Ballard Spahr Named National Law Firm of the Year for First Amendment Litigation, Earns 26 National Tier 1 Rankings from Best Law Firms

Ballard Spahr received 26 National Tier 1 rankings in the 2022 Best Law Firms report released today, and was named national Law Firm of the Year for First Amendment litigation. Only one law firm per legal practice area earns that designation.

The Best Law Firms list is a joint effort of U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, a leading peer review publication for the legal profession. The list recognizes firms for professional excellence based on feedback about their performance, capabilities, and professionalism provided by other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and practice areas. The Law Firm of the Year honor singles out firms with particularly impressive overall performance in a given practice area.

For 2022, Ballard Spahr received 168 total rankings across all Best Law Firms categories, including 77 Metropolitan Tier 1 rankings, of which 14 are new rankings this year.

This marks the third time in recent years that Ballard Spahr has been recognized as Law Firm of the Year in the Best Law Firms category Litigation – First Amendment, having previously received the honor in 2018 and 2020. In addition, Best Law Firms named Ballard Spahr Law Firm of the Year for Media Law in 2018 and 2019. Attorneys in the firm’s Media and Entertainment Law Group, led by Charles D. Tobin, a partner based in Ballard Spahr’s Washington, D.C., office, have played a central role in many of the most significant First Amendment cases in recent years. The Group helps clients—ranging from local journalists to international news and entertainment companies—navigate challenging legal issues, across platforms and industries.

To be eligible to receive a Best Law Firms ranking, a firm must have at least one attorney who is recognized in the current edition of Best Lawyers in a Best Law Firms-ranked practice area or metro area. Recognition by Best Law Firms is based on a survey and feedback from clients and references about firms’ "expertise, responsiveness, understanding of a business and its needs, cost-effectiveness, civility, and whether they would refer another client to the firm."

The 26 areas in which Ballard Spahr received a National Tier 1 Ranking are:

• Banking and Finance Law
• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Copyright Law
• Corporate Law
• Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Employment Law - Management
• Environmental Law
• Labor Law - Management
• Land Use & Zoning Law
• Litigation - Banking & Finance
• Litigation - Bankruptcy
• Litigation - First Amendment
• Litigation - Intellectual Property
• Litigation - Labor & Employment
• Litigation - Patent
• Litigation - Real Estate
• Media Law
• Mergers & Acquisitions Law
• Patent Law
• Public Finance Law
• Real Estate Law
• Securities / Capital Markets Law
• Securities Regulation
• Trademark Law
• Trusts & Estates Law

For media inquiries, please contact Bill Shralow at 215.864.8195.