Nineteen Todd & Weld attorneys named to 2023 Best Lawyers in America
Nineteen Todd & Weld attorneys are recognized in 2023 Best Lawyers in America.
Partner David E. Meier was named Best Lawyers 2023 Criminal Defense: General Practice "Lawyer of the Year" in Boston. Only a single lawyer in each practice area in each community is honored as a Lawyer of the Year. Nationally, 5,484 attorneys (0.4% of all practicing U.S. lawyers) were presented this award.
First published in 1983, Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. For the 2023 edition of Best Lawyers in America, more than 12 million votes were analyzed, resulting in 71,437 leading lawyers being included in the new edition, which is 5.3 percent of practicing lawyers in the United States.
Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed.
Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice."
The Todd & Weld attorneys listed in 2023 Best Lawyers in America are:
- Nicholas B. Carter (Commercial Litigation)
- Tyler E. Chapman (Litigation – Real Estate)
- Paul R. Cirel (Health Care Law; Litigation – Health Care)
- Daniel J. Cloherty (Criminal Defense: General Practice; Criminal Defense: White Collar)
- Howard M. Cooper (Civil Rights Law; Commercial Litigation; First Amendment Law)
- Elaine M. Epstein (Family Law)
- Ingrid S. Martin (Criminal Defense: White Collar; Health Care Law)
- David E. Meier (Criminal Defense: General Practice; Criminal Defense: White Collar; and 2023 "Lawyer of the Year" in Boston for Criminal Defense: General Practice)
- Richard M. Novitch (Family Law)
- Christopher R. O'Hara (Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment; Qui Tam Law)
- David H. Rich (Commercial Litigation; First Amendment Law; Litigation – First Amendment)
- Seth J. Robbins (Commercial Litigation)
- John J. Ronan (Family Law)
- Victoria L. Steinberg (Employment Law – Individuals; Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment)
- Max D. Stern (Bet-the-Company Litigation; Civil Rights Law; Criminal Defense: General Practice; Criminal Defense: White Collar)
- Melinda Thompson (Criminal Defense: White Collar)
- Gary Owen Todd (Family Law; Litigation – Trusts & Estates)
- J. Owen Todd (Commercial Litigation; Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs)
- Christopher Weld Jr. (Commercial Litigation; Construction Law; Litigation – Construction; Litigation – Real Estate)
Mr. Carter, first selected to Best Lawyers in 2018, has over two decades of trial experience in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies and in arbitration. A partner at the firm, Mr. Carter represents clients and individuals in a vast array of litigation matters, including complex business disputes, employment discrimination claims, elder exploitation, and financial fraud claims. He has successfully represented clients in class action lawsuits, personal injury matters, and products liability claims.
Mr. Chapman, a first-time Best Lawyers honoree, has a general litigation practice with a focus on commercial and real estate litigation. A partner at the firm, Mr. Chapman’s cases frequently involve disputes relating to the sale, acquisition and development of real estate as well as disputes over easements and other property rights. He also specializes in landlord-tenant disputes and construction defect litigation.
Mr. Cirel, first chosen to Best Lawyers in 2016, has been litigating in courts and administrative agencies on behalf of healthcare clients for more than 30 years. He assists medical professionals in fraud and abuse investigations, false claims actions, audits, and disciplinary and other administrative agency proceedings. Mr. Cirel, a partner at the firm, also represents healthcare professionals before various licensing authorities.
Mr. Cloherty, a partner at the firm, has extensive experience handling criminal matters and civil litigation in state and federal courts, as well as before various regulatory bodies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission. He was first selected to Best Lawyers in 2008. Individuals and businesses involved in government investigations and enforcement matters turn to Mr. Cloherty for counsel in such matters as alleged securities violations, healthcare fraud, bank and mail fraud, bribery, embezzlement, and obstruction of justice.
Mr. Cooper, a Best Lawyers honoree since 2006, is a Founding Partner of Todd & Weld. He represents clients in litigation involving corporate, closely held business, real estate, partnership, and franchise matters. Mr. Cooper also regularly handles significant civil rights and First Amendment matters that are often of public significance. In criminal matters, Mr. Cooper handles white collar criminal cases, including the defense of organizations and individuals targeted for prosecution in federal and state court in false claim, environmental, tax or public corruption investigations.
Ms. Epstein, first selected to Best Lawyers in 2003, has over 35 years of experience as a family law practitioner. She is a founder and first president of the Massachusetts Women's Bar Association. A partner at the firm, she has tried dozens of cases in the Probate & Family Courts and resolved hundreds more short of trial in a wide range of matters, including substantial asset divisions, contested parental rights, and novel issues involving the property rights of non-married cohabitants and the rights of non-biological parents. Ms. Epstein has litigated complex jurisdictional issues and actions involving numerous cutting-edge issues in state, federal and appellate courts.
