(image) LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Best Lawyers in America^®, one of the oldest and most respected peer-review publications in the legal profession, has named 16 attorneys from Stites & Harbison, PLLC as “Lawyer of the Year” for 2015. Only one lawyer in each high-profile legal practice area in large legal communities is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.” The honored attorneys named include:

• Katherine (Kathi) S. Allen: Nashville Banking and Finance Law Lawyer of the Year
• John A. Bartlett: Louisville Litigation – ERISA Lawyer of the Year
• Robert (Bob) M. Beck, Jr.: Lexington Mergers and Acquisitions Law Lawyer of the Year
• Carol Dan Browning: Louisville Product Liability Litigation – Defendants Lawyer of the Year
• Charles (Mike) J. Cronan IV: Louisville Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year
• Shannon Antle Hamilton: Louisville Litigation – Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year
• Buckner (Buck) Hinkle, Jr.: Lexington Construction Law Lawyer of the Year
• Laura D. Keller: Lexington Environmental Law Lawyer of the Year
• Alexandra (Alex) MacKay: Nashville Copyright Law Lawyer of the Year
• Thomas (Tom) E. Meng: Lexington Mining Law Lawyer of the Year
• Gregory (Greg) P. Parsons: Lexington Litigation – Construction Lawyer of the Year
• William (Bill) L. Penny: Nashville Environmental Law Lawyer of the Year
• David B. Ratterman: Louisville Construction Law Lawyer of the Year
• David E. Saffer: Louisville Real Estate Law Lawyer of the Year
• Ashley W. Ward: Lexington Appellate Practice Lawyer of the Year
• Jack A. Wheat: Louisville Trademark Law Lawyer of the Year

Of special note, eight of Stites & Harbison’s honored attorneys for 2015 have received the “Lawyer of the Year” honor two or more times — Robert (Bob) M. Beck, Jr., Carol Dan Browning, Charles (Mike) J. Cronan IV, Buckner (Buck) Hinkle, Jr., Thomas (Tom) E. Meng, Gregory (Greg) P. Parsons, William (Bill) L. Penny, and David B. Ratterman.

The lawyers honored as “Lawyer of the Year” have received particularly high ratings in Best Lawyers’ surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism and integrity.

The Best Lawyers in America^® is a nationally recognized referral guide to the legal profession that has been published since 1983. Attorneys selected for the publication are reviewed by professional peers through an extensive survey.