The law firm of McLane Middleton congratulates attorneys Patrick C. Closson (Corporate Law), Joseph A. Foster (Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law), Wilbur A. Glahn III (Appellate Practice), Ralph F. Holmes (Litigation – Trusts & Estates), Barry Needleman (Environmental Law), and Jeremy T. Walker (Construction Law) for being named a 2020 Lawyer of the Year in their respective field by Best Lawyers in America©.
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer review publication in the legal profession.
Recognition in Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers. For more than three decades, its publications have earned the respect of the profession, the media, and the public, as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere.
Patrick is a director at McLane Middleton. He is chair of the firm’s Health Care Practice Group and vice chair of the Corporate Department. Patrick is a corporate and transactional lawyer who helps clients form, grow, and sell their businesses, and works with his clients to solve challenging problems with practical solutions. He works with clients in five main areas: general corporate law, healthcare law matters, mergers and acquisitions, complex contracts, and succession planning. Patrick can be reached in the firm’s Manchester and Portsmouth offices at (603) 628-1457 or patrick.closson@mclane.com.
Joe is a director at McLane Middleton. He also serves as chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy Practice Group and is a former NH Attorney General. Joe represents creditors ranging from small private lenders to nationally recognized banks and finance companies in out-of-court restructurings and chapter 11 reorganizations. He works with businesses and individuals in all aspects of insolvency matters ranging from prosecuting and defending litigation arising in bankruptcy courts, to counseling buyers of assets from businesses in bankruptcy, to assisting financially troubled businesses with loan restructurings and workouts. Joe also works with lenders and businesses in complex commercial finance matters. He can be reached in the firm’s Manchester office at (603) 628-1175 or joe.foster@mclane.com.
Bill is a director at McLane Middleton where he’s practiced for more than 38 years. In his nearly 47 years of litigation experience he has handled nearly all aspects of commercial and business litigation in the state and federal courts. He is an experienced appellate lawyer and has argued dozens of cases in the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Bill is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He can be reached in the firm’s Manchester office at (603) 628-1469 or bill.glahn@mclane.com.
Ralph is widely regarded as among the top probate / estate / trust trial lawyers in the region and has successfully represented McLane Middleton’s clients in many trials, including in obtaining verdicts of: $3.4 million in Trimble v. Bolduc, a fiduciary duty case against the trustee and related entities; $2.8 million in Whittemore v. Hersey, a fiduciary duty case against the trustee and attorney-in-fact; $6 million in Loconti v. Loconti (in concert with other counsel) to compel settlor’s contractual obligation to fund a trust; as well as multiple verdicts for the defense when representing trustees and other fiduciaries. Ralph is a Fellow of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel. He can be reached in the firm’s Manchester and Woburn offices at (603) 628-1409 or ralph.holmes@mclane.com.
Barry is McLane Middleton’s Managing Director and has 25 years of experience handling environmental and energy matters for regional and national clients. He does a substantial amount of energy facility siting work, primarily before the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee, on numerous types of projects ranging from fossil and renewable generation, to electric and gas transmission. He has experience litigating a variety of environmental cases in state and federal courts such as insurance and third-party cost recovery claims at former manufactured gas plants and the defense of State-wide MTBE contamination claims. He also litigates administrative matters before state appellate councils regarding permit appeals under various environmental programs. He regularly represents clients in environmental matters involving permitting, compliance counseling, and defense of administrative and judicial enforcement actions. Barry chairs McLane Middleton’s Energy Practice Group. He is a Fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers. Barry can be reached in the firm’s Manchester and Concord offices at (603) 230-4407 or barry.needleman@mclane.com.
Jeremy is a director in McLane Middleton’s litigation department. He focuses his practice on business litigation, with a particular emphasis on intellectual property and construction litigation. Jeremy is a trial lawyer and has represented both large and small companies in the New Hampshire Superior Court, the New Hampshire Supreme Court, the Federal District Courts and in arbitration proceedings. Jeremy can be reached in the firm’s Manchester office at (603) 628-1431 or jeremy.walker@mclane.com.