McConnell Van Pelt LLC Attorney Named to 2027 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®

Denver, Colorado – August 20, 2026 – McConnell Van Pelt LLC proudly announces that Kellsey Hansen has been recognized in the 2027 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch honors rising attorneys who have demonstrated outstanding professional excellence in private practice early in their careers. Selected through a rigorous peer-review process, these honorees represent an elite group within the legal profession.

Less than one percent of lawyers nationwide receive a Ones to Watch recognition, making inclusion a remarkable distinction and a strong indicator of future leadership within the profession.

Kellsey has been recognized in 4 practice areas, including:

• Kellsey Hansen – Health Care Law, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law

Phil Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers, emphasized the significance of the honor: “Being named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch is an extraordinary achievement. Fewer than one percent of practicing attorneys receive this award, and those selected represent the rising leaders shaping the future of the legal profession.”

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About Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch

For more than four decades, Best Lawyers® has helped individuals and businesses identify the best lawyers for their specific legal needs. Launched in 2020, Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch extends that trusted peer-review recognition to outstanding early-career attorneys who are demonstrating exceptional professional excellence within their practice areas and geographic regions.

Through a rigorous evaluation process based entirely on peer feedback, Ones to Watch highlights rising lawyers who are earning the respect of colleagues and building strong reputations for client service and legal skill.

For clients seeking emerging leaders and future trailblazers in the legal profession, Ones to Watch serves as a valuable resource for identifying highly regarded attorneys by location and specialty.

To search for recognized attorneys, visit www.bestlawyers.com.

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McConnell Van Pelt LLC announces that 4 attorneys have been recognized in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.®

Denver, Colorado – August 20, 2026 – Best Lawyers honorees are selected through a peer-review process evaluating professional excellence within specific practice areas and geographic regions. The firm's recognized attorneys span 9 practice areas and 1 location, including:

• Jonathan J. Corrigan – Health Care Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Health Care, and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Michael T. McConnell – Appellate Practice, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Health Care, Litigation - Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Robert W. Steinmetz – Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Health Care Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Insurance, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Traci L. Van Pelt – Health Care Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Health Care, Litigation - Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

“We are proud to see this exceptional group of attorneys recognized by their peers. Their dedication, expertise and leadership continue to elevate the standard of excellence across the legal profession,” said Phil Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers.

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About Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers® is the most established global network of legal professionals, providing elite lawyers and law firms with tools to enhance visibility, credibility and client engagement. Built on a rigorous peer-review process, Best Lawyers delivers data-driven legal recognition while offering industry insights and tech-forward marketing solutions. Powering Best Law Firms®, we simplify the law firm selection process, fostering confidence between firms and clients. Learn more at www.bestlawyers.com and www.bestlawfirms.com.

To search for recognized attorneys by location and specialty, visit www.bestlawyers.com.

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Robert W. Steinmetz Named 2027 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” for Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants in Denver

Denver, Colorado – August 20, 2026 – McConnell Van Pelt LLC proudly announces that Robert W. Steinmetz has been named the 2027 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” for Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants in Denver, one of the highest distinctions awarded by the organization.

This honor is presented to only one individual in each practice area and geographic region and is based entirely on peer-review evaluations, making it a singular recognition of professional excellence and reputation within the legal community.

Robert W. Steinmetz is widely recognized for Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, earning the trust of clients and the respect of colleagues throughout the industry.

Phil Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers, emphasized the distinction of the award: “Lawyer of the Year honorees represent the very top tier of our recognitions. Fewer than five percent of practicing attorneys are recognized by Best Lawyers, and only a small fraction of those — approximately five percent — are selected as ‘Lawyer of the Year.’ This honor reflects extraordinary peer respect and sustained excellence within the legal profession.”

In addition to being named “Lawyer of the Year,” Steinmetz is also recognized in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for their work in Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Health Care Law, Litigation - Insurance, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants.

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About Best Lawyers

For more than four decades, Best Lawyers has helped individuals and businesses identify the best lawyers for their specific legal needs. Through a rigorous peer-review process, Best Lawyers and related recognitions highlight individuals who demonstrate exceptional professional excellence within their practice areas and geographic regions.

Because recognitions are based entirely on evaluations from fellow lawyers, Best Lawyers awards serve as a trusted resource for clients seeking experienced, respected legal counsel.

To search for recognized attorneys by location and specialty, visit www.bestlawyers.com.

