To commemorate Lawdragon’s 10th anniversary, we are recognizing the 50 lawyers who have made the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America list each year it has been published. The Legends are a dazzling array of law firm leaders, plaintiff icons, Supreme Court justices, corporate counsel and public interest attorneys. What we find most remarkable about this group is how representative it is of justice in America today. And, it’s important to note, it’s more of a barometer for who is on it than who’s not. Because of the rules of the Lawdragon 500, many standout lawyers who are the measure of those featured here are missing – because they were not principally engaged in the practice law for one or more of the past 10 years, are in a region or practice that cooled, or simply fell off our radar for a few years.
And a lot has happened since 2005 – to make the list then, a lawyer would have to have emerged as a star very early on (and, to stay on for those well into their prime is also a feat given how little quarter we award for seniority). When we began publishing, George Bush was president, Hurricane Katrina had not yet hit, and William Rehnquist was Chief Justice. It’s been a wild first 10 years, and we’re extraordinarily proud to feature the 50 lawyers who have been there every step of the way.
Kevin Arquit
Simpson Thacher - New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
One of the most accomplished antitrust lawyers ever and a model for public service and professionalism.
Max Berger
Bernstein Litowitz - New York (Photo by Greg Endries)
The renowned leader of the nation's top plaintiff securities litigation practice brought accountability for corporate greed and financial malfeasance.
Martha Bergmark
Voices for Civil Justice - Washington, D.C. (Photo by Thomas Beck)
Few attorneys in the country are as admired as her for her commitment to public interest, at the Mississippi Center for Justice and beyond.
David Boies
Boies Schiller - New York (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser)
All the accolades and praise over the years never seem to fully capture this litigation giant's talent, vision and dedication.
Brad Brian
Munger Tolles - Los Angeles (Photo by Amy Cantrell)
A creative and intimidating force in the courtroom when it comes to bet-the-company cases.
Elizabeth Cabraser
Lieff Cabraser - San Francisco (Photo by Hugh Williams)
She's amassed an incredible track record of litigation on behalf of plaintiffs seeking redress for corporate wrongdoing.
Evan Chesler
Cravath - New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
The chairman of the nation's most elite firm is as revered a litigator as any in the country.
Richard Clary
Cravath - New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
He has a permanent place on the short list for banks and corporations facing their most difficult cases.
Richard Climan
Weil Gotshal - Redwood Shores, Calif. (Photo by Stephen Lam)
A Silicon Valley power-player with an envious pipeline of deals and connections to corporate counsel.
Thomas Demetrio
Corboy & Demetrio - Chicago (Photo by Michelle Nolan)
The dean of the Chicago trial bar has been a zealous advocate for plaintiffs for four decades.
Bob Denham
Munger Tolles - Los Angeles (Photo by Hugh Williams)
The consummate M&A advisor is the trusted right-hand man of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway when it comes to making deals.
Tom Girardi
Girardi | Keese - Los Angeles (Photo by Hugh Williams)
An icon of the plaintiffs' bar, Girardi has been making history with his cases on behalf of victims for 50 years.
Marcia Goldstein
Weil Gotshal - New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
Goldstein has lent her highly trusted guidance to many of the largest restructurings around the world over the past 35 years.
Kris Heinzelman
Cravath - New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
Year after year, the chair of Cravath's securities practice has been at the top of the list for corporate finance transactions.
Russ Herman
Herman Herman - New Orleans (Photo by Sara Essex Bradley)
The legend of the Bayou is the top plaintiff-side litigator in New Orleans for everything from tobacco and Vioxx to Chinese drywall and other massive cases.
Brad Karp
Paul Weiss - New York (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser)
This driven star is the litigator of choice for the NFL and Citigroup while leading Paul Weiss into ultra-elite status.
David Katz
Wachtell Lipton - New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
A true master of the M&A and corporate governance worlds with many billions of dollars in complex deals to his credit.
Anthony Kennedy
U.S. Supreme Court - Washington, D.C. (Photo by American Bar Association)
Kennedy is the master of the High Court he has served for 28 years, and the author of Obergefell and other rulings that define our country.
