McKool Smith and the firm's trial lawyers are highly regarded in the 2018 edition of Chambers USA, which recognizes the firm as a leader across five key focus areas, including commercial litigation, intellectual property, insurance recovery, securities litigation, and bankruptcy/restructuring. Also, 11 of the firm's trial lawyers are recognized as leaders in their respective areas of practice.
McKool Smith is ranked as one of the top law firms in the nation for both intellectual property and insurance: dispute resolution - policyholder. The publication also recognizes the firm as a leading firm in Texas for commercial litigation, intellectual property, and bankruptcy/restructuring, and a leading firm in California for commercial litigation. In New York, McKool Smith is recognized as a leading firm for representing policyholders in insurance disputes and institutional plaintiffs in securities litigation.
Clients interviewed by Chambers note that McKool Smith "generates results like no other firm" and "is creative in its approach and incredible with its follow-through." Clients also noted that they are "always impressed with McKool," while market commentators applauded the firm for having "an incredible bench of trial attorneys" who are “extremely responsive and very client focused.”
The firm's Chambers ranked/recognized lawyers include:
- Sam Baxter: Intellectual Property Litigation and General Commercial Litigation (Texas)
- Douglas Cawley: Intellectual Property Litigation (Texas)
- Roderick Dorman: Intellectual Property: Patent (California)
- William LaFuze: Intellectual Property Litigation (Texas)
- Lew LeClair: General Commercial Litigation (Texas)
- Kyle Lonergan: General Commercial (New York)
- Mike McKool: Trial Lawyers (Nationwide); Intellectual Property Litigation and General Commercial Litigation (Texas)
- Steven Pollinger: Intellectual Property Litigation (Texas)
- Hugh Ray: Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Texas)
- Robert Scheef: Securities - Institutional Plaintiffs (New York)
Chambers USA is compiled by Chambers and Partners, a London-based publisher of guides to the world's leading law firms and lawyers. To compile the 2018 edition, researchers conducted more than 10,000 interviews with attorneys and business leaders from across the U.S. The final list can be viewed here.