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.
  • 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 24, 2021

    Rising Star: Baum Hedlund's R. Brent Wisner

    Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman PC's R. Brent Wisner has netted multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements in sprawling litigation over Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2021 product liability Rising Stars.

  • June 23, 2021

    Rising Star: Barnes & Thornburg's Kristen Richer

    Barnes & Thornburg LLP's Kristen Richer took lead roles in securing significant wins in the past year for retailers in multidistrict litigations over a probable carcinogen found in popular heartburn medication Zantac and generic blood pressure medications, earning her a spot among the top product liability law practitioners under age 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • June 22, 2021

    Rising Star: Troutman Pepper's Eric Rumanek

    Eric Rumanek of Troutman Pepper has helped Johnson & Johnson defend against multidistrict litigation over allegedly defective pelvic mesh devices, one of the largest mass tort cases in history, earning him a spot among the product liability law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • June 21, 2021

    Rising Star: Covington & Burling's Emily Ullman

    Covington & Burling LLP's Emily Ullman has defeated class certification in the sprawling opioid multidistrict litigation and ended another MDL over allegations that Cialis and Viagra cause melanoma, earning her a spot among the product liability law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • June 18, 2021

    Rising Star: Andrus Wagstaff's David Wool

    Andrus Wagstaff PC partner David Wool's trial and appellate wins on behalf of a Roundup user who won a $25 million judgment against Monsanto over his claims that its weedkiller caused his cancer landed him a place on Law360's list of product liability lawyers under 40 honored as Rising Stars for 2021.

  • 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: Venable's Celeste Brecht

    Venable LLP partner Celeste Brecht's work on major product liability cases, including defending Merck & Co. in multidistrict litigation over the drugmaker's shingles vaccine, has earned her a spot on this year's list of product liability law practitioners under age 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • July 22, 2020

    Rising Star: Sidley's Michelle Ramirez

    Sidley Austin LLP partner Michelle Ramirez has played a key role in recent years defending Bayer AG in litigation over its birth control device Essure, landing her a spot as one of the product liability attorneys under 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • July 21, 2020

    Rising Star: Motley Rice's Ann E. Rice Ervin

    Ann E. Rice Ervin of Motley Rice LLC helped affected families obtain a key win in multidistrict litigation alleging GlaxoSmithKline's anti-nausea drug Zofran caused birth defects, earning her a spot among the product liability practitioners under age 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • July 20, 2020

    Rising Star: King & Spalding's Shaila Rahman Diwan

    Shaila Rahman Diwan of King & Spalding LLP has scored multiple trial victories for Johnson & Johnson in cases alleging the company's talcum powder causes mesothelioma, earning her a spot among the product liability law practitioners under age 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • July 17, 2020

    Rising Star: Beasley Allen's Joseph VanZandt

    Beasley Allen's Joseph VanZandt is the youngest attorney on the plaintiffs' steering committee in the multidistrict litigation against troubled e-cigarette maker Juul, earning him a spot among the product liability attorneys under 40 honored as Law360 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 04, 2019

    Rising Star: King & Spalding's Julia Romano

    Julia Romano of King & Spalding LLP has scored victories for Johnson & Johnson in cases alleging its talcum powder causes mesothelioma, earning her a spot among five product liability law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • October 03, 2019

    Rising Star: Jones Day's Timothy J. Fiorta

    Timothy J. Fiorta of Jones Day secured a defense verdict for R.J. Reynolds in a retrial of an Engle case in which the company had been previously hit with a groundbreaking $23.6 billion damages verdict, landing him a place among product liability attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • October 02, 2019

    Rising Star: Faegre Baker's Jessica Benson Cox

    Jessica Benson Cox of Faegre Baker Daniels spearheaded Cook Medical Inc.'s highly successful defense to a tidal wave of vein filter lawsuits and turned herself into one of the nation's leading experts on the up-and-coming area of biologic drugs, earning her a spot among the five product liability attorneys under 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • October 01, 2019

    Rising Star: Baum Hedlund's Pedram Esfandiary

    With only three years under his belt as an attorney, Pedram Esfandiary of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman PC has already racked up impressive wins, including a multimillion-dollar verdict against Monsanto in the first case to go to trial over allegations that its Roundup weed killer causes lymphoma, landing him among the product liability attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • September 30, 2019

    Rising Star: Barnes & Thornburg's Sarah Johnston

    Sarah Johnston of Barnes & Thornburg LLP led the defense for retailer Rite Aid in a talc case and secured a complete defense verdict in favor of the retailer, landing her a spot as a product liability law practitioner under age 40 honored by Law360 as a Rising Star.

  • 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 16, 2018

    Rising Star: Greenberg Traurig's Marcella Ducca

    Greenberg Traurig LLP shareholder Marcella Ducca’s expertise in women’s health products, particularly her work for Bard in the massive transvaginal mesh litigation, has landed her a spot among the five product liability attorneys under 40 on Law360’s list of Rising Stars.

  • August 15, 2018

    Rising Star: DLA Piper's Brooke Kim

    DLA Piper partner Brooke Kim has amassed numerous victories on behalf of defendants in product liability cases over her career, including major wins for Bristol-Myers Squibb in suits over its blood thinner Eliquis, earning her a spot as one of five product liability law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 14, 2018

    Rising Star: Wilkinson Walsh's Kieran Gostin

    Kieran Gostin of Wilkinson Walsh & Eskovitz LLP played a key role in winning defense verdicts in two major bellwether trials over the blood thinner drug Xarelto and is currently defending Duke Energy in a billion-dollar Clean Water Act case, earning him a place among five product liability attorneys under age 40 honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • August 13, 2018

    Rising Star: Steptoe & Johnson's ​Jeremy Goldkind

    Steptoe & Johnson LLP partner Jeremy Goldkind has had successes defeating utility workers' suits against chemical companies and helping grieving parents make use of an untested anti-terrorism law, making him one of five product liability attorneys honored as Law360 Rising Stars.

  • August 10, 2018

    Rising Star: King & Spalding's Jacqueline Seidel

    King & Spalding’s Jacqueline Seidel is skilled at guiding clients through resolving complex litigation, such as representing Toyota in unintended acceleration cases, landing her on Law360’s list of one of five product liability attorneys under 40 recognized as Rising Stars.

  • July 27, 2018

    Law360 Names Top Attorneys Under 40

    The 168 attorneys selected as Law360's 2018 Rising Stars are lawyers whose accomplishments belie their age. From guiding eye-popping deals to handling bet-the-company litigation, these elite attorneys under 40 are leading the pack.