Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP (PSRB) is pleased to announce seventeen PSRB attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch lists. Greg Gotwald has been named Indiana “Lawyer of the Year” in Indianapolis in Litigation – Insurance. Also of note, Chris Braun has been named a Best Lawyer in Agriculture Law, putting him in four category listings this year.

Tonya Bond, Jeff Featherstun, Sean Hirschten, Ryan Leagre, George Plews, Peter Racher, Amy Romig, Mary Ann Saggese, Joanne Sommers, and Ali Sylvia were also selected by their peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers^® 2026 in Indianapolis, and Jeff Claflin and Thao Nguyen were selected by their peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers^® 2026 in South Bend. Chris Kozak, Kyle Steinbrueck, and Nabeela Virjee were selected to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America in Indianapolis by their peers.

Best Lawyers^® is an elite global network of legal professionals recognized through trusted, peer-reviewed distinction. For over four decades, their Purely Peer Review^® methodology has upheld the principle that recognition should be earned through the opinions of fellow attorneys, not marketing influence or paid listings.

Each year, more than 13 million confidential evaluations are collected worldwide. Only about 5% of lawyers in the United States and 3% globally are recognized, reflecting the selectivity and credibility of the results.

For the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®, more than 26 million evaluations were analyzed. The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America recognitions were determined based on more than 5.4 million evaluations.

“Lawyer of the Year” accolades are reserved for one individual per practice area in each metropolitan region, based on the highest aggregate peer feedback. This designation represents a rare and distinguished honor.

The PSRB attorneys and the categories and year in which they were selected are:

Indianapolis, IN

• Tonya J. Bond (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2014)
  • Litigation – Environmental
  • Litigation – Insurance
• Christopher J. Braun (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2001)
  • Agriculture Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Litigation – Environmental
  • Real Estate Law
• Jeffrey D. Featherstun (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013)
  • Insurance Law
  • Litigation – Environmental
  • Litigation – Insurance
• Gregory M. Gotwald (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2020)
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Insurance Law
  • Indiana “Lawyer of the Year”, Litigation – Insurance
• Sean M. Hirschten (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2021)
  • Insurance Law
• Christopher E. Kozak (Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America since 2025)
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Insurance Law
  • Litigation – Environmental
• Ryan T. Leagre (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2021)
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Insurance Law
  • Litigation – Insurance
• George M. Plews (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2001)
  • Environmental Law
  • Insurance Law
• Peter M. Racher (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2003)
  • Environmental Law
  • Litigation – Environmental
• Amy E. Romig (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2019)
  • Environmental Law
  • Litigation – Environmental
• Mary Ann F. Saggese (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013)
  • Environmental Law
• Joanne Sommers (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2023)
  • Litigation – Environmental
  • Litigation – Insurance
• Kyle D. Steinbrueck (Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America since 2025)
  • Environmental Law
  • Insurance Law
  • Litigation – Environmental
• Alexandra S. Sylvia (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2016)
  • Real Estate Law
• Nabeela Virjee (Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America since 2025)
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs

South Bend, IN

• Jeffrey D. Claflin (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2013)
  • Litigation – Environmental
• Thao Nguyen (Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2024)
  • Insurance Law

Categorized: News

Tagged In: Agriculture, Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Environmental, Indiana, insurance, Lawyer of the Year, litigation, Personal Injury, Plaintiffs, Real Estate