Lawdragon Honors Samantha Baynes, Michael Hess Among ‘Next Generation’ of Legal Leaders
June 16, 2026Seven Godwin Bowman attorneys have earned repeat recognition from The Best Lawyers in America, with an additional firm attorney selected to the companion Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch guide to the top young lawyers.
Firm Chairman and CEO Donald Godwin leads the firm’s 2027 honorees with Best Lawyers citations in four practice areas. For a 16th consecutive year, he is recognized for commercial litigation, family law, banking and finance litigation, and trusts and estates litigation.
Bruce Bowman Jr., executive vice president and general counsel, earned a third year of recognition for his bankruptcy and trusts and estates litigation practices.
Firm president and managing shareholder Shawn McCaskill was honored for a seventh time for both his appellate and commercial litigation work.
For an eighth year, Laci Bowman, chair of the firm’s family law section, was recognized for family law, family law mediation and commercial litigation.
Sid Scheinberg, chair of the bankruptcy/creditors’ rights section, is a four-time Best Lawyers honoree for his bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law practice.
Shareholder Stefanie Major McGregor earned a third Best Lawyers listing for appellate, commercial litigation and family law.
For a 15th consecutive year, mass tort litigation chair George R. Carlton Jr. was recognized for product liability litigation defense.
This is the fifth year senior attorney Samantha Baynes has earned a place on the Ones to Watch list. She was honored for her family law, family law arbitration and mediation, and commercial litigation work.
The 2027 Best Lawyers honorees are selected through peer recommendations and professional accomplishments and represent the top 5% of eligible attorneys. Ones to Watch selection is limited to attorneys in their first decade of professional practice.
