Brendan Lupetin Named 2026 “Lawyer of the Year”
For Personal Injury Litigation in Pittsburgh by Best Lawyers
What This Award Means for Injured Patients and Families Across Pennsylvania
Brendan B. Lupetin, managing partner of Lupetin & Unatin, LLC in Pittsburgh, has been named the 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs in Pittsburgh by Best Lawyers in America®. This distinction is awarded to only one attorney per practice area, per metropolitan area, per year—making it the most selective peer-reviewed honor in the legal profession. For individuals and families across Pennsylvania who have been harmed by medical negligence, catastrophic accidents, or wrongful death, this recognition confirms what courtroom results have demonstrated for nearly two decades: Brendan Lupetin is among the most accomplished personal injury trial lawyers practicing in the Commonwealth today.
Key Takeaways
- 2026 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” – Personal Injury Litigation (Plaintiffs), Pittsburgh. Only one attorney receives this designation per practice area per city per year. The award is based entirely on peer review—other lawyers vote for the attorney they consider the best.
- Recognized in Best Lawyers in America® continuously since 2018. Brendan has been listed every year since his initial inclusion, reflecting sustained excellence rather than a single standout year.
- Nearly 50 jury trials to verdict over the course of his career. Unlike many personal injury attorneys who settle every case, Brendan has tried cases to verdict in courtrooms across Pennsylvania, including multiple record-setting outcomes.
- Multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements in medical malpractice, brain injury, and catastrophic personal injury cases. Highlights include a $10.83 million verdict for a patient who suffered brain damage during an MRI, a $13.5 million settlement for a child injured at birth, and a record-setting $7.25 million slip-and-fall verdict in Erie County.
- Member of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL). ACTL is an invitation-only fellowship limited to the top 1% of trial lawyers in the United States and Canada. Membership is widely considered the most prestigious honor a trial attorney can receive.
- Contingency fee representation—no cost unless we win. Lupetin & Unatin handles all personal injury and medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis, advancing all litigation costs on the client’s behalf.
What Is the Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” Award?
Best Lawyers in America® is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, established in 1983. Unlike directories that accept paid listings or self-nominations, Best Lawyers relies on a methodology built entirely on confidential peer evaluations. Lawyers are asked a straightforward question: If you couldn’t handle a case yourself, who would you refer it to? The attorneys who receive the highest number of nominations from their peers earn inclusion on the list.
The “Lawyer of the Year” designation takes this process one step further. From among all attorneys already recognized in Best Lawyers for a given practice area in a given city, only one attorney is selected for the “Lawyer of the Year” honor. The selection is based on the highest overall peer-review feedback in that specialty and market. There are no applications, no fees, and no way to buy the recognition. It is, by design, the award a lawyer cannot lobby for—which is precisely what makes it meaningful.
Brendan’s selection as the 2026 Lawyer of the Year for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs in Pittsburgh means that his fellow attorneys—including opposing counsel, judges who have presided over his cases, and lawyers across multiple practice areas—have identified him as the top practitioner in this field in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
Who Is Brendan Lupetin?
Background and Education
Brendan Lupetin is the son of a physician and a trauma counselor. He grew up understanding—from the dinner table—both the extraordinary good that medicine can do and the devastating consequences when it fails. After earning a scholarship to swim at the University of Pittsburgh, Brendan graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry in 2000. He initially considered medical school but chose the law instead, earning his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2005. That biochemistry background gives Brendan a scientific fluency that sets him apart in the courtroom—he speaks the language of medicine because he was trained in it before he ever entered a law school classroom.A Trial Lawyer by Practice and by Nature
Brendan has tried nearly 50 civil jury trials to verdict over the course of his career—a number that places him in rare company among plaintiffs’ attorneys of any generation. He started, as he openly acknowledges, by losing badly. His early career included roughly ten consecutive losses that he describes as “brutal.” Rather than retreat to desk-only settlement work, he doubled down on the craft, studying the methods of the nation’s best trial advocates, conducting empirical jury research with social scientists, and eventually building one of the most successful trial records in Western Pennsylvania. Today, his verdicts routinely far exceed the highest settlement offers made before trial. This pattern is not a coincidence—it reflects a lawyer who knows the value of a case, refuses to accept less than his clients deserve, and has the courtroom skills to prove it to twelve people in a jury box.Professional Memberships and Honors
Beyond the Best Lawyers designation, Brendan holds memberships in some of the most selective professional organizations in American trial law:- American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL): An invitation-only fellowship restricted to the top 1% of trial lawyers in the United States and Canada. Membership requires a sustained record of excellence in trial advocacy and is widely regarded as the highest honor a trial lawyer can receive.
