Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 17th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2011) is based on more than 3.1 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers. After more than a quarter of a century in publication, Best Lawyers is now designating “Lawyers of the Year” in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is being honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.” The lawyers being honored as “Lawyers of the Year” have received particularly high ratings in the surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. Gregory S. Curran currently serves as the Chairman of the Firm's Corporate, Securities, and Tax Practice Group. Mr. Curran's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions transactions for both private and public companies, venture capital and private equity financing transactions, private investment fund formation, representation of both public and private companies in connection with public offerings of debt and equity securities, and general counsel services. Mr. Curran serves on the firm's Executive Committee. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business. Mr. Curran also serves on the Board of Directors of Grace House Ministries, Inc. H. Thomas Wells, Jr. concentrates his practice on complex mass tort, environmental and product liability cases, often handling the defense of class actions or mass consolidated cases throughout the South. Mr. Wells is listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, Alabama Super Lawyers, and is a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He has also been recognized in The International Who’s Who of Environmental Lawyers and Product Liability Defense Lawyers.