In judging the 2019 Litigation Department of the Year contest, several law firms stood out as contenders but ultimately fell just short of the finalists. These 11 firms merited special consideration as honorable mentions.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld

Akin Gump brought relief to hospitals and health care providers across the country when it convinced the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a D.C. Circuit decision invalidating the Department of Health and Human Services’ attempt to reduce Medicare payments and achieved a $200 million settlement in the contentious Tribune trust litigation. The firm earned a full retraction and apology from Alex Jones in a defamation suit brought by Chobani, guided Vizio through a data privacy class action and, in another visit to the Supreme Court, protected the land and economic security of the Gun Lake Tribe.

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer