McManis Faulkner partners James McManis, William Faulkner, Elizabeth Pipkin, and Tyler Atkinson have been recognized by The Best Lawyers in 2025©. Additionally, partners Abimael “A.J.” Bastida and Hilary Weddell were recognized among the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch 2025.
McManis has been recognized by Best Lawyers for 29 consecutive years. He is included in the “Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Criminal Defense: White-Collar; Litigation – First Amendment; Litigation – Intellectual Property; and Litigation – Municipal” categories. A member of the trial bar for more than 50 years, McManis represents individuals in a wide variety of matters, including civil rights actions, employment disputes, family law and criminal defense. McManis earned his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (1967) and his B.A. in History, with Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University (1964).
Recognized for 18 consecutive years, Faulkner was honored in the following categories: “Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Intellectual Property; Litigation – Real Estate; and Litigation – Trusts & Estates.” Faulkner leads the firm’s business-oriented practices and handles complex civil litigation, including business disputes, commercial real estate matters and probate litigation. He represents a wide range of businesses and advises on corporate and partnership matters. Faulkner earned his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (1978) and his B.A. in Sociology from Stanford University (1973).
In her second consecutive appearance on the list, Pipkin was recognized in the “Commercial Litigation” category. Leading McManis Faulkner’s civil trial team and the affairs none film, managing partner, Pipkin represents companies and individuals in a wide range of disputes, including those involving technology, trade secrets, complex commercial issues and civil rights matters. She is a past president of the Board of Trustees for the Silicon Valley Law Foundation, received her J.D. from Harvard Law School (2001) and her B.A. from Brigham Young University (1998).
Making his second appearance on the list, Atkinson was recognized in the “Commercial Litigation” category. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in civil cases, public entity litigation, and high-stakes disputes, and his clients range from individuals and closely held businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Atkinson received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame Law School (2008) and his B.A., with honors, from the University of California, Santa Cruz (2005).
First named to the “Ones to Watch” list in 2023, Bastida was recognized in the “Commercial Litigation” and “Litigation – Labor and Employment” categories. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in business, criminal and employment-related disputes. Bastida also has experience with civil rights, probate and trust litigation and representing high-level executives in white-collar matters. He earned his J.D. (2014) with a High Tech Law Certificate and his B.S. in Engineering (2011) from Santa Clara University.
Her second appearance on the “Ones to Watch” list, Weddell was recognized in the “Civil Rights Law” and “Commercial Litigation” categories. Weddell represents individuals and companies in civil matters, including contract and employment disputes, business torts, fraud, commercial real estate actions, class actions, and shareholder and partnership disputes. She also has extensive experience in employment litigation. Weddell earned her J.D., cum laude, from Boston College Law School (2013) and her B.S. from San Jose State University (2008).
About Best Lawyers (provided by Best Lawyers)
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers recognitions are compiled based on an exhaustive Purely Peer Review® evaluation. For the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, more than 23 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 80,000 leading lawyers included in the milestone 31st edition. For the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, more than 4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 27,000 lawyers honored in the new edition.