Best Lawyers named six Manatt attorneys “Lawyer of the Year” for 2025 – James Walsh in Albany; Linda Moroney in Chicago; and Michael Berger, Kathleen Brown, Barry Landsberg and Charles Washburn in Los Angeles.
Manatt’s 2025 Lawyers of the Year are:
James Walsh
Government Relations Practice, Albany
Jim Walsh’s practice focuses on government relations and regulatory compliance matters in the areas of environmental regulation, government contracting, energy, financial services, labor, economic development, consumer protection, higher education and lobbying compliance. He joined Manatt in 2008 after serving more than a decade in high-level positions in New York State government.
Linda Moroney
Nonprofit / Charities Law, Chicago
Representing nonprofit health care systems, foundations and other tax-exempt organizations nationwide, Linda Moroney counsels clients on transactional matters, tax compliance and reporting, and governance. She advises clients on formation and exemption of nonprofit organizations, including charitable foundations. Linda provides tax counsel on health care restructurings, affiliations and mergers, as well as the conversion of taxable medical groups to tax-exempt subsidiaries of exempt healthcare systems.
Michael Berger
Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law; Litigation - Land Use and Zoning, Los Angeles
Michael Berger is one of California’s preeminent appellate lawyers and is a senior counsel in Manatt Real Estate and the appellate practice. One of the top land use and condemnation lawyers in the United States, his appellate cases have involved planning, zoning, eminent domain, various kinds of business litigation, landslides, contract, due process, equal protection, defective construction, nuisance, insurance and environmental law.
Kathleen Brown
Administrative / Regulatory Law, Los Angeles
A former California State treasurer with nearly two decades of experience as a senior bank executive, Kathleen Brown concentrates on business counseling, government and regulatory affairs in connection with the health care, energy, real estate and financial services industries. Prior to joining Manatt, she served in senior executive positions at Goldman Sachs Inc. and Bank of America.
Barry Landsberg
Litigation - Health Care, Los Angeles
Barry Landsberg is a health industry litigation partner who has made landmark law for hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers. He has handled a wide range of precedent-setting cases for hospitals and health systems on industry-defining issues, including hospital/physician medical staff and complex consumer class cases. He has won many first-impression decisions for hospitals before the California Supreme Court and the California Court of Appeal.
Charles Washburn
Financial Services Regulation Law, Los Angeles
As a leading partner in the firm’s national consumer financial services practice, Chuck Washburn navigates the complex web of laws governing consumer financial services. Much of his work revolves around rules issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created by the Dodd-Frank Act. In addition to proactively helping clients comply with laws, Chuck negotiates with CFPB staff attorneys and other representatives on behalf of clients who allegedly have violated compliance laws.
View Manatt’s full list of attorneys recognized in the 2025 Best Lawyers report here.