Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP, a distinguished multi-service law firm, is proud to announce 14 of its attorneys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2025. The lawyers recognized are Rachel A. Abbott (Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs), Jeffrey A. Brown (Workers’ Compensation Law-Claimants), Mary Louise Conrow (Labor & Employment), Mark S. Gorgos (Banking & Finance Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships) and Municipal Law), Robert R. Jones (Litigation -Trusts & Estates, Personal Injury Litigation- Plaintiff), Kristen K. Luce (Trusts & Estates), Robert J. Madigan, Jr. (Real Estate Law), Lars Mead (Workers’ Compensation Law-Claimants), James P. O’Brien (Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants), Keith O’Hara (Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants), Alan J Pope (Construction Law), Joseph J. Steflik, Jr. (Employment Law – Management, Labor Law -Management), Paul J. Sweeney (Labor Law-Management and Litigation, Labor & Employment), and Beth E. Westfall (Trusts & Estates).

Additionally, Nicholas Cortese (Municipal Law), Keegan Coughlin (Municipal Law and Trusts & Estates), Caroline Guiles (Trusts and Estates), Nathan Kopp (Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Zachary Morahan (Litigation – Trusts & Estates), and Nathan VanWhy (Municipal Law) were listed in the category of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

The following attorneys were recognized as “Lawyer of the Year”, James P. O’Brien (Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants), Paul J. Sweeney (Litigation – Labor & Employment), and Beth

E. Westfall (Trusts & Estates). This is awarded to only one lawyer per region and practice area.

“It is an honor to have so many of our attorneys recognized by their peers in the legal profession, said Rachel Abbott, Managing Partner of Coughlin & Gerhart. “Maintaining and demonstrating a high level of skill, decorum and ethics in the representation of our clients, regardless of the type of legal matter, is of the utmost importance to our Firm,” said Abbott.

Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. These prestigious recognitions highlight outstanding legal talent and represent the top 5% of lawyers across the United States, providing invaluable guidance to clients and legal professionals.

Best Lawyers® is based on an exhaustive Purely Peer Review® evaluation in which more than 184,000 industry leading attorneys cast more than 25 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, 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.” “Lawyer of the Year” has been awarded to only 5,223 honorees.