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA): Brendan is one of only eleven attorneys in Western Pennsylvania invited to be an active member of ABOTA, a national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges dedicated to preserving the right to a civil jury trial.
- Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County: An invitation-only organization limited to 250 of the most exceptional civil trial lawyers in Allegheny County. Brendan was one of the youngest members ever admitted at the time of his 2011 induction.
- Pennsylvania Super Lawyers – Top 50 Pittsburgh, Top 100 Pennsylvania: Recognized as one of the top attorneys in the state through the Super Lawyers peer-nomination and research process, which identifies the top 5% of lawyers in each state.
- Named to VerdictSearch’s Top Pennsylvania Verdicts and Settlements: Brendan’s case results have been included in this annual report multiple times, a recognition based solely on the size and significance of courtroom outcomes.
What Has Brendan Lupetin Achieved for His Clients?
Awards and memberships matter because they reflect peer recognition. But for injured patients and families, what matters most is results. The following are representative outcomes achieved by Brendan Lupetin and his team at Lupetin & Unatin:| Case Description | Result |
|---|---|
| Patient suffered permanent brain damage during an MRI at Tyrone Hospital due to an unmanaged allergic reaction. The hospital’s own safety protocols were not followed. (Pre-trial offer: $3 million.) | $10.83 million jury verdict — the largest personal injury verdict in Pennsylvania for 2020. |
| Child suffered catastrophic brain injuries at birth due to negligent medical care during a late-term pregnancy procedure at a Western Pennsylvania hospital. | $13.5 million settlement. |
| Dr. David Irwin, former Chief of Pain Management at UPMC Hamot, suffered career-ending back and shoulder injuries after slipping on snow-covered ice at the hospital’s surgery center. | $7.25 million jury verdict — believed to be the largest slip-and-fall verdict in Erie County history. |
| Vascular surgeon negligently delayed surgical treatment for a patient suffering from critical limb ischemia, resulting in an above-the-knee amputation. (Pre-trial offer: $125,000.) | $2.2 million jury verdict — one of the largest verdicts in the history of Indiana County. |
| Woman suffered a bile duct injury during a botched gallbladder removal surgery, resulting in permanent damage to her biliary system and liver. (Pre-trial offer: $0.) | $2.1 million jury verdict — the largest reported jury verdict in Western Pennsylvania for a slip-and-fall. |
| 77-year-old woman suffered a severe concussion and inner ear injury in a rear-end collision, ending her ability to continue working. (Pre-trial offer: $75,000.) | $900,000 jury verdict (entirely pain and suffering damages). |
Note: Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is evaluated on its own facts.
What Does This Award Mean If You’ve Been Injured?
If you or a loved one has been harmed by medical negligence, a defective product, a catastrophic accident, or any other act of carelessness, the choice of attorney is the single most consequential decision you will make. The difference between a lawyer who settles every case and a lawyer who has tried nearly 50 cases to verdict is not abstract—it is measured in the compensation you receive and the accountability you achieve.
The Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” designation tells you something that no amount of advertising can: the other lawyers in Pittsburgh—the people who see Brendan’s work up close, across the table, and in the courtroom—have identified him as the best at what he does. That peer recognition, combined with a two-decade track record of record-setting verdicts and life-changing settlements, means that when you retain Lupetin & Unatin, you are hiring a legal team that hospitals, insurance companies, and defense attorneys take seriously from the moment the case is filed.
