So who are the best TCPA lawyers in the nation?
Time to set the record straight.
For years now TCPAWorld.com has been breaking down the most powerful TCPA plaintiff’s attorneys in the country. But given the massive increase in TCPA filings lately it is clear people need assistance finding the best TCPA defense lawyers in the nation.
Choosing the wrong lawyer to handle a TCPA matter can be absolutely devastating. Literally the worst decision a business can make given the incredibly-high stakes in these cases.
Yet currently many companies are either just trusting a generalist litigator to assist them in TCPA class litigation or relying on a big law firm partner to refer them to someone else at the firm who supposedly has “experience” handling these cases. The results have been absolutely devastating for company after company as they get crushed and the Plaintiff’s bar grows richer and richer.
It is critical to understand that the TCPA is not like other statutes and TCPA litigation is not like other litigation. The stakes are much higher, the issues more complex, the law faster changing, and the Plaintiff’s attorneys are better staffed, equipped, and more capable than in any other area of law. Period.
Stated simply–there is so much money in TCPA litigation that it attracts the best and most powerful plaintiff-side lawyers in the nation. As a result hiring just any old attorney to represent you in a TCPA class action can truly result in catastrophe.
Indeed, most TCPA class actions carry billions in potential exposure– and with personal liability on the table, business owners face the potential for bankruptcy every time a new TCPA class action is filed.
And, unfortunately, many firms now claim to have TCPA experience despite handling only a tiny fraction of the cases of the law firms on this list. And since the state bars let so-called “big law” firms recommend less-experienced partners at their firms to their clients and take a cut of the resulting revenue– a plain conflict of interest– the plaintiff’s bar continues to mint money on the mistakes of lawyers that should never be handling these cases to begin with.
All of this is just my opinion, of course, but I have been handling almost nothing but TCPA class litigation for 15 years now. I have successfully defensed over 700 nationwide class actions. I have read thousands of cases as they were handed down. Followed every FCC and Congressional development in this space. Written thousands of articles and participated in hundreds of podcasts, webinars and speaking gigs on the subject of TCPA and telecom law.
In short, I am the most highly qualified TCPA attorney on the planet. And also, therefore, uniquely qualified to opine on who the other best TCPA defense attorneys might be.
In creating this list I primarily relied on my own knowledge and experience with the attorneys on this list–and more importantly, the attorneys not on this list. You can think of this list mostly as lawyers who have practiced in this area a long time and NOT done anything incredibly stupid. 🙂
I also relied upon input from the best Plaintiff’s lawyers in the nation. These folks are the ones most in the know in terms of day-to-day capabilities of TCPA defense lawyers. And they too had STRONG opinions on who should NOT make the list.
So if you are currently using a law firm who claims to be highly experienced in TCPA defense but they are not on this list there is a very good chance they’re not as capable as they claim. Sorry… not sorry.
While this is just a matter of opinion, I certainly would not recommend any firm that isn’t on this list unless cost is your primary object (there are a few smaller firms I would give a nod to because they’re cheaper but that’s the only reason). And, in truth, I wouldn’t actually recommend any firm out of the top 4.
Stated alternatively, the top four firms on the list are the top TCPA defense firms in the nation in my opinion. Firms 5-9 are very capable but if you’re looking for the best I just wouldn’t leave the top 4. Then again I am an elitist and only want the best. Maybe you’re different– but in TCPAWorld, you shouldn’t be.
Last, this list is of course just my OPINION. But, it is my firmly held and truthful opinion based upon my vast experience in this space. I would testify under oath that my BELIEF that this list is sound– but you should ALWAYS conduct your own investigation and not just trust a blog for something as important as hiring an attorney, no matter how credible the author of that blog may be.
So now… on to the list!
No. 10– Aaron Weiss, Carlton Fields
Known as the “Emperor of Florida” Aaron has been doing TCPA litigation almost as long as I have. The guy is encyclopedic on Florida TCPA litigation and knows all the nerdy doctrines inside and out. He is absolutely brilliant and a kind and thoughtful man as well.
If you are facing litigation in Florida and can’t retain Troutman Amin, LLP for some reason you should definitely give Aaron a look.
