Stites & Harbison, PLLC

Louisville, KY—A comprehensive guide to America's top business litigation firms and attorneys has ranked four attorneys at Stites & Harbison as "star litigators" and one attorney as a "future star litigator."  Based on recommendations from clients and peers, Benchmark: Litigation Magazine has ranked the following attorneys in Stites & Harbison's Louisville office among the best commercial and financial litigators in the United States: Carol Dan Browning, Charles J. (Mike) Cronan IV, Joe Hamilton and John Tate. Stephanie Renner in Stites & Harbison's Lexington office was ranked a "future star litigator," a litigator who is likely to appear as a litigation star in coming editions.

"It is truly an honor for these attorneys to be recognized among the best litigators in the United States," said Kennedy Helm III, chairman of Stites & Harbison, PLLC.  "It takes hard work and dedication to be honored in this way and these attorneys exemplify that."

Benchmark: Litigation Magazine is the definitive guide to America's leading business litigation firms and attorneys. It focuses exclusively on the U.S. litigation market, with a research team based in the U.S. conducting extensive face-to-face interviews around the country over a yearlong period.

Here is a closer look at each of the attorneys honored.

Carol Dan Browning is a Member of the firm. She has served on the firm's management committee and as practice group leader for the Torts & Insurance Practice Group. Browning is an accomplished trial attorney who has tried more than 35 cases to jury verdict in multiple jurisdictions. Her practice includes drug and medical device litigation, products liability and medical malpractice defense. Browning is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (2007-2009) and Kentucky Super Lawyers magazine (2007 and 2008). Within Kentucky Super Lawyers she is also listed among the Top 25 Women Lawyers in the state.

Mike Cronan is a Member and former Managing Partner (1994-1997) of the firm. His practice focuses on civil litigation, with emphasis on business and complex litigation, health care law, and alternative dispute resolution. Cronan is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (1993 - present) Chambers USA, "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" (2004-2007) and in the 2008 Kentucky Super Lawyers magazine, where he is listed among the Top 10 Lawyers in the state.

Joe Hamilton is a Member of the firm and has been based in the Louisville office since 1986. He is a member and past Chair of the Business Litigation Service Group, which is home to approximately 60 attorneys and paralegals. He is also the Co-Chair of the firm's 20 member Class Action Defense Practice Group. His practice emphasis is in class action defense and complex business and business insurance litigation. Hamilton is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (2007-2009) and the 2008 edition of Chambers USA.

John Tate is Co-Chair of the firm's Torts & Insurance Practice Group. His national and regional litigation practice focuses on defending complexproduct liability lawsuits, although his trial experience also includes admiralty claims, construction and insurance disputes, intellectual property, and a variety of personal injury matters. He has tried cases to jury verdicts in eight states and has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® since 1995. He is listed in the 2007 Kentucky Super Lawyers magazine as one of the Top 50 Lawyers in Kentucky.

Stephanie Renner is an Associate in the Lexington office and a member of the Business Litigation Service Group. Renner represents clients in all types of litigation including complex commercial cases, class actions, health care litigation, products liability and financial institutions litigation. She has substantial experience representing residential lenders in consumer protection actions, investigating loan fraud schemes and defending against allegations of non-compliance with state and federal mortgage lending laws and regulations. She is also active in the firm's white collar criminal defense practice.

About Stites & Harbison

Stites & Harbison, PLLC, is a regional business and litigation firm with attorneys in Louisville, Frankfort and Lexington, Ky.; Alexandria, Va.; Atlanta; Jeffersonville, Ind.; and Nashville and Franklin, Tenn. Tracing its origins to 1832, Stites & Harbison is one of the oldest law practices in the nation and among the largest law firms in the Southeast. Our attorneys are consistently recognized by their peers in the following leading legal directories: Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory®, The Best Lawyers in America®, Chambers USA and Super Lawyers magazine. Recent firm honors include being named: one of the Top 15 Places to Work in Kentucky—three years in a row (Kentucky Chamber of Commerce), one of the 50 Best Overall Law Firms in America (Global Research), one of the Leading Law Firms in America (The American Lawyer), a Go-To Law Firm® (Corporate Counsel), one of the Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity (MultiCultural Law Magazine) and a Top 10 Growth Firm (National Law Journal).