Continuing the trend from last year, Ahlers Cressman & Sleight PLLC is excited to announce that ten members of our firm have received recognition from Best Lawyers® in America for 2026.
The Best Lawyers in America® has been an annual publication since 1983 and focuses on the top legal talent across the United States and globe. Best Lawyers® has substantial credibility reaching over seventeen million readers globally and has partnered with leading journals such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune, justto name a few. Through its rankings, Best Lawyers® provides a comprehensive guide to legal representation for individuals and businesses alike. Over time, Best Lawyers® has been recognized to be one of the leading publications for attorney achievements and references.
The process towards recognition from Best Lawyers® is a lengthy one, centered around scrutinous peer review and modeled to accurately reflect the professional grit and merit observed by the field’s top attorneys. Lawyers, after being nominated by clients or colleagues, are then placed on ballots distributed to firms across the state, relative to field of practice and region. Voting is done by rating attorneys on a scale of one to five based on their likelihood of case referral and any additional comments made. After feedback is collected and evaluated, Best Lawyers® researchers perform basic background checks to state bars to ensure each lawyer nominated is in good ethical standing to finalize award recognitions.
For the Best Lawyers in America recognitionpractice makes perfect, which is why lawyers selected for the achievement are traditionally senior partners at their firms or have at least 10 years of experience in private practice. Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America highlights the achievements of attorneys early into their careers. Lawyers recognized in this category often hold around 5-9 years in private practice under their belt.
While nomination and acknowledgment to any Best Lawyers® list is a high accolade for those lawyers who receive it, it is the production of all staff at ACS from our paralegals, assistants, law clerks, or administrative staff who make it possible for our attorneys to achieve such a status and accomplishment. These awards are not only symbolic of the well-oiled gears of our firm’s practice, but also a reflection of the clients that put their time and trust into ACS allowing us to make our practice possible.
For the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers in America seven members of our firm were included for recognition: founding partners John Ahlers and Paul Cressman along with equity partners Brett Hill, Scott Sleight, Lindsay Watkins, Masaki Yamada, and Ryan Sternoff. Additionally, three members of our firm were included for the 2026 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Construction Litigation including Travis Colburn and Margarita Kutsin who are senior associates, and Kristina Southwell who is a partner.
John Ahlers was included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law and Litigation. As our firm’s founding member, he previously won the achievement of Best Lawyers® Construction Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” in Seattle in 2025. To read more about John’s practice click here
Paul Cressman Jr. was also present on this list last year and was included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law and Litigation. To read Paul’s full profile, click here.
Brett Hill, another past years winner, was included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law and Litigation. To read more about Brett click here.
Scott Sleight was included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law and Construction Litigation. He too received a spot on the list in 2025. To see more information on Scott click here.
Ryan Sternoff was included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Litigation, making him another returning awardee. To read Ryan’s full profile click here.
Lindsay Watkins received Best Lawyers® recognition in 2025 and was again included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law and Construction Litigation. To more about Lindsay please click here.
Masaki Yamada who was also awarded in 2024, was included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law and Litigation. To read Mr. Yamada’s full profile, click here.
Travis Colburn was included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®in America for Construction Litigation. To read Travis’s full profile, click here.
Margarita Kutsin was included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®in America for Construction Litigation. To read more about Rita click here.
Kristina Southwell was included in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®in America for Construction Litigation. To view more information on Kristina click here.