Pacifica Law Group is pleased to announce that Best Lawyers® recognized 27 of our attorneys in the Seattle listings in the latest edition of The Best Lawyers in America and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, including six first-time selections. Nineteen Pacifica attorneys received 2026 Best Lawyers in America nods for 13 different practice areas, while eight were named to the 2026 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America list.
Pacifica Managing Partner Denise Stiffarm also received recognition as the 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” for Education Law in Seattle. This is the third straight year one of Pacifica’s attorneys has earned Lawyer of the Year honors—Gerry Johnson and Stacey Crawshaw-Lewis were recognized in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Pacifica additionally has the highest number of recognized lawyers in Public Finance Law of any firm in Washington State, and the highest number of recognized lawyers in Municipal Law and Public Finance Law of any firm in the Seattle Metro area.
The Best Lawyers in America is an annual acknowledgement of top talent in the legal profession, which relies entirely on peer review for its rankings. Read more about Best Lawyers’ methodology here.
Below is a full list of Pacifica attorneys who received recognition:
The Best Lawyers in America 2026
Alison Benge, Public Finance Law, Tax Law
Stacey Crawshaw-Lewis, Municipal Law, Public Finance Law
John S. De Lanoy, Real Estate Law
Brittany Faulkner*, Construction Law
Deanna Gregory, Municipal Law, Public Finance Law
B. Gerald Johnson, Municipal Law, Real Estate Law
Sarah C. Johnson, Commercial Litigation, Education Law
Jon Jurich, Municipal Law, Public Finance Law
Paul J. Lawrence, Appellate Practice, Litigation – Municipal
Curtis M. Leonard, Employment Law – Management
Jamie Lisagor, Commercial Litigation
Richard A. Moore, Real Estate Law
Zach Pekelis, Commercial Litigation
Faith Li Pettis, Public Finance Law
Matthew J. Segal, Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Municipal
Jessica A. Skelton, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Litigation – Municipal, Municipal Law
Denise Stiffarm, Education Law, Land Use and Zoning Law
Zak Tomlinson, Construction Law, Litigation – Construction
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America 2026
Sam Chalfant*, Education Law
Erica Coray*, Commercial Litigation
W. Scott Ferron, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation
Meha Goyal*, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation
Shweta Jayawardhan, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation
Noe Merfeld*, Commercial Litigation
Christopher M. Sanders, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation
Rachel Simon*, Education Law
Kai Smith, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation
Andrew R. Zellers, Real Estate Law
Jacob A. Zuniga, Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation
* Denotes first-time selection