McConnell Van Pelt, LLC Ranked by Best Law Firms® in 2025

November 9, 2024 -- McConnell Van Pelt, LLC has been recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms® , a testament to its unwavering commitment to legal excellence. Ranked by Best Law Firms regionally in 9 practice areas, McConnell Van Pelt, LLC has distinguished itself in the legal industry, earning this prestigious accolade.

Firms included in the 2025 Best Law Firms® list are recognized for professional excellence with impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be considered for this milestone achievement, at least one lawyer in the law firm must be recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

"At Best Lawyers, we are proud to recognize law firms that show an unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and client satisfaction," said Philip Greer, Chief Executive Officer of Best Lawyers. "In the legal arena, credibility is earned through consistent quality, which has propelled these firms to the forefront of the legal industry."

Achieving a ranking in Best Law Firms signifies high-quality legal practice and a depth of legal proficiency. Recognized firms, categorized into three tiers, receive acclaim on both national and metropolitan levels, reflecting the extent of their practice and geographic reach. Receiving a tier designation represents an elite status, reflecting the integrity and reputation earned by law firms.

The 2025 edition of  Best Law Firms® includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 metropolitan-based practice areas. The highest-rated firm in each national practice area attains the prestigious "Law Firm of the Year" honor. The transparent, collaborative research process employs qualitative and quantitative data from peer and client reviews, supported by proprietary algorithmic technology, to produce a tiered system of industry-led rankings of the top 4% of the industry.

McConnell Van Pelt, LLC received the following rankings in the 2025 Best Law Firms®:

• Regional Tier 1

  • Colorado

    • Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law

    • Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants

    • Litigation - Health Care

    • Litigation - Insurance

    • Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants

    • Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

    • Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Regional Tier 2

  • Colorado

    • Appellate Practice

    • Health Care Law

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About Best Law Firms®

Best Law Firms®, ranked by Best Lawyers® and respected for over 14 years, is the most credible ranking of exceptional law firms globally. It is rooted in a rigorous, peer-to-peer, industry-driven evaluation. A ranking from Best Law Firms signifies a high-quality practice and a breadth of legal expertise. Ranked firms, presented in three tiers, are recognized on a national and metropolitan scale, providing legal professionals with an elevated stature from the Best Law Firms recognition. For more information, visit www.bestlawfirms.com.

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About Best Lawyers®

Best Lawyers® is the oldest and most respected peer-review research and marketing company in the legal profession. Best Lawyers compiles extensive recognitions by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate the work of their fellow legal professionals within their local market and specialty. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, recognition by Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. For more information, visit www.bestlawyers.com.

1 McConnell Van Pelt, LLC Lawyer Named to 2025 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America

August 21, 2024 -- McConnell Van Pelt, LLC is pleased to announce that 1 lawyer has been included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.

Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America recognizes associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.

"The unparalleled methodology of Best Lawyers ensures the value and esteem of our legal rankings through both our traditional awards and our expanded 'Ones to Watch' accolades," said Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer. "Clients trust Best Lawyers as a credible and reliable way to identify the most elite lawyers, and it is with great pride that we continue to provide this valued service in the country."

Lawyers recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America are divided by geographic region and practice areas. Candidates can only be considered for one recognition at a time, either "Ones to Watch" or traditional Best Lawyers awards. "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch" is not a seed list to "The Best Lawyers" and all hopeful candidates must be nominated, vetted by their peers and undergo an authentication process before they are recognized by Best Lawyers. Lawyers are not required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, recognition by Best Lawyers is considered a singular distinction.

McConnell Van Pelt, LLC would like to congratulate the following lawyer recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America:

• Kellsey Hansen - Health Care Law and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

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About Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected lawyer ranking service in the world. For 40 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the lawyers best qualified to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Best Lawyers awards are published in leading local, regional and national publications across the globe.

Lawyers who are nominated for consideration are voted on by currently recognized Best Lawyers working in the same practice area and located in the same geographic region. Our awards and recognitions are based purely on the feedback we receive from these top lawyers. Those who receive high peer reviews undergo a thorough verification process to make sure they are currently still in private practice. Only then can these top lawyers be recognized by Best Lawyers.

Michael T. McConnell Named 2025 Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" in the Denver Area.

August 21, 2024 -- McConnell Van Pelt, LLC attorney Michael T. McConnell was recently recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2025 "Lawyer of the Year" for Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law and Litigation - Health Care in Denver.

Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the "Lawyer of the Year," making this a significant and coveted accolade. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer review assessments.

Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.

In addition to the "Lawyer of the Year" award, Michael T. McConnell was also listed in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® in the following practice areas:

• Appellate Practice

• Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Litigation - Insurance

• Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

• Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

For more than four decades, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the lawyers best qualified to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Lawyers are not required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, recognition by Best Lawyers is considered a singular distinction.

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About Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected lawyer ranking service in the world. For 40 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the lawyers best qualified to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Best Lawyers awards are published in leading local, regional and national publications across the globe.

Lawyers who are nominated for consideration are voted on by currently recognized Best Lawyers working in the same practice area and located in the same geographic region. Our awards and recognitions are based purely on the feedback we receive from these top lawyers. Those who receive high peer reviews undergo a thorough verification process to make sure they are currently still in private practice. Only then can these top lawyers be recognized by Best Lawyers.

4 McConnell Van Pelt, LLC Lawyers Recognized as Best Lawyers® Award Recipients

August 21, 2024 -- McConnell Van Pelt, LLC is pleased to announce that 4 lawyers have been included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

"For more than 40 years, the rigorous methodology of Best Lawyers has ensured the integrity and esteem of our legal recognitions," said Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer. "It is with great pleasure that we continue to provide potential clients with the pinnacle measurement of credibility through our Best Lawyers awards as they search for counsel."

Best Lawyers has earned the respect of the profession, the media and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in more than 75 countries.

Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.

McConnell Van Pelt, LLC would like to congratulate the following lawyers named to 2025 The Best Lawyers in America list:

• Jonathan J. Corrigan - Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Michael T. McConnell - Appellate Practice, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Health Care, Litigation - Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Robert W. Steinmetz - Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Insurance, and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

• Traci L. Van Pelt - Health Care Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Health Care, Litigation - Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

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About Best Lawyers

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected lawyer ranking service in the world. For 40 years, Best Lawyers has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the lawyers best qualified to represent them in distant jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. Best Lawyers awards are published in leading local, regional and national publications across the globe.

Lawyers who are nominated for consideration are voted on by currently recognized Best Lawyers working in the same practice area and located in the same geographic region. Our awards and recognitions are based purely on the feedback we receive from these top lawyers. Those who receive high peer reviews undergo a thorough verification process to make sure they are currently still in private practice. Only then can these top lawyers be recognized by Best Lawyers.

McConnell Van Pelt, LLC Ranked in 2022 "Best Law Firms"

U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®, for the 12th consecutive year, announce the U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" rankings.

McConnell Van Pelt, LLC has been ranked in the 2022 U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list regionally in 8 practice areas.

Firms included in the 2022 U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

The 2022 edition of U.S. News - Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms"; includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 metropolitan - based practice areas. Additionally, one "Law Firm of the Year" was named in each nationally-ranked practice area.

Ranked firms, presented in tiers, are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.

McConnell Van Pelt, LLC received the following rankings in the 2022 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms":

• Regional Tier 1

  • Colorado

    • Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law

    • Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants

    • Litigation - Health Care

    • Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants

    • Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Regional Tier 2

  • Colorado

    • Litigation - Insurance

• Regional Tier 3

  • Colorado

    • Appellate Practice

    • Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

3 McConnell Van Pelt, LLC Lawyers Named to 2022 Best Lawyers® List

McConnell Van Pelt, LLC is pleased to announce that 3 lawyers have been included in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

"Best Lawyers was founded in 1981 with the purpose of highlighting the extraordinary accomplishments of those in the legal profession," said Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer. "We are proud to continue to serve as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals worldwide."

Best Lawyers has earned the respect of the profession, the media and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 75 countries.

Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise, and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and in good standing.

McConnell Van Pelt, LLC would like to congratulate the following lawyers named to 2022 The Best Lawyers in America list:

• Michael T. McConnell - Appellate Practice, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Robert W. Steinmetz - Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants

• Traci L. Van Pelt - Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Health Care, and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants

MVP Announces Our Newest Partner

McConnell, Van Pelt LLC is proud to announce Jon Corrigan as the firm’s newest partner, effective July 1, 2021.

Mr. Corrigan’s practice focuses primarily on the defense of professional negligence claims and complex civil litigation, with an emphasis on defending healthcare and legal professionals. He has defended civil claims against a variety of professionals and also represents individuals in disciplinary proceedings and licensing matters.

“I’m honored to join the talented partners at McConnel Van Pelt, LLC and look forward to continuing the firm’s tradition of successfully defending professionals.”