Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman Earns Top Legal Awards and Recognitions in 2026

At Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman, we believe the best measure of a law firm is not its collection of awards — it is the outcomes it achieves for the injured people of New Jersey it serves. That said, awards do matter. They are an independent signal, verified by peers and leading legal organizations, that the attorneys at a firm are genuinely among the best at what they do. This year, our firm and its lawyers have once again earned recognition from some of the most respected institutions in the legal profession. Below is a summary of the awards and honors that Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman has won thus far in 2026, along with a look at how our firm ranks on the three top-rated attorney listing services in the country.

Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman has earned Best Law Firms recognition from Best Lawyers for 2026 in three categories: Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions for Plaintiffs, Medical Malpractice Law for Plaintiffs, and Personal Injury Litigation for Plaintiffs. The Best Law Firms rankings are awarded based on a rigorous process that combines client and attorney peer feedback, along with an assessment of a firm’s quality and depth. Being recognized across three of our primary practice areas reflects the Mazie Slater team’s strength across the board.

Many of the attorneys here at Mazie Slater Katz and Freeman have been selected by their peers as a few of the 2026 Top Lawyers in Essex County by Morris & Essex Magazine. The recognition is based on a peer-review survey of thousands of lawyers across Essex County. Attorneys were asked to nominate peers they considered best across dozens of specialties, and our firm had nine of the very few who made the final list. The complete list of selected attorneys is now live in the June 2026 issue of Morris & Essex Magazine. Here is the list of our attorneys who were recognized:

In addition to our attorneys being recognized in 2026, you can see our historical track record in Morris & Essex’s Top Lawyers in Essex County in both 2025 and 2024.

Our firm’s lawyers have once again been named to the Best Lawyers in America list for 2026, with David Mazie, Adam Slater, Eric Katz, David Freeman, David Estes, and Adam Epstein all recognized in both Personal Injury Litigation for Plaintiffs and Medical Malpractice Law for Plaintiffs. Additionally, Matthew Mendelsohn was also recognized in the Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions for Plaintiffs. The Best Lawyers in America selection process is based entirely on peer review — attorneys are evaluated by other practicing lawyers in their field, meaning this recognition is a direct reflection of how our lawyers are regarded by their peers in the legal community. Mazie Slater has had its lawyers on the Best Lawyers in America list every year since 2010.

For yet another year, four Mazie Slater attorneys — David Mazie, Adam Slater, Beth Baldinger, and Matthew Mendelsohn — have been named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list. Lawdragon is widely recognized as one of the most authoritative voices in legal rankings due to its independent research and peer-focused process, and its 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list represents a true national elite. Having four attorneys from a single New Jersey firm represented on this list is a distinction that sets Mazie Slater apart from virtually every other plaintiff’s firm in the state.

David Mazie, Adam Slater, Eric Katz, Adam Epstein, Matthew Mendelsohn, and David Estes were all named to the 2026 New Jersey Super Lawyers Top 100 list. Mr. Mazie specifically has earned this distinction every single year since Super Lawyers began publishing its New Jersey rankings 20 years ago. Super Lawyers selects only the top 5% of attorneys in the state through a rigorous multi-step process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and peer evaluations — meaning placement on this list is a direct reflection of how New Jersey’s legal community regards our firm’s lawyers as trial attorneys.

Partner Beth Baldinger has been selected to the 2026 Forbes Best-In-State Lawyer List — Forbes’ recognition of the finest private practice attorneys across all 50 states. Selection to this list follows a rigorous, multi-stage process of editorial research and evaluation. The Forbes Best-In-State Lawyers list for 2026 has not yet been published, but you can see our historical track record on the 2025 Forbes Best-In-State Lawyers list, where Beth Baldinger was previously recognized for her work in New Jersey.

Cory Rothbort and Trevor Dickson were both named on The Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for 2026. Super Lawyers Rising Stars includes the top 2.5% of up-and-coming attorneys in each state who are 40 or younger or have been in practice for 10 years or less. It uses a patented selection process that combines peer nominations, independent research, and evaluations to highlight high-performing early-career lawyers.

