Erise IP shareholder Jennifer Bailey has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® — for both Intellectual Property Litigation and Patent Law in Kansas — with shareholder Cheryl Burbach earning the same distinction for Trademark Law. Only one lawyer in each practice area and community receives the honor, making Erise home to two of Kansas’s Lawyer of the Year awards this cycle.
In all, twelve Erise attorneys were recognized across The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America — the firm’s strongest showing to date and a mark of the depth Erise has built on both the litigation and prosecution sides of its IP practice.
Now in its 33rd year, Best Lawyers determined the 2027 rankings through 3.8 million peer evaluations submitted by more than 32,000 lawyers. Roughly 5% of practicing attorneys in the market earn the distinction. Ones to Watch, now in its seventh edition, recognizes attorneys typically five to nine years into their careers — about 2% of early-career attorneys nationwide.
Erise attorneys named to The Best Lawyers in America include:
Carrie Bader — Kansas (Copyright Law, Patent Law, and Trademark Law) Jennifer Bailey — Kansas (Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, and Patent Law) Cheryl Burbach — Kansas (Copyright Law, Intellectual Property Litigation, Trade Secrets Law, and Trademark Law) Eric Buresh — Kansas (Intellectual Property Litigation and Patent Litigation) Abran Kean — Colorado (Intellectual Property Litigation) Michelle Marriott — Kansas (Intellectual Property Litigation) Adam Seitz — Kansas (Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, and Patent Law)
Erise attorneys named to Best Lawyers Ones to Watch include:
Clifford Brazen — Kansas (Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, and Patent Law) Christina Canino — Colorado (Intellectual Property Law, Intellectual Property Litigation, and Patent Litigation) Hunter Horton — Kansas (Intellectual Property Law and Patent Law) Lydia Raw — Kansas (Intellectual Property Law and Intellectual Property Litigation) Chris Schmidt — Kansas (Intellectual Property Law) Best Lawyers is based solely on peer review; lawyers earn recognition from feedback from their peers in the legal community. Every honoree is first nominated by someone other than the attorney under consideration, then evaluated confidentially by currently recognized lawyers in the same practice area and region. More information on the methodology is available here.
