(openPR) - Austin/Dallas/Houston – Forty-one lawyers from the Austin, Dallas and Houston offices of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, one of the Southwest’s largest full-service law firms, have been honored among 2011’s “Best Lawyers in America.”

Published by Woodward/White Inc., “Best Lawyers in America” is widely regarded as the most respected peer-review publications in the legal profession. Attorneys are selected following a rigorous process in which thousands of the country’s top lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers, making it one of the most respected surveys of U.S. lawyers. For the new U.S. edition, more than 50 percent of the lawyers listed in Best Lawyers cast more than 3.1 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in the same and related specialties.

This year’s honoree from the firm’s Austin office: Mark Vane, Government Relations Law.

This year's honorees from the firm's Dallas office: Val J. Albright, Tax Law; Mark W. Bayer, Antitrust Law; Cynthia J. Bishop, Environmental Law; Michael J. Donohue, Tax Law; Curtis L. Frisbie Jr., Antitrust Law and Commercial Litigation; Jeffrey M. Gaba, Environmental Law; Kenneth R. Glaser, Intellectual Property Law; Lawrence E. Glasgow, Corporate Law and Mergers & Acquisitions Law; Lawrence B. Goldstein, Corporate Law; Douglas A. Harrison, Family Law; Joe B. Harrison, Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation; Jack W. Hawkins, Trust and Estates; Cym H. Lowell, Tax Law; Stephen A. McCartin, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Keith V. Novick, Trust and Estates; Holland N. O'Neil, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Alan J. Perkins, Corporate Law; Frances E. Phillips, Environmental Law; Richard M. Roberson, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Deirdre B. Ruckman, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; Robert Sarfatis, Corporate Law; Larry L. Schoenbrun, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, and Securities Law; Richard A. Tulli, Corporate Law; and Peter S. Vogel, Communications Law and Information Technology Law.

This year's honorees from the firm's Houston office: Michael A. Abbott, Employee Benefits Law; Geoffrey H. Bracken, Oil & Gas Law; Michael P. Cash, Mass Tort Litigation; Allen B. Craig III, Corporate Law and Tax Law; Elizabeth Howard Crowell, Structured Finance Law; Barbara Spudis de Marigny, Tax Law; Richard O. Faulk, Environmental Law; Thomas A. Hagemann, Commercial Litigation, and Criminal Defense: White-Collar; Mark R. Martin, Tax Law; William E. Matthews, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and Legal Malpractice Law; John P. Melko, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law; John R. Pearson, Maritime Law; Chris P. Perque, Technology Law; Lawrence J. Pirtle, Trust and Estates; Frank M. Putman, Corporate Law; and N.L. Stevens III, Corporate Law.

Larry L. Schoenbrun has been included in the Best Lawyers listing since its creation in 1983. Three Gardere attorneys, Jack W. Hawkins, Cym H. Lowell and Lawrence J. Pirtle, have been included in the Best Lawyers listing for 20 years or longer. Three Gardere attorneys, William E. Matthews, Frances E. Phillips and Frank M. Putman, have each been recognized for 15 years or longer. One Gardere attorney, Chris P. Perque, was a first-time honoree this year.

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm founded in 1909 and one of the Southwest’s largest full-service law firms, has offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Mexico City. Gardere provides legal services to private and public companies and individuals in areas of energy, hospitality, litigation, corporate, tax, government affairs, environmental, labor and employment, intellectual property and financial services.

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP
3000 Thanksgiving Tower
1601 Elm St.
Dallas TX 75201
214.999.3000
Press Contact: Rhonda Reddick, Androvett Legal Media, 800.559.4534