Beth Baldinger has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 NJAJ Gerald B. O’Connor Award, presented by the New Jersey Association for Justice. The Gerald B. O’Connor Award was created to honor the memory of a legendary trial lawyer who excelled in advocacy, professionalism, and the respect of his peers — and is awarded to attorneys who have demonstrated those same qualities throughout their own careers. The recognition reflects the esteem in which Ms. Baldinger is held by her peers, her adversaries, and her fellow NJAJ members.

Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman earned a place in the 2025 Best of New Jersey Law Journal survey in the Personal Injury Firm category. This reader-driven survey polls legal professionals and practitioners across New Jersey, making it a meaningful peer recognition. Plus, the 2026 Best of New Jersey Law Journal survey opens on July 6, 2026, and if you are a legal professional, you are eligible to vote!

Fewer than 3% of all licensed New Jersey attorneys hold the designation of New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney — a credential granted only after meeting strict requirements set by the New Jersey Supreme Court. Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman is home to five attorneys who hold this distinction: David Mazie, Adam Slater, Eric Katz, Matthew Mendelsohn, and Cory Rothbort. Having five certified civil trial attorneys at a single plaintiff’s firm in New Jersey is exceptionally rare, and it speaks directly to the depth of litigation skill our clients can access.

Another important indicator for success is how a law firm and its attorneys are rated by independent, third-party services. In 2026, the National Law Journal recognized the three top attorney rating services in America through its Best of 2026 survey in the Third-Party Legal Rating Service category. Each of these platforms has earned its place as a trusted resource that legal consumers and professionals rely on to evaluate attorneys and firms. Here is how Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman and its attorneys rank on each.

Chambers & Partners earned first place among all legal rating services in the National Law Journal’s 2026 Best of Third-Party Legal Rating Service survey. Chambers produces one of the most respected and research-intensive lawyer and firm directories in the world. On Chambers, Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman is ranked #1 in New Jersey for Litigation for Plaintiffs. That top-band ranking reflects Chambers’ methodology, which includes in-depth interviews with clients and peers, and is widely regarded as one of the most credible third-party assessments available in the legal industry.

Avvo and Martindale-Hubbell took second place in the National Law Journal’s 2026 Best of Third-Party Legal Rating Service survey. These two platforms are among the most widely consulted attorney directories in the country, used by millions of people searching for qualified legal representation. Managing Partner David Mazie holds 5-star ratings on both Avvo and Martindale-Hubbell and has maintained them for years. His ratings reflect the consistent feedback of clients and peers who have experienced his representation firsthand.

Super Lawyers ranked third in the National Law Journal’s 2026 Best of Third-Party Legal Rating Service survey. The Super Lawyers selection process is multi-step and rigorous, and only a small percentage of attorneys in any given state are ultimately selected as Super Lawyers. Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman’s lawyers have appeared on the Super Lawyers list every year since the publication began issuing its New Jersey list. Specifically, David Mazie has appeared on the New Jersey Super Lawyers Top 10 and Top 100 lists on multiple occasions, along with Adam Slater, who has also appeared on the Super Lawyers Top 100 list multiple times. In fact, Mr. Mazie received the number one ranking on the list — more than any other New Jersey trial lawyer — 3 seperate years.

When you are looking for an attorney to handle a personal injury, medical malpractice, or car accident case, you deserve to know you are putting your case in experienced, capable hands. Awards from organizations like Best Lawyers, Lawdragon, and Super Lawyers, along with high ratings on trusted third-party services like Chambers & Partners, Avvo, and Martindale-Hubbell, exist precisely to help people make that determination. These are not self-nominated honors — they require independent research, peer validation, and a sustained track record of results.

At Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman, our awards are a byproduct of the work we do for our clients every day. Our fight for the rights of injured New Jerseyans never stops — and neither do the results. We have recovered billions of dollars for injured New Jersey residents, including record-breaking verdicts of $166 million and $135 million. 

If you or a loved one has been injured and you are looking for an award-winning personal injury law firm in New Jersey, we would be honored to speak with you. Contact Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we win your case.