Medical Malpractice
Lupetin & Unatin is a boutique firm that focuses its practice on medical malpractice and catastrophic personal injury. The firm has successfully represented hundreds of individuals against Western Pennsylvania’s largest hospitals and healthcare systems. Brendan’s biochemistry background, combined with the firm’s practice of employing both attorneys and medical professionals on staff, gives Lupetin & Unatin a clinical fluency that larger, generalist firms simply cannot match. Cases include delayed cancer diagnoses, surgical errors, birth injuries, brain injuries, wrongful death, and hospital negligence including premature discharge and medication errors.
Catastrophic Personal Injury
Beyond medical malpractice, Brendan and his team handle cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, product liability, motor vehicle accidents, and premises liability. The common thread is catastrophic harm caused by someone else’s negligence—and the willingness to take those cases to trial when the responsible party refuses to offer fair compensation.
Wrongful Death
When a family has lost a loved one due to medical negligence or another preventable tragedy, Lupetin & Unatin represents the surviving family with the compassion and legal firepower the case demands. Brendan’s background as the son of a trauma counselor informs his approach to these cases—he understands that grieving families need both a fierce advocate and a human being who genuinely cares about their loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most legal directories accept paid listings or self-nominations. Best Lawyers does neither. The “Lawyer of the Year” designation is based entirely on confidential peer evaluations from other attorneys, and only one attorney per practice area per city per year receives it. There is no application process and no way to purchase the honor. It is the most selective peer-reviewed recognition in the American legal profession.
The American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) is an invitation-only fellowship limited to the top 1% of trial lawyers in the United States and Canada. Candidates are nominated by existing Fellows, vetted through an extensive investigation of their trial record and professional reputation, and voted on by the membership. ACTL Fellowship is widely considered the most prestigious professional honor a trial lawyer can receive. Brendan’s membership confirms that his trial skills have been evaluated and validated by the most accomplished trial lawyers in North America.
Brendan has tried nearly 50 cases to jury verdict—and he continues to try cases actively. His trial record is what gives the firm its leverage in settlement negotiations: hospitals and insurance companies know that Brendan will take the case to trial if they do not offer fair compensation. In multiple cases, his jury verdicts have exceeded the pre-trial settlement offers by multiples of five, ten, or even twenty times.
Lupetin & Unatin handles every personal injury and medical malpractice case on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing out of pocket. No retainer. No hourly billing. The firm advances all costs—including expert witnesses, medical records, court filings, and every other litigation expense. You only pay a fee if and when the firm recovers compensation on your behalf.
Absolutely. Many of the firm’s most significant cases began with a phone call from someone who wasn’t sure they had a claim. The initial consultation at Lupetin & Unatin is free and confidential. Brendan and his team will review the facts, explain whether you have a viable case, and—if you do—outline exactly what the path forward looks like. There is no obligation and no pressure. If the firm takes your case, it means they believe in it and are willing to invest their own resources to pursue it.
Contact Lupetin & Unatin for a Confidential Case Review
The 2026 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” designation is a recognition of what Brendan Lupetin’s clients and colleagues have known for years: he is one of the most skilled, dedicated, and effective personal injury trial lawyers in Pennsylvania. But awards are only as meaningful as the outcomes they reflect—and Brendan’s outcomes speak for themselves.
If you or someone you love has been injured by medical negligence, a catastrophic accident, or any act of carelessness, you deserve a legal team with the expertise, the trial record, and the willingness to fight for the full value of your case.
Contact Lupetin & Unatin for a confidential case review. We specialize in personal injury and complex medical negligence in Pittsburgh and across Pennsylvania.
Free Consultation — No Fee Unless We Win
The 2026 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” designation is a recognition of what Brendan Lupetin’s clients and colleagues have known for years: he is one of the most skilled, dedicated, and effective personal injury trial lawyers in Pennsylvania. But awards are only as meaningful as the outcomes they reflect—and Brendan’s outcomes speak for themselves.
If you or someone you love has been injured by medical negligence, a catastrophic accident, or any act of carelessness, you deserve a legal team with the expertise, the trial record, and the willingness to fight for the full value of your case.