2026 Lawyer of the Year and Best Lawyers Announced by “Best Lawyers”
Woods Fuller is proud to announce 18 shareholders and attorneys are included in the 32nd edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, with two receiving “Lawyer of the Year”, and four being honored in the Fifth Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America®.
Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on a comprehensive peer-review survey, which this year, comprised of more than 13.7 million confidential evaluations from other attorneys. This year alone, almost 25,000 voters responded to the survey. According to Best Lawyers, “our purely peer review methodology is at the core of our company’s credo, as we truly believe the best lawyers know who the best lawyers are.”
Woods Fuller would like to congratulate Melanie L. Carpenter and Jeff G. Shultz for their 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” awards. Melanie receives hers for Employment Law - Management in Sioux Falls, and Jeff for Workers’ Compensation Law - Employers in Sioux Falls.
We would also like to recognize the following lawyers named to the 2026 Best Lawyers in America® list:
Melanie Carpenter: Employment Law - Management
Dan Harmelink: Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Real Estate Law
Vince Jones: Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, Energy Law
Beth Lewis: Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Finance Law, Commercial Transactions / UCC Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
Lisa Maguire: Trusts and Estates
Carey Miller: Real Estate Law
James Moore: Insurance Law
Heath Oberloh: Corporate Law
Jeff Shultz: Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management, Workers' Compensation Law – Employers
Justin Smith: Insurance Law
Ryan Snell: Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Heather Springer: Employment Law - Management, Health Care Law
Greg Starnes: Corporate Law, Real Estate Law
Jim Wiederrich: Administrative / Regulatory Law, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch recognizes lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice. We are proud of the following Woods Fuller attorneys for this recognition:
Morgan Brekke: Health Care Law
Jordan Feist: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation
Seth Lopour: Family Law, Government Relations Practice
Jacob Schneider: Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Construction
For more than four decades, Best Lawyers publications have earned the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere. Candidates can only be considered for one recognition at a time, either Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch or traditional Best Lawyers awards. Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch is not a seed list to Best Lawyers and all hopeful candidates must be nominated and vetted by their peers recognized in Best Lawyers. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, recognition by Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.