HFM Partner Susan M. Hack Receives “2026 Lawyer of the Year” Recognition for Insurance Law

SAN DIEGO (August 21, 2025):

Thirty-two Higgs Fletcher & Mack (HFM) attorneys have been named to the 2026 list of “Best Lawyers® in America” and seven attorneys were named to the publication’s “Ones to Watch” list. In addition, HFM Partner Susan M. Hack was recognized as “2026 Lawyer of the Year” in the Insurance Law category.

Best Lawyers® in America are designated through a peer-review process. Attorneys are divided by geographic region and practice areas and then reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise. Best Lawyers® also publishes a “Ones to Watch” list, recognizing lawyers who have been in practice between five and ten years. According to the publication, the list highlights the most promising younger lawyers in the United States. The following HFM Attorneys were named to the 2026 Best Lawyers ® in America list:

• Roland H. Achtel – Litigation – Trusts and Estates
• Susan E. Basinger – Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants and Product Liability
Litigation – Defendants
• Edwin M. Boniske – Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Nicholas D. Brauns – Commercial Litigation
• Steven J. Cologne – Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
• Christine De Santis – Family Law
• Mitchell Dubick – Tax Law
• Martin A. Eliopulos – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Michael R. Gibson – Litigation – Construction and Litigation – Real Estate
• AnneElise P. Goetz – Health Care Law and Real Estate Law
• Jonathan A. Grissom – Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Nonprofit / Charities Law, and Tax Law
• Alexis S. Gutierrez – Commercial Litigation
• Susan M. Hack – Insurance Law and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Daniel C. Herbert – Family Law
• Scott J. Ingold – Trusts and Estates
• Rachel R. James – Family Law
• Kenneth C. Jones – Real Estate Law
• Regina Knoll – Immigration Law
• William M. Low – Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• Nicole M. Martinez – Family Law
• William A. Miller – Commercial Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law – Defendants, and Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
• John M. Morris – Appellate Practice
• Kyle W. Nageotte – Employment Law – Management
• Bruce M. O’Brien – Tax Law and Trusts and Estates
• James M. Peterson – Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
• F. Gregory Pyke – Real Estate Law
• John J. Rice – Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Phillip Samouris – Commercial Litigation
• Donald K. Sheppard – Immigration Law
• Mark K. Stender – Real Estate Law
• Geoffrey M. Thorne – Commercial Litigation
• Brian P. Tsu – Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Tax Law, and Trusts and Estates

The following HFM Attorneys were named to the 2025 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” list:

• Steven M. Brunolli – Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, and Health Care Law
• Mayra A. Castro – Immigration Law
• Greer L. Houston – Trusts and Estates
• Kimia Kojouri – Family Law
• Philip Mauriello – Litigation – Trusts and Estates and Trusts and Estates
• Nicholas Schechter – Commercial Litigation and Health Care Law
• Molly H. Teas – Transportation Law

Hack’s “2026 Lawyer of the Year” honor is particularly significant, as only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area receives that designation, and the lawyers are selected because they earn particularly impressive voting averages from their peer review assessments. Best Lawyers® was founded in 1981 with a purpose of “highlighting the extraordinary accomplishments of those in the legal profession,” and the Best Lawyers in America list has been published for over three decades.

About Higgs Fletcher Mack

Higgs Fletcher & Mack is a full-service law firm that serves diverse individuals and industries. For 85 years, the firm has worked tirelessly with companies and people that need legal counsel and representation in and out of the courtroom. Higgs Fletcher & Mack’s more than 75 attorneys have experience in multiple fields of law, and its internal network of legal professionals frequently coordinate in practice area groups that have multi-disciplinary dimensions, helping clients make a more informed decision. The firm is actively recruiting partner-level talent in complimentary practice areas to provide legal expertise in the San Diego region and beyond.