MILWAUKEE (Aug. 17, 2015) - Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. is proud to announce that Best Lawyers®, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named eight of the firm's attorneys "Lawyer of the Year" for 2016. In total, 68 attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2016.

Best Lawyers® began designating "Lawyers of the Year" in the U.S. in high-profile legal practice areas in 2009. Since then, they have extended this honor to many other countries where the Best Lawyers® peer-review process is conducted as well.

Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year," making this accolade particularly significant. Godfrey & Kahn attorneys who received this accolade are:

• Jon E. Anderson: Best Lawyers' 2016 Madison Labor Law "Lawyer of the Year"
• Stephen L. Chernof: Best Lawyers' 2016 Milwaukee Real Estate Law “Lawyer of the Year”
• Christopher B. Noyes: Best Lawyers' 2016 Milwaukee Mergers and Acquisitions Law “Lawyer of the Year”
• Douglas M. Poland: Best Lawyers' 2016 Madison Litigation – Product Liability  “Lawyer of the Year”
• Jeffrey D. Riester: Best Lawyers' 2016 Green Bay Trusts and Estates “Lawyer of the Year”
• Michael E. Skindrud: Best Lawyers' 2016 Madison Health Care Law “Lawyer of the Year”
• Peter M. Sommerhauser: Best Lawyers' 2016 Milwaukee Business Organizations “Lawyer of the Year”
• Edward (Ned) B. Witte: Best Lawyers' 2016 Milwaukee Environmental Law “Lawyer of the Year"

Lawyers being honored as "Lawyer of the Year" are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the exhaustive peer-review assessments they conduct with thousands of leading lawyers each year. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.

Because of this exhaustive peer-review survey, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice." Godfrey & Kahn attorneys who were selected to be included in The Best Lawyers in America® 2016 are:

Milwaukee Office
Included in this listing from the Milwaukee office are:

• Michael B. Apfeld (Appellate Practice, Real Estate Law);
• Anthony S. Baish (Commercial Litigation);
• Jeffrey S. Billings (Trusts and Estates);
• Richard J. Bliss (Corporate Law);
• Sean O'D. Bosack (Litigation - Securities);
• Stephen L. Chernof (Real Estate Law);
• John L. Clancy (Environmental Law, Litigation - Environmental);
• Dennis F. Connolly (Corporate Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law);
• Donald A. Daugherty (Commercial Litigation);
• John A. Dickens (Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law);
• John E. Donahue (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law);
• Michael J. Dwyer (Real Estate Law);
• Patricia L. Falb (Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law);
• Carol A. Gehl (Corporate Law, Mutual Funds Law);
• J. Gardner Govan (Trusts and Estates);
• Paul W. Griepentrog (Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law);
• Arthur J. Harrington (Energy Law, Environmental Law, Litigation - Environmental);
• Paul F. Heaton (Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law);
• Thomas R. Homberg (Banking and Finance Law, Financial Services Regulation Law);
• Michael D. Huitink (Commercial Litigation);
• Nicholas A. Kees (Litigation - Intellectual Property, Litigation - Patent, Patent Law, Trademark Law);
• John L. Kirtley (Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Banking and Finance, Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation - Securities);
• Joan D. Klimpel (Trusts and Estates);
• Maria L. Kreiter (Commercial Litigation);
• Andrew R. Lauritzen (Non-Profit / Charities Law);
• Kristi E. Leswing (Trusts and Estates);
• Diane M. Marchik (Environmental Law);
• Christine Liu McLaughlin (Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management);
• Patrick S. Murphy (Financial Services Regulation Law);
• David R. Navarre (Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law);
• Christopher B. Noyes (Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law);
• Andrew S. Oettinger (Commercial Litigation);
• Mark E. O'Neill (Real Estate Law);
• Douglas J. Patch (Tax Law);
• David H. Patzer (Trusts and Estates);
• James N. Phillips (Tax Law);
• Brian L. Pierson (Native American Law);
• Howard A. Pollack (Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Banking and Finance, Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation - Securities);
• Kristin A. Roeper (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law);
• Debra Sadow Koenig (Tax Law);
• Peter M. Sommerhauser (Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law);
• Charles G. Vogel (Health Care Law, Corporate Law);
• Nicholas P. Wahl (Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law);
• Mark C. Witt (Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law); and
• Edward (Ned) B. Witte (Environmental Law)

Madison Office
Included in this listing from the Madison office are:

• Jon E. Anderson (Education Law, Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management, Litigation - Labor and Employment);
• Todd M. Cleary (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law);
• James A. Friedman (Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - First Amendment);
• David J. Gilles (CleanTech Law, Energy Law, Energy Regulatory Law);
• Jennifer A. Hannon (Trusts and Estates);
• Kendall W. Harrison (Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Trusts and Estates);
• Josh Johanningmeier (Product Liability Litigation - Defendants);
• Richard A. Latta (Banking and Finance Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Compliance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, Financial Services Regulation Law);
• Timothy J. Muldowney (Insurance Law);
• Kevin J. O'Connor (Litigation - Antitrust, Antitrust Law);
• Douglas M. Poland (Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Environmental, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants);
• Thomas N. Shorter (Education Law, Health Care Law);
• Michael E. Skindrud (Corporate Law, Health Care Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law);
• Todd G. Smith (Commercial Litigation);
• Brady C. Williamson (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, First Amendment Law, Litigation - Bankruptcy, Litigation - First Amendment, Media Law);
• Eric J. Wilson (Criminal Defense: White-Collar); and
• Mike B. Wittenwyler (Administrative / Regulatory Law, Corporate Compliance Law)

Green Bay Office
Included in this listing from the Green Bay office are:

• John A. Haase (Employment Law - Management);
• Timothy F. Nixon (Litigation - Bankruptcy, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law);
• Winston A. Ostrow (Commercial Litigation); and
• William J. Plummer (Mergers and Acquisitions Law)

Appleton Office
Included in this listing from the Appleton office are:

• Daniel T. Flaherty (Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions, Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)); and
• Jeffrey D. Riester (Trusts and Estates).

With more than 180 lawyers, Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. is one of Wisconsin's leading business law firms. Founded in 1957, Godfrey & Kahn maintains offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton, Green Bay and Waukesha, Wis.; and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit the firm's website at www.gklaw.com.