Best Lawyers® 2026 recently honored 21 of Coppersmith Brockelman’s 24 attorneys for their exceptional work in 16 categories.

In addition, three attorneys received the prestigious “Lawyer of the Year” distinction: Jill Chasson in the Litigation – Labor and Employment category, Kristen Rosati in Administrative / Regulatory Law, and Keith Beauchamp in Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants. The Lawyer of the Year designation is awarded to only one individual per geographic region and practice area. This marks the first time Jill and Keith have received the honor, while Kristen is recognized for the first time as Lawyer of the Year in the Administrative / Regulatory Law category. Kristen previously earned the distinction four times in Health Care Law.

Erin Fleming Dunlap earned her first Best Lawyers recognition in Administrative / Regulatory Law, while Andrew Fox, Malvika Sinha, and Austin Yost were once again named as Ones to Watch® for outstanding work in commercial litigation and appellate practice. Joining the Ones to Watch list for the first time are Patricia Velarde Burnett for corporate law and Caitlin Donovan and Ben Yeager for health care law.

The Best Lawyers in America© is the longest-running peer-review publication in the legal profession. Each year, Best Lawyers conducts comprehensive surveys of tens of thousands of lawyers who confidentially evaluate their professional peers. Based on the results of these surveys, the publication designates the year’s leading lawyers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The Best Lawyers in America® (2026 Edition)

• Michael Aguirre: Corporate Law (2024 – present)
• Gabriel Aragon: Commercial Litigation (2023 – present), Litigation – Labor and Employment (2025)
• Keith Beauchamp: Bet-the-Company Litigation (2024 – present), Commercial Litigation (2008 – present), Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants (2012 – present), Litigation – Securities (2012 – present)
• Kent Brockelman: Employment Law – Management (2011 – present), Litigation – Labor & Employment (2011 – present)
• Jill Chasson: Employment Law – Management (2012 – present), Labor Law – Management (2012 – present), Litigation – Labor & Employment (2021, 2024 – present)
• Sam Coppersmith: Corporate Law (2018 – present), Real Estate Law (2019, 2024 – present)
• John DeWulf: Bet-the-Company Litigation (2009 – present), Commercial Litigation (2007 – present), Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants (2023 – present), Litigation – Securities (2011 – present)
• Erin Fleming Dunlap: Administrative / Regulatory Law (2026)
• Andy Gaona: Appellate Practice (2020 – present), Commercial Litigation (2023 – present)
• John Kelly: Arbitration (2023 – present), Commercial Litigation (2021 – present), Health Care Law (2024 – present), Litigation – Labor & Employment (2025, 2026), Real Estate Law (2022, 2024 – present)
• Karen Owens: Administrative / Regulatory Law (2023 – present), Antitrust Law (2004 – present), Health Care Law (2000 – present)
• Kristen Rosati: Administrative / Regulatory Law (2020 – present), Health Care Law (2007 – present)
• Marvin Ruth: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency & Reorganization Law (2021 – present), Bet-the-Company Litigation (2024 – present), Commercial Litigation (2019 – present), Litigation – Bankruptcy (2023 – present)
• Melissa Soliz: Health Care Law (2021 – present)
• Marki Stewart: Health Care Law (2022, 2024 – present)

Attorneys recognized in the Ones to Watch® 2026 edition are:

• Patricia Velarde Burnett: Corporate Law (2026)
• Caitlin Donovan: Health Care Law (2026)
• Andrew Fox: Commercial Litigation (2025, 2026)
• Malvika Sinha: Commercial Litigation (2025, 2026)
• Ben Yeager: Health Care Law (2026)
• Austin Yost: Appellate Practice (2025, 2026), Commercial Litigation (2025, 2026)

“It’s an honor to be consistently recognized across such a wide variety of practice areas each year,” said Kristen, chair of Coppersmith Brockelman’s governance committee. “We are particularly proud of having so many of our younger attorneys on the Ones to Watch list, and that three of our attorneys are recognized as Phoenix Lawyer of the Year in their fields.”

Learn more about Coppersmith Brockelman attorneys and practice areas.