Press Release

Haynes Boone Lawyers Featured in 2021 Texas Super Lawyers Listing

September 22, 2021

Lawyers from many of Haynes Boone’s offices were included in the 2021 Texas Super Lawyers directory, including some partners who ranked among the top lawyers in their respective practice areas.

Published annually by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations of lawyers in more than 70 practice areas. Of those nominated, only 5% of the total lawyers in the jurisdiction can be selected for inclusion.

Partners Benjamin Mesches, Stephen Pezanosky, and Mark Trachtenberg, and Lynne Liberato and Nina Cortell were listed among Super Lawyers' Top 100 lawyers in Texas. Cortell, Liberato, and Partner Anne Johnson were also included in the listing of the Top 50 Women Texas Super Lawyers.

The Super Lawyers directory also included Cortell, Mesches, Johnson, and Pezanosky in their listing of the Top 100 lawyers in DFW. Liberato, Trachtenberg, and Partner Kent Rutter were listed among the Top 100 Houston lawyers.

This year marks the 10th year that Partners Russ Emerson, Melissa Goodman, Susan Wetzel, and Kent Rutter have been included in the Super Lawyers listing.

The following partners were selected as Super Lawyers:

Katherine “Kit” Addleman – Criminal Defense: White Collar

David Ammons – Energy and Resources

Jeffrey Becker – Intellectual Property

Charles Beckham Jr. – Bankruptcy: Business

Thad Behrens – Securities Litigation

Stacy Brainin – Criminal Defense: White Collar

Ronald Breaux – Criminal Defense: White Collar

Jeff Civins – Environmental

Bernard “Buddy” Clark Jr. – Energy and Resources

Eli Columbus – Bankruptcy: Business

Nina Cortell – Appellate

Christina Crozier – Appellate

Matthew Deffebach – Employment and Labor

Karen Denney – Employment Litigation: Defense

Russ Emerson – Intellectual Property Litigation

Sakina Rasheed Foster – Banking

Daniel Gold – Securities Litigation

Melissa Goodman - Employment Litigation: Defense

David Harper – Intellectual Property Litigation

Mike Hatchell – Appellate

Patrick Hughes – Bankruptcy: Business

Anne Johnson – Appellate

Lynne Liberato – Appellate

Ernest Martin Jr. – Insurance Coverage

Michael Mazzone – Civil Litigation: Defense

David McCombs – Intellectual Property

Benjamin Mesches – Appellate

Laura O’Donnell – Employment Litigation: Defense

Ian Peck – Bankruptcy: Business

Stephen Pezanosky – Bankruptcy: Business

Timothy Powers – International

Laura Prather – Media/Advertising

Karen Precella – Appellate

Kent Rutter – Appellate

Michelle Scheffler – Business Litigation

Janice Sharry – Securities and Corporate Finance

Mark Trachtenberg – Appellate

Craig Stahl – Energy and Resources

Susan Wetzel – Employee Benefits

Thomas Williams – Business Litigation


Haynes Boone is an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, providing a full spectrum of legal services in energy, technology, financial services and private equity. With 600 lawyers, Haynes Boone is ranked among the largest U.S.-based firms by The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and The Lawyer. It was recognized for excellence in the BTI Consulting Group’s 2021 “A-Team” report, which identifies the law firms that in-house counsel commend for providing superior client service.