years)
Laura A. Schuyler
Lyn Gammill Walker (20+ years)
Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” Award:
Best Lawyers: “Ones to Watch” awards recognize lawyers who have been in private practice for less than 10 years in the United States, also based entirely on peer review. Fifteen of the firm’s lawyers have been recognized in 16 areas of practice and nine were named in multiple areas. Based on their legal abilities in their respective practice areas, these lawyers from Shipman & Goodwin have been selected for the 2026 edition:
Banking and Finance Law:
Sara Bonaiuto
W. Graham Garrett
Bankruptcy and Creditors Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law:
Jessica M. Signor
Jaime A. Welsh
Commercial Litigation:
Sarah E. Dlugoszewski
Sarah A. Kettenmann
Jaime A. Welsh
Corporate Governance and Compliance:
Ryan Alexander Less
Corporate Law:
Katilee Boisvert
Sara Bonaiuto
Education Law:
Sarah Gleason
Julie P. Reznik
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law:
Ryan Alexander Less
Environmental Law:
Kristie A. Beahm
Alfredo G. Fernández
Sarah A. Kettenmann
Insurance Law:
Emily McDonough Souza
Labor and Employment Law – Management:
Emily McDonough Souza
Land Use and Zoning Law:
Ian Leon
Litigation – Bankruptcy:
Jaime A. Welsh
Litigation – Environmental:
Alfredo G. Fernández
Litigation – Labor and Employment:
Emily McDonough Souza
Product Liability Litigation – Defendants:
Sarah E. Dlugoszewski
Jaime A. Welsh
Real Estate Law:
W. Graham Garrett
Nikolas D. Kittredge
Ian Leon
Shipman & Goodwin’s value lies in its commitment to its clients, to the profession and to the community. With more than 140 lawyers in offices throughout Connecticut and New York, the full-service law firm serves the needs of local, regional, national and international clients that include public and private companies, educational institutions, governmental entities, nonprofit organizations and individuals. The firm is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion within the firm, the legal profession and the community. It has participated in Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule since 2019 and earned Mansfield Certification Plus status for the fifth consecutive year in 2024. Shipman was also recognized by “Women Inc.” magazine as one of the “Top 100 Law Firms for Women.” The National Law Journal also ranked Shipman as the eighth most inclusive firm for women in its 2021 national survey.
