Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation’s largest mass torts firms and a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families, is pleased to announce that the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® includes 33 of the firm’s attorneys. Among those honorees, firm partners John A. Barnerd, Amy E. Garrett, and Jim Kramer were named by Best Lawyers as “Lawyers of the Year” for their respective practice areas. In addition, nine Simmons Hanly Conroy attorneys were named to the 2025 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America list.
“We are incredibly proud of all our attorneys who achieve the high level of success and reputations worthy of inclusion in the prestigious Best Lawyers lists,” said Simmons Hanly Conroy Managing Partner Laurence V. Nassif. “We congratulate our firm’s 2025 Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch honorees for their hard work and dedication to serving our clients across multiple practice areas.”
In each metropolitan area, only one attorney in any single legal practice area is designated as the “Lawyer of the Year.” For 2025, Barnerd earned the designation for Product Liability Litigation in the St. Louis metro area, Garrett for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs in the St. Louis metro area, and Kramer for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs in the New York City metro area.
Simmons Hanly Conroy leaders Nassif, John Simmons, chairman, and Jayne Conroy, named partner, all are listed in the current edition of The Best Lawyers in America for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs. In addition, John Simmons and Conroy are recognized for Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs, and Conroy also is included for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs.
Following are the firm’s attorneys listed in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, along with their recognized practice areas (organized by Simmons Hanly Conroy office/location).
Alton
- Michael J. Angelides, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Nicholas J. Angelides, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- John A. Barnerd, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Perry J. Browder, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Brian J. Cooke, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Kenneth P. Danzinger, partner: Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs; Workers’ Compensation Law – Claimants
- Paul Dix, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Amy E. Garrett, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Taylor Kerns, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- J. Conard Metcalf, of counsel: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Todd Neilson, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Jo Anna Pollock, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Melissa Crowe Schopfer, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Drew Sealey, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- John Simmons, named partner and chairman: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Luther W. Simmons, Jr., partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- G. Michael Stewart, partner: Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs
- Andrew S. Williams, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
College Station, Texas
- Justin J. Presnal, partner: Appellate Practice; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
New York City
- Andrea Bierstein, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Daniel P. Blouin, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Donald P. Blydenburgh, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Lisa Nathanson Busch, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Jayne Conroy, named partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Mildred Conroy, associate: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Gary DiMuzio, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Laura S. Fitzpatrick, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Ellyn Hurd, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Jim Kramer, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Laurence V. Nassif, managing partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Sanford Smokler, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
San Francisco, California
- Jennifer L. Alesio, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Deborah Rosenthal, partner: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
Following are the firm’s attorneys listed in the 2025 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, along with their recognized practice areas (organized by Simmons Hanly Conroy office/location).
Alton
- Jared Hausmann, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Jenny Paulson, associate: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs
- Luke Pfeifer, associate: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Philip E. Proud, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
New York City
- Brett F. Fuller, associate: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Olivia P. Kelly, partner: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Arthur G. Prystowsky, associate: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- John B. Wetmore, associate: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs; Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
With more than 79,000 attorneys listed in its 2025 edition, The Best Lawyers in America is one of the most highly regarded attorney referral publications in the country. The 2025 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America list features more than 27,000 attorneys who have been in practice for less than 10 years and exhibit outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. Best Lawyers selects attorneys for both publications through extensive surveys of leading lawyers who assess the legal abilities of their peers. Lawyers are not permitted to pay a fee to participate or be recognized.
About Simmons Hanly Conroy LLP
Simmons Hanly Conroy is one of the nation’s largest mass tort law firms, dedicated to helping victims of mesothelioma and asbestos-related cancers. Other primary areas of litigation include prescription opioids, sexual abuse, pharmaceutical, consumer protection, environmental, and personal injury. The firm’s attorneys have been appointed to leadership in numerous national multidistrict litigations, including prescription opioids, Vioxx, Yaz, Toyota unintended acceleration, BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, DePuy Pinnacle, Uber Rideshare sexual assault, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Norfolk Southern East Palestine train derailment and the Volkswagen emission scandal. The firm also represents small and mid-size corporations, inventors and entrepreneurs in matters involving business litigation. Firm attorneys’ passion for improving the lives of asbestos victims and their families extends to the firm’s contributions to mesothelioma cancer research and ongoing support through initiatives including the firm’s annual Miles for Meso 5K race and fun run/walk. Firm offices are located in Alton, Illinois; Boston; Los Angeles; Miami; New York City; San Francisco; and St. Louis. Read more at www.simmonsfirm.com.
