In its second annual Best Law Firms rankings released today, U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers announced that Leonard, Street and Deinard has again ranked among the top law firms in the nation and in Minnesota.

The rankings, determined through national surveys of Fortune 1000 companies and leading lawyers, showcase nearly 9,000 different law firms ranked in one or more of 81 major practice areas.

At the national level, two of the firm’s practices, Land Use & Zoning Law and Litigation–Trusts & Estates, ranked in Tier 2. Two other practices, Commercial Litigation and Litigation–Labor & Employment, ranked in Tier 3.

At the Minneapolis metropolitan level, 29 of the firm’s practice groups earned a Tier 1 ranking:

• Banking and Finance Law
• Commercial Litigation
• Construction Law
• Corporate Law
• Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
• Energy Law
• Environmental Law
• Ethics and Professional Responsibility Law
• Information Technology Law
• Insurance Law
• Land Use & Zoning Law
• Litigation–Banking & Finance
• Litigation–Construction
• Litigation Eminent Domain & Condemnation
• Litigation–Intellectual Property
• Litigation–Labor & Employment
• Litigation–Real Estate
• Litigation–Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
• Litigation–Securities
• Litigation–Trusts & Estates
• Mining Law
• Nonprofit/Charities Law
• Personal Injury Litigation–Defendants
• Product Liability Litigation–Defendants
• Product Liability Litigation–Plaintiffs
• Professional Malpractice Law–Defendants
• Real Estate Law
• Tax Law
• Trusts & Estates Law

In Southern Minnesota, two of the firm’s practice groups earned a Tier 1 ranking:

• Criminal Defense: White Collar–Governmental Investigations
• Criminal Defense: White Collar–Litigation

In Minneapolis, 13 of the firm’s practice groups earned Tier 2 rankings:

• Administrative/Regulatory Law
• Arbitration
• Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights /Insolvency and Reorganization Law
• Employment Law–Management
• Financial Services Regulation Law
• Labor Law - Management
• Legal Malpractice Law–Defendants
• Litigation–Antitrust
• Litigation–Bankruptcy
• Litigation–Environmental
• Litigation–Land Use & Zoning
• Mediation
• Securities/Capital Markets Law

And, also in Minneapolis, the firm’s Litigation–Patent practice earned a Tier 3 ranking.