That said, his firm generally lacks the firepower of the of the firms up the list– again, just my opinion– so think of Aaron as a finesse play. Somebody who’s counsel you can trust and who may serve as an excellent addition to a team that includes other lawyers.
No. 9– Paul Heeringa, Manatt
Not long ago Manatt would have been a shoe in for the fifth spot on this list–maybe even the fourth– but with the incredible Christine Reilly largely winding down her practice the firm has taken a tumble.
Still the Plaintiff’s attorneys I have spoken to hold Paul in particularly high regard and several commented that Paul simply “had” to make the list. I agree.
I will say Manatt has had some rough patches in some sizable cases recently. Then again, if you’re not taking big swings in tough cases you don’t belong on this list, now do you? Either way, do your research folks.
No. 8– Chad Fuller and Virginia Flynn at Troutman Pepper Locke Lord and Whoever
So this is where my bias is showing.
I personally love Chad and Virginia. They are my favorite people on this list, as people. Just kooky and fun and thoughtful and have that childlike “make it look easy” vibe that I so enjoy. Plus they are incredibly experienced, very capable and have great resources around them.
But, surprisingly none of the Plaintiff’s lawyers I talked to mentioned them among the best TCPA defense firms in the nation. I found this just stunning because I really do view them as near peers (and that’s a huge compliment from the peerless Czar.)
The only other knock on using these guys is that they’re at the “lesser” Troutman firm, and people get confused by the firm using my name and that annoys me. Maybe one day this dynamic duo will join a certain other dynamic duo and forces will be joined. For now though– number 8.
No. 7– Ian Ross–Sidley
This is a name I didn’t expect to show up on my list as I haven’t seen much needle moving out of this firm. But the Plaintiff’s bar crows about this guy– someone called him “Eric Troutman, light” which has to be one of the biggest compliments that I can imagine.
Brilliant, experienced, and with the powerful Sidley nameplate backing him, Ian is a player for sure. Still he is pretty early on in his TCPA journey and I am not convinced Sidley is really backing him up with resources (I could be wrong, this is an “outside looking in” perspective.) But he is definitely turning heads and shaking things up. Look for him to rise in future rankings.
No. 6– Paul Rosenthal — Faegre
Another genuinely wonderful person, Paul is as kind and measured as he is brilliant. And he is plenty brilliant. Very experienced and has delivered consistently solid results.
As with Aaron, his firm doesn’t pack quite the punch of others on this list– sorry, not sorry but also just my opinion– but Paul himself personally is good enough to land Faegre at the 7 spot.
Paul has bounced around a lot lately but he says Faegre will be his home for good now. Let’s see if they can build around him and really put themselves in the top tier in future rankings.
No. 5– Becca Wahlquist –Kelley Drye & Warren
Kelley Drye has been there from the start, and I respect that.
They never quite had the guns to pull off what the Czar was able to in building out big litigation teams to fight off the hardest-hitting Plaintiff’s lawyers, but Kelley Drye has followed every development and really focused on TCPA compliance and regulatory work at the highest level for years. I really respect them.
While Kelley Drye has a very strong team it is Becca uniquely who stood out to the Plaintiff’s lawyers I talked to and I have a ton of respect for her as well. Within Christine and Tonia now essentially out of the game, Becca stands at that top tier level for lady TCPA litigators alongside Puja and Meredith (we’ll get to them.)
For compliance work if you can’t hire someone in the top 3, I think Kelley Drye is your spot. Really good bunch.
TOP TIER
Now we get to the top four TCPA firms in the nation. As I already mentioned if you can afford to have one of these four on your side– and I think you probably can– I say do it!
No. 4– Ryan Watstein– Watstein Terepka
If there is one firm out there that innovates as well and litigates as hard as Troutman Amin, LLP it has to be Watstein. They have posted great first-in-the-nation wins and have a reputation for litigating hard and smart.
I have known Ryan for a while and use his firm to assist us in Georgia matters. But make no mistake, althogh they are great as local counsel but they are also top-tier lead counsel level talent to be sure.
In fact Ryan’s team is so good a client recently consulted with me for a second opinion about switching from Watstein, but perceiving no flaw in the work Watstein had performed o the case I told the client to stay with his firm as they’d done a great job– and that is literally the highest compliment you can imagine coming from the Czar.
