Baron & Budd, P.C. Lawyers Recognized as 2026 Best Lawyers® Award Recipients 

DALLAS – Baron & Budd, P.C. is pleased to announce that 15 lawyers have been awarded in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®. Best Lawyers is regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence with recognitions compiled and based on an exhaustive Purely Peer Review^® evaluation.

“We are honored to have so many of our attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers. This recognition is a testament to their professional excellence, unwavering work ethic, and dedication to serving our clients with the highest standards of legal practice. I am proud of their accomplishments and appreciative of the acknowledgment by Best Lawyers of the exceptional talent within our firm,” said President and Managing Shareholder Russell Budd.  

Baron & Budd, P.C. would like to congratulate the following lawyers named to 2026 The Best Lawyers in America list: 

• Dan Alberstone – Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs 
• Steve Baron – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
• Russell W. Budd – Mass Tort Litigation /Class Actions – Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
• David Cannella – Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs  
• Christopher Colley – Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
• Catherine Hancock Dorsey – Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
• John Fiske – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs 
• J. Todd Kale – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs 
• Burton LeBlanc – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs and Litigation – Environmental and Lawyer of the Year 2026 – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs
• Christine Mansour – Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
• Andrew M. Miller – Qui Tam Law
• Mark Pifko – Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs  
• Scott Simmer – Qui Tam Law 
• Scott Summy – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs 
• Roland K. Tellis – Commercial Litigation 

Additionally, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America recognizes associates and other lawyers who are rising stars in the legal field that have displayed outstanding professional excellence in their career. Baron & Budd would like to congratulate the following lawyers recognized in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America: 

• Nick Custred – Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
• Michael Pacelli – Commercial Litigation
• Elizabeth Smiley – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs
• Chad Taylor – Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
• Kris Thompson – Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs

Baron & Budd attorneys have successfully represented individuals and public entities in some of the most complex, high-profile cases across the country. Our attorneys have obtained historic wins and record settlements in cases across all practice areas including public entity litigation, water contamination, asbestos, qui tam, and class action.   

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

With more than 40 years of experience, Baron & Budd has the expertise and resources to handle complex litigation throughout the United States. As a law firm that takes pride in remaining at the forefront of litigation, Baron & Budd has spearheaded many significant cases for hundreds of public entities and tens of thousands of individuals. Since the firm was founded in 1977, Baron & Budd has achieved substantial national acclaim for its work on cutting-edge litigation, trying hundreds of cases to verdict and settling tens of thousands of cases in areas of litigation as diverse and significant as dangerous and highly addictive pharmaceuticals, defective medical devices, asbestos and mesothelioma, wildfires, environmental contamination, fraudulent banking practices, e-cigarettes, motor vehicles, federal whistleblower cases, and other consumer fraud issues.