August 15, 2018 | Houston Harbaugh Attorneys Named to 2019 Best Lawyers in America©
Houston Harbaugh announced that nine of the firm’s attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2019 edition of Best Lawyers in America©, three of whom were also named to 2019 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of Year” in Pittsburgh.
Best Lawyers has published its list for more than three decades. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.
Craig M. Brooks was named for Labor Law – Management, as well as Employment Law – Individuals. A Director and chair of the firm’s Employment and Labor Law practice, he primarily represents management, providing advice on how to handle employee issues and actions, as well as defending or pursuing claims in court and before government agencies. He received his law degree from Duke University School of Law, and a bachelor of science degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, cum laude, where he studied labor relations.
Gary J. Gunnett was named for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. A Director and leader of the firm’s ERISA practice, he focuses primarily on employee benefit plans, including the design, implementation, maintenance and termination of qualified retirement plans. He received his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law, and a bachelor of arts degree from Westminster College.
John D. Houston, II was named the Best Lawyers 2019 Health Care Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh. Houston is a founding member of Houston Harbaugh and has been practicing law since 1966. His practice is concentrated in the areas of healthcare, general corporate matters, and estate planning and wealth preservation. He received his law degree from George Washington University, and a bachelor of arts degree from Haverford College.
Alan S. Miller was named the Best Lawyers 2019 Energy Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh. He was also named to 2019 Best Lawyers in America in Environmental Law, Insurance Law and Litigation – Environmental. A Director and chair of the firm’s Environmental and Energy Law and Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith Litigation practices, he has more than 30 years’ experience representing clients in matters involving environmental contamination and regulatory compliance, including resulting from natural gas production, and disputes involving insurance coverage and insurance bad faith. Miller is a former trial attorney with the Environmental Enforcement Section, United States Department of Justice, and Assistant Counsel with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources. He received his law degree from George Washington University National Law Center cum laude, and a bachelor of arts degree from Washington University.
Anthony P. Picadio was named for Bet-The-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Antitrust, Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Securities, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. Picadio, who is Of Counsel with the firm, has represented business clients in significant cases presenting issues involving unfair competition, corporate governance, Sherman and Clayton Act violations, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent conveyance, securities fraud, trademark protection, insurance coverage, construction litigation, legal malpractice, commercial real estate, and contract matters. He is a former Pennsylvania Assistant Attorney General specializing in environmental enforcement matters and former chairman of an administrative tribunal charged with administering air pollution control regulations in the Pittsburgh region. He received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, cum laude, and a bachelor of arts from the University of Pittsburgh.
Robinson was named for Health Care Law. Robinson, who is Of Counsel, previously chaired the firm’s Health Care Law department for numerous years. She concentrates her practice in the area of healthcare, with a particular emphasis on contractual relationships between healthcare providers as well as helping practices navigate the various governmental regulatory, third party payor and compliance laws, including HIPAA. She graduated cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and received a bachelor of arts degree from Allegheny College.
Henry M. Sneath was named for Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law – Defendants, Legal Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, Litigation – Intellectual Property, and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants. Sneath is a Director as well as co-chair of the firm’s Litigation practice and Chair of the Intellectual Property practice. He focuses his practice on complex business litigation, intellectual property, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, DTSA, products and pharmaceutical liability, toxic torts, insurance coverage and bad faith, energy, catastrophic injury and tort litigation matters. He received his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a bachelor of arts degree from Hamilton College.
Heidi Rai Stewart was named the Best Lawyers 2019 Elder Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh as well as named to 2019 Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates. A Director in the firm’s Estates and Trusts practice, she assists individuals in the creation of estate plans, probate, and estate and trust administration. Her work in these areas extends to Special Needs planning and Long Term Care planning, including Elder Law. She received her law degree from Duquesne University School of Law, and her bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, from Carlow College.
Alex W. Thomson was named for Corporate Law. A Director and chair of the firm’s Business Law practice, Thomson serves as outside general counsel to a wide range of businesses from start-ups to large multi-nationals. He represents clients in a diverse set of industries from software to international consulting to steel manufacturing. He also represents non-profit organizations such as foundations and churches as well as professional service businesses such as medical, dental and veterinary practices, and accounting and law firms. He received his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, a master of business administration from the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, and a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Boston University.
About The Best Lawyers in America©
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Almost 87,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and we have received almost 10 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, 7.8 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in almost 60,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