Ms. Martin concentrates her practice on the intersection of criminal defense and healthcare law. First chosen to Best Lawyers in 2018, Ms. Martin represents a broad range of healthcare providers and entities in state and federal courts involving government investigations. She assists medical professionals appearing before licensing boards, and guides clients through peer review proceedings, audits, and accreditation procedures. A partner at the firm, Ms. Martin advises clients on contractual and business litigation matters where her familiarity with the healthcare regulatory environment is often critical.
Mr. Meier, a partner at the firm, specializes in criminal defense and government investigations. Selected to Best Lawyers since 2016, Mr. Meier represents a full range of clients, including executives and companies faced with internal corporate fraud or other white-collar investigations; public officials and other professionals under investigation for alleged corruption or ethical violations; private individuals alleged to have committed serious felonies, sexual assaults, or death-related crimes; and students facing disciplinary proceedings at academic institutions.
Mr. Novitch, first selected to Best Lawyers in 2021, represents clients in all aspects of family law, including trials of complex matrimonial matters, high net worth property division, and national and international parenting disputes. Mr. Novitch is an accomplished appellate attorney with experience handling complex cases and issues on appeal, including matters before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and Massachusetts Appeals Court.
Mr. O'Hara, first selected to Best Lawyers in 2017, focuses primarily on complex business litigation and employment law disputes in state and federal courts, and in commercial arbitration. A partner at the firm, Mr. O'Hara has represented plaintiffs and defendants in whistleblower and qui tam cases and has achieved significant recoveries on behalf of individuals. His employment law practice includes advising companies and individuals on hiring, termination, investigations, wage and hour issues, company handbook/policies, state and federal employment laws, and non-competition and non-solicitation agreements.
Mr. Rich, first chosen to Best Lawyers in 2021, concentrates his practice on complex business and commercial litigation, First Amendment law, and employment law. He has obtained numerous multi-million-dollar jury verdicts in a variety of matters, including defamation cases. A partner at the firm, Mr. Rich is quoted frequently in the media and regularly lectures on matters relating to defamation law, employment matters and trial practice.
Mr. Robbins, a first-time Best Lawyers honoree, specializes in several areas of litigation, including complex business and commercial disputes, First Amendment law, employment law, and probate and fiduciary law. Mr. Robbins, a partner at the firm, has successfully tried and resolved cases on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants in various federal and state courts throughout the country.
Mr. Ronan concentrates his practice in all aspects of family law including divorce, custody, complex financial issues in divorce matters, modification, and prenuptial agreements. A partner at the firm and first-time Best Lawyers honoree, Mr. Ronan regularly manages complex family law matters on behalf of clients in the Massachusetts Probate and Family Law Court.
Ms. Steinberg, first selected to Best Lawyers in 2019, concentrates her practice on employment law, including workplace investigations, severance and separation negotiations, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and discrimination, harassment, and retaliation issues. A partner at the firm, she counsels employers on developing and implementing employment policies and practices. Ms. Steinberg's practice encompasses a variety of industries, including educational institutions, technology, healthcare, telecommunications, and nonprofit organizations.
Mr. Stern, a Best Lawyers honoree since in 1987, has more than 40 years of experience litigating groundbreaking criminal matters and complex civil cases. A partner at the firm, Mr. Stern has appeared and argued at every trial and appellate level, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He has received numerous awards for his legal work, including the American College Award for Courageous Advocacy, and the Joseph Balliro Award of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers "in recognition of a lifelong commitment and dedication to the zealous defense of the accused."
Ms. Thompson, first chosen to Best Lawyers in 2020, concentrates her practice in the areas of government investigations, white collar crime, and criminal defense. A partner at the firm, she represents a full range of clients, including executives and companies faced with internal corporate fraud or other white-collar investigations; private individuals alleged to have committed serious felonies, sexual assaults, or death-related crimes; and students facing disciplinary proceedings at academic institutions.
Gary Owen Todd, first selected to Best Lawyers in 2012, is recognized locally and nationally as a preeminent family law practitioner specializing in domestic relations and probate litigation. A Founding Partner of Todd & Weld, Mr. Todd has successfully negotiated, mediated, and tried a wide range of family law issues, including divorce, custody, parental rights, complex child support, property division, modification, and contempt. In addition to his litigation work, Mr. Todd is a court appointed Special Master, Discovery Master, Guardian, Conservator, and Attorney for Children.
J. Owen Todd throughout his distinguished career that began in 1960 has handled virtually every kind of case from murder to mass tort litigation, and from bankruptcy litigation to “bet-the-company” commercial cases in every type of court throughout 36 states. Mr. Todd, first selected to Best Lawyers in 1983, is a former Massachusetts Superior Court judge, having served from 1988 to 1992. He left the bench to become one of the founding partners of Todd & Weld. In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Todd maintains an active arbitration and mediation practice.
Mr. Weld is a Founding Partner of Todd & Weld LLP and has over 30 years of experience in business litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution. First named to Best Lawyers in 2018, Mr. Weld, managing partner of the firm, has achieved favorable results for clients through trials, arbitrations, mediations and negotiated resolutions. His cases generally have the common thread of presenting a business dispute with vigorously contested issues of substantial value.