Best Lawyers® recognizes Heather Rider Hammond and William “Chip” A. Mason, IV of Gravel & Shea as 2023 Lawyer of the Year
While Gravel & Shea has provided its clients legal services in a wide variety of disciplines for over 65 years, two Gravel & Shea shareholders have earned the honorable distinction of “Lawyer of the Year” for 2023 by Best Lawyers®, a peer-reviewed guide to the legal profession.
Heather Rider Hammond, a shareholder at Gravel & Shea, has been recognized by her peers as the 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” in Employment Law – Management for Burlington, Vt. She was also recognized generally in the categories of Employment Law- Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment. Heather earned her B.A. from Middlebury College, cum laude and her J.D. from Vermont Law School, summa cum laude. Heather represents the firm’s corporate clients in all aspects of the employment relationship, while frequently speaking on a wide array of employment topics to various employer groups. Heather’s services range from the defense of employment-related claims in legal and administrative proceedings to counseling management on compliance issues and best practices.
William “Chip” A. Mason, IV, a shareholder in the Corporate Department of Gravel & Shea since 2006, has been recognized as the 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” in Corporate Law for Burlington, Vermont. Chip was also recognized for high caliber work in Corporate Governance Law and Corporate Law. Chip earned his B.A. from the University of Vermont and his J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law, cum laude. Chip’s transactional practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and serving as general outside counsel.
Gravel & Shea would also like to congratulate the following lawyers named to The Best Lawyers® in America 2023 list:
- Peter S. Erly was recognized in the categories of Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities/Capital Markets Law, and Securities Regulation
- Timothy M. Eustace was recognized in the categories of Litigation and Real Estate
- Michelle N. Farkas was recognized in the category of Real Estate Law
- Robert B. Hemley was recognized in the categories of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, First Amendment Law, Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions Plaintiffs, Medical Malpractice Law Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation Plaintiffs
- Jerome F. O’Neill was recognized in the categories of Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: General Practice, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Personal Injury Litigation Plaintiffs
- Robert H. Rushford was recognized in the category of Real Estate Law
In addition, Celeste E. Laramie, was named to the Best Lawyers® Ones to Watch list for her litigation work on behalf of plaintiffs in personal injury actions, as well as for her work in environmental litigation. In addition to these two areas, Celeste applies her litigation skills in a number of practice areas, such as for crime victims and survivors of sexual assault, construction litigation, employment litigation, intellectual property litigation, commercial and contract disputes and professional malpractice.
Best Lawyers® is the oldest peer-reviewed publication company in the legal profession that’s widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals. Best Lawyers’® list of outstanding lawyers is compiled by conducting extensive peer review surveys where thousands of lawyers confidentiality evaluate their professional peers.
About Gravel & Shea
Gravel & Shea is a full-service law firm in Burlington, Vermont, providing its clients legal services in a wide variety of disciplines, including commercial transactions, civil litigation, real estate, intellectual property, energy, land use and environmental regulation, estate planning, mergers and acquisitions, personal injury litigation, employment law, and family law.
