Smith Sovik’s peers have once again recognized eight Smith Sovik lawyers as Best Lawyers for 2026:
- Kevin Hulslander – Insurance Law, Litigation – Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyer since 2010.
- Jim Cunningham – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyer since 2021.
- Eric Johnson – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law – Defendants. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyer since 2011.
- Brandon King – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyer since 2018.
- Jim Lantier – Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants and Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyer since 2007.
- Kristin Norfleet – Litigation – Insurance. She has been recognized as a Best Lawyer since 2025.
- Ted Smith – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyer since 2020.
- Steven Williams – Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants. He has been recognized as a Best Lawyer since 2007.
Notably, three Smith Sovik lawyers also have been recognized as Best Lawyers – Ones To Watch:
- Christopher DeFrancesco – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants.
- John Coghlan – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants.
- Thomas DeBernardis – Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants.
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. The Best Lawyers process is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical region and legal practice area. Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services.
Smith Sovik is a boutique civil litigation firm based in Syracuse with offices in Buffalo, Fishkill, and Uniondale. For more than 75 years, Smith Sovik attorneys have focused on delivering client-driven results with a winning attitude. Our peers have routinely chosen Smith Sovik attorneys as Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers in recognition of our tradition of excellence in the courtroom.