Plus, the Plaintiff’s bar raves/hates/loves this guy. Every single Plaintiff’s lawyer I talked to had an opinion on Ryan. And that is incredibly telling. He is in there mixing it up, causing trouble and earning respect. Including mine.
No. 3– Amy Brown Doolittle, Paul Besozzi and Petrina McDaniel– Squire Patton Boggs
The Czar famously was equity partner at Squire and helped lead an incredible team of TCPA complex class action litigators at the firm before founding Troutman Amin, LLP.
The legacy of the Czar’s time there lives on with a huge resource library of briefs and a committed team of TCPA attorneys under the tutelage of to of the best complex litigators on the planet in Amy and Petrina.
Importantly Squire has a ton of lawyers that handle TCPA litigation but also a world-class privacy team (Alan Friel, Kristin Bryan and company) that really help Squire to be a 360 degree resource for clients with TCPA, telecom and privacy needs. Plus they’re a big firm with a heart. Very classy bunch. Very sincere
And Paul!!!!! He is an absolute wonder. I could fill a page saying good things about this guy. His commitment to the firm’s clients is legendary. His experience and knowledge is unmatched. The guy is a legend. He is moving toward retirement now but he will always be “the Baron” to me. Love that guy. If you ever have the chance to work with him DO IT!!!!!
No. 2– Meredith Slawe and Michael McTigue– Skadden Arps
In any other TCPA universe Michael McTigue would be the runaway alpha predator of the TCPA world. He is an other-worldly monster of TCPA experience and has joined an absolutely world-class litigation team at Skadden. Plus he has the brilliant, talented, and lovely Meredith Slawe at his side– so he has really figured this whole “live well and kill constantly” thing you have to master to thrive in the TCPAWorld.
Unfortunately for Mike, he lives in THIS TCPA universe, and in this timeline there can only ever be one Czar. 😉
But in seriousness, the team at Skadden is absolutely otherworldly. And it just shows the INTELLIGENCE of the firm to invest in a team like Mike and Meredith– bringing them in for a huge sum of money because they understood how important TCPA litigation really is. Skadden, of course, is absolutely top tier amongst big law firms and with INSANE talent like Shay Dvoretzky backing these guys up the Skadden team is an absolute BEAST.
If you can’t hire the number 1 firm, Skadden should be your next call.
No. 1– Puja J. Amin, Eric J. Troutman, Brittany Andres, Tori Guidry, Jenniffer Cabrera– Troutman Amin, LLP
I mean, look, obviously Troutman Amin, LLP was going to be number one on this list. The firm’s slogan is “Deserve to Win” and when you consider this is an entire firm built around TCPA, telecom and privacy litigation– with thousands of hours of development hours, training, and education devoted to assuring that every member of the team is up-to-date on absolutely every nuance of the law– its easy to understand what that means.
When you really want to make sure you win–and in TCPAWorld, there is nothing else you should be thinking about– Troutman Amin, LLP is the firm to get it done. Period.
Obviously nobody can guarantee any result in litigation, but nobody has handled more TCPA litigation than the Czar. Nobody has more first-in-the-nation results. Nobody has more wins. Nobody has more respect. And nobody has lived in the collective imaginations of the entire Plaintiff’s bar longer than Eric J. Troutman.
Plus the firm does more than just litigation– it is a comprehensive ally for all things TCPA, including the greatest compliance team in the nation lead by one of the best known compliance lawyers in the country– Puja J. Amin. With former inhouse attorneys from companies like loanDepot, Lending Tree and Consumer Affairs these are people who really know the insides and outs of TCPA from an inhouse perspective.
So is there a bit of bias in this ranking? Probably. I mean I am a named partner at the firm. But, again, I sincerely believe from the bottom of my heart that Troutman Amin, LLP is the greatest TCPA defense firm on the planet. And I work harder than anyone in the nation to make sure that stays true, day in day out.
So there you go folks. Your 2025 Top TCPA Defense Firm Rankings!
What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Have thoughts on next year’s list? Shoot them to me via email and congrats to all of those who found themselves on the list this year!
And if YOU are using a big law firm that is NOT on this list… tsk tsk.
But no worries, now is a great time to upgrade to Troutman Amin, LLP for the same hourly cost!
Chat soon.
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