People: Parsons Behle & Latimer's Goodenow, Kealy earn 'Lawyer of the Year' status

On Aug. 19, acclaimed legal directory Best Lawyers published The Best Lawyers in America 2022 edition; in it, 50 Parsons Behle & Latimer attorneys were recognized, including two of its Reno attorneys as “Lawyer of the Year” — Michael R. Kealy, in the area of Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; and Rew R. Goodenow, in the area of Litigation – Bankruptcy.

Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is honored with “Lawyer of the Year” status, according to Best Lawyers.

Goodenow, a former president of the State Bar of Nevada and of the National Conference of Bar Presidents, is a shareholder in the firm’s Reno office. He currently serves, among other positions, as general counsel to the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Nevada and as a member of the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association. He earned is J.D. from University of Iowa Law School.

Kealy, also a shareholder in the Reno office, is a member of the American Bar Association, a past president of the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern Nevada and a current board member for the Economic Development of Western Nevada, among other roles. He earned his J.D. from the Creighton University School of Law.

Since it was first published in 1983, the annual Best Lawyers list has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled “based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation,” according to the directory’s website. Almost 87,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote. The 2022 publication analyzed 8.3 million nominations; 62,000 lawyers were chosen.

Additionally for Parsons Behle & Latimer’s Reno office, Kealy, Goodenow and Jim B. Butler made the publication’s Best Lawyers in America list for 2022, while Gregory Morrison and Ashley C. Nikkel were named “Ones to Watch” — new attorneys who are notably climbing the legal ranks.