Rankings: Rising Stars

Law360’s Rising Stars profiles the top legal talent under 40. The winners are comprised of top litigators and dealmakers practicing at a level usually seen from veteran attorneys. Submissions highlight the winner’s age and reasons why his or her record deserves attention.
  • June 08, 2022

    Rising Star: Latham's Lauren Anderson

    Latham & Watkins LLP partner Lauren A. Anderson has guided some of the world's largest energy companies through transactions in both the traditional and alternative energy spaces, including a $2 billion deal at a Louisiana chemical plant, earning her a spot among the energy attorneys under age 40 honored as a Law360 Rising Star.

  • June 07, 2022

    Rising Star: Kirkland's Jhett Nelson

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP partner Jhett R. Nelson co-led a team advising on one of the largest private acquisitions of oil and gas assets in recent years, earning him a spot among the energy attorneys under 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • June 06, 2022

    Rising Star: Jones Walker's Sarah Dicharry

    Sarah Y. Dicharry of Jones Walker LLP leverages her deep understanding of the legal framework governing federal leasing to defend oil and gas industry clients' interests, including successfully challenging governmental efforts to abruptly collect millions of dollars from one operator, earning her a spot among the energy law practitioners under age 40 honored as a Law360 Rising Star.

  • June 03, 2022

    Rising Star: Hogan Lovells' Zachary Launer

    Zachary S. Launer of Hogan Lovells guided gas pipeline companies through lengthy rate cases at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in order to fund multibillion-dollar upgrades of their aging systems, earning him a spot among the energy law practitioners under age 40 honored as a Law360 Rising Star.

  • May 30, 2022

    Law360 Names 2022's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2022, our list of 176 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • June 10, 2021

    Rising Star: Holland & Knight's Taite R. McDonald

    Taite McDonald of Holland & Knight led an effort to help secure $40 billion for the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office, earning her a spot among the top energy law practitioners under age 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • June 09, 2021

    Rising Star: Haynes And Boone's Michelle Prejean Scheffler

    Michelle Prejean Scheffler of Haynes and Boone LLP has led a team major oil interests, including one of the country's largest independent producers, in a suit against the state of North Dakota over royalties, earning her a spot among energy practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • June 08, 2021

    Rising Star: Simpson Thacher's Brian E. Rosenzweig

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP partner Brian Rosenzweig's skillful and innovative handling of several billion-dollar financings for large energy industry players, including advising lenders through TechnipFMC's $1.8 billion committed financing package, has earned him a spot among the energy law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • June 07, 2021

    Rising Star: Davis Polk's Angela Libby

    Angela Libby of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP has played a key role in significant restructurings in the energy industry, including a cross-border proceeding that involved $5.3 billion in debt, earning her a spot among the energy law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 Rising Stars.

  • June 04, 2021

    Rising Star: King & Spalding's Alvin Lee

    Alvin Lee of King & Spalding LLP has handled and won high-stakes global litigation throughout the renewable-energy sector, earning him a spot among the energy law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 Rising Stars.

  • May 28, 2021

    Law360 Names 2021's Top Attorneys Under 40

    We're pleased to announce Law360's Rising Stars for 2021, our list of 180 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments transcend their age.

  • July 23, 2020

    Rising Star: Wachtell's Zachary S. Podolsky

    Zachary S. Podolsky of Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz advised two of the largest exploration and production deals of the year back to back, earning him a spot among the energy law practitioners under age 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • July 22, 2020

    Rising Star: Stoel Rives' Alex Mertens

    Alex Mertens of Stoel Rives LLP helps arrange financing for significant renewable energy projects, work that has included assisting energy-developer sPower secure nearly $500 million in financing, earning her a spot among the energy practitioners under 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 21, 2020

    Rising Star: Quinn Emanuel's Kathleen Shih

    Quinn Emanuel partner Kathleen Shih has supplied valuable advice to major energy sector companies, including offshore drilling companies, helping to bring in an award of more than $700 million to Vantage Energy Inc. among other deals, which landed her a spot as one of the energy law practitioners under 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 20, 2020

    Rising Star: Orrick's Jonathan Ayre

    Jonathan Ayre of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP helped build the firm's oil and gas practice into a go-to adviser for major energy players and shepherded billion-dollar deals in the process, earning him a spot among the energy law practitioners under age 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • July 17, 2020

    Rising Star: Morgan Lewis' Jane Accomando

    Jane Accomando of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP has helped nuclear power plant operators recover hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal government for waste storage, and she regularly spearheads investigations into alleged wrongdoing at nuclear plants, earning her a spot on the list of top energy lawyers under age 40 named as Rising Stars.

  • July 02, 2020

    Law360 Names Top Attorneys Under 40

    We're pleased to announce Law360's Rising Stars for 2020, our list of 176 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments transcend their age.

  • October 11, 2019

    Rising Star: Vinson & Elkins' Lande Spottswood

    Vinson & Elkins' Lande Spottswood has built a career working on some of the most sophisticated transactions for major players in the energy sector, including representing Energy Transfer Partners in its $60 billion merger with Energy Transfer Equity, earning her a spot as one of five energy law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • October 10, 2019

    Rising Star: Susman Godfrey's Ashley McMillian

    The energy litigation resume of Susman Godfrey's Ashley McMillian includes helping Apache Deepwater win a $43.2 million verdict in an offshore drilling decommissioning dispute, earning her a spot among the energy attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • October 09, 2019

    Rising Star: Sidley Austin's Tim Chandler

    In the past two years, Sidley Austin’s Tim Chandler has closed 36 deals in the energy and infrastructure industry with a cumulative value of more than $15 billion, earning him a spot as one of five energy attorneys under 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • October 08, 2019

    Rising Star: Norton Rose's Becky Diffen

    Norton Rose Fulbright's Becky Diffen has made a career in renewable energy, helping to facilitate the financing of a 200 MW wind farm in the Texas Panhandle and assisting Duke Energy's effort to build an energy storage project at a time when the technology was especially new, earning her a place among five energy attorneys honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • October 07, 2019

    Rising Star: Earthjustice's Kim Smaczniak

    Earthjustice's Kim Smaczniak helped engineer a successful pushback to a Trump administration plan to bail out struggling coal-fired and nuclear power plants as she built out a federal clean energy focus for the group, earning her a spot among the energy attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • September 06, 2019

    Law360 Names Top Attorneys Under 40

    We're pleased to announce Law360's Rising Stars for 2019, our list of 175 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments transcend their age.

  • August 29, 2018

    Rising Star: Quinn Emanuel's Maaren Shah

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP partner Maaren A. Shah is a litigator who won a favorable result for FirstEnergy Generation LLC in its disputes with railroads over transportation contracts and went on to assist it in connection with its significant bankruptcy filing, earning her a spot as one of five energy practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 28, 2018

    Rising Star: Susman Godfrey's Rob Safi

    Susman Godfrey LLP partner Robert S. Safi has successfully represented both major companies and landowners in disputes in the oil and gas industry, including helping Hess Corp. defeat litigation involving more than $400 million in damages, making him one of five energy attorneys honored as a Law360 Rising Star.