Honors and Awards
Honor

Blank Rome Attorneys Designated "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers®

Woodward/White, Inc.

Blank Rome is pleased to announce that Susan L. Bickley, Kevin J. Bruno, and Stephen D. Schrier have been selected as 2014 "Lawyers of the Year" by Best Lawyers® in the following areas:

  • Ms. Bickley is recognized in Litigation–Municipal (Houston)
  • Mr. Bruno is recognized in Environmental Law (Princeton)
  • Mr. Schrier is recognized in Gaming Law (Philadelphia)

According to the publication, only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year." Attorneys are selected based on exhaustive peer reviews and the recognition "reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity." To view the complete methodology used by Best Lawyers to compile the 2014 "Lawyer of the Year" rankings, please click here.

For more information, visit www.bestlawyers.com.

Ms. Bickley has 30 years of civil trial and appellate experience in employment litigation, litigation on behalf of local governments and public officials, the defense of claims against law firms and lawyers, and in litigation involving commercial and business disputes. In 2010 and 2011, Ms. Bickley received the President's Award from the Houston Bar Association. She is a member of the State Bar Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Committee, a former chair and current member of the Houston Bar Association Community in Schools Committee, and previous member of the Houston Bar Association Gender Fairness Committee.

Mr. Bruno has more than 25 years of experience in complex commercial litigation, concentrating his practice in environmental, mass tort, products and insurance recovery litigation. He is chair of the Firm's Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources Practice Group. His experience includes defending clients in mass tort litigation, lawsuits and criminal investigations brought by the government, private party cost recovery actions, internal environmental audits and investigations, and representing policyholders in complex environmental insurance recovery litigations. Mr. Bruno has served in various Leadership positions within the American Bar Association ("ABA"). Currently, he serves as co-chair of the Section of Litigation's Expert Witness Committee, having previously served as chair of the Section's Environmental Litigation Committee. He also has been appointed to his fourth term as the ABA Section of Litigation's liaison to the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources ("SEER") Special Committee on Section, Division, and Forum Coordination, formerly the ABA Standing Committee on Environmental Law. Recently, he was appointed treasurer of the board of the Law Firm Sustainability Network ("LFSN"), a nonprofit organization of law firms and legal departments committed to promoting the benefits of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility within their firms and throughout the legal industry.

Mr. Schrier concentrates his practice on complex litigation, regulatory proceedings, and arbitration involving casino gaming, internet gaming, fantasy sports, employment law, restrictive covenants, and contract law. He is co-head of Blank Rome's Gaming practice. With more than 30 years of experience before regulatory bodies, trial courts and appellate courts, Mr. Schrier maintains a special emphasis on gaming law and regulatory matters for casino operators, internet gaming companies, developers, lenders, equity holders, and vendors. He recently represented a client in competitive proceedings for the final casino gaming license in Philadelphia, and represented numerous clients in their launch of online gaming in New Jersey. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Schrier was a deputy attorney general for the State of New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement, where he was responsible for ensuring that New Jersey gaming establishments and vendors were in compliance with state regulations during their initial license investigations and ongoing operations. Mr. Schrier was named to the "Client Choice–International 2014" list, which recognizes leading lawyers and law firms for client service.