Tom Kline
Kline & Specter - Philadelphia (Photo by Andrew Kahl)
An unstoppable force for injured parties, Philadelphia's top plaintiff lawyer has an unsurpassed record of multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements.
Walter Lack
Engstrom Lipscomb
The founder of his storied firm has been among a small group of fearless and creative litigators that corporations fear most.
William Lee
WilmerHale - Boston (Photo by Ken Richardson)
Lee is considered the preeminent intellectual property litigator of his generation, and was the first Asian-American leader of a major U.S. law firm.
Andrew Levander
Dechert - New York (Photo by Greg Endries)
The former federal prosecutor made his first High Court argument at 25 and is one of the most sought-after white-collar and securities defenders.
Judith Livingston
Kramer Dillof - New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
This fearless litigator is a trailblazer with more than 30 trials with verdicts in excess of $1 million on behalf of injured plaintiffs.
Greg Markel
Cadwalader - New York (Photo by Greg Endries)
Always among the busiest and most respected practitioners in the upper echelons of the securities litigation defense bar.
Brian McCarthy
Skadden - Los Angeles (Photo by Hugh Williams)
The head of Skadden's Los Angeles office is the first choice for the biggest, most interesting L.A. deals.
William McLucas
WilmerHale (Washington, D.C.)
The sage former Direct of Enforcement for the SEC, McLucas is the attorney corporations turn to in their most threatening crises.
Thomas Moore
Kramer Dillof - New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
This veteran of the plaintiffs' bar is one of the best trial lawyers in the nation (alongside fellow Legend and spouse, Judith Livingston (above)).
Daniel Neff
Wachtell - New York (Photo by Laura Barisonzi)
A pillar of Wachtell's storied M&A team (and firm co-chair) brings a special touch to one of the very best track records of multibillion-dollar deals.
Thomas Nolan
Skadden - Los Angeles (Photo by Hugh Williams)
This powerhouse West Coast litigator brings a genial roar to help clients resolve their thorniest criminal or civil trials.
Ted Olson
Gibson Dunn - Washington, D.C. (Photo by Eli Meir Kaplan)
From Bush v. Gore to gay-marriage advocacy, this remarkable litigation force has been one of the most admired appellate lawyers in the nation.
Ronald Olson
Munger Tolles - Los Angeles (Photo provided by the firm)
This legendary litigator and leader of Munger Tolles is counsel of choice to Berkshire Hathaway and a champion of homeless LA veterans.
Wayne Outten
Outten & Golden - New York (Photo by Laura Barisonzi)
A specialist at representing corporate executives treated unfairly, he changed the workplace for millions with his visionary plaintiff employment firm.
Kathleen Flynn Peterson
Robins Kaplan - Minneapolis (Photo by Kelly Loverud)
This nurse turned her passion for helping others into a magnificent career advocating and winning millions for the sick and injured.
Aaron Podhurst
Podhurst Orseck - Miami (Photo by Josh Ritchie)
Mr. Miami is top shelf for the weightiest personal injury matters, an aviation litigation expert and unsurpassed at civic leadership.
John Quinn
Quinn Emanuel - Los Angeles (Photo by Dave Lauridsen)
This feisty litigator recreated Biglaw for the 21st century by playing big and winning bigger in the weightiest of IP and financial litigation wars.
John Roberts
U.S. Supreme Court - Washington, D.C. (Photo by Steve Petteway, U.S. Supreme Court)
Celebrating his 10th year as CJ, Roberts has defined his court's jurisprudence as quite political, mostly conservative and occasionally compassionate.
Kelli Sager
Davis Wright - Los Angeles (Photo by Dave Lauridsen)
Sager reinvented what it is to be a champion of the First Amendment in the digital age.
Gloria Santona
McDonald's Corp. - Oak Brook, Ill. (Photo by Michelle Nolan)
This steelworker's daughter scaled the ladder of the world's largest restaurant chain as a corporate governance expert.
Antonin Scalia
U.S. Supreme Court - Washington, D.C. (Photo from U.S. Supreme Court Collection)
He has anchored the originalist wing of the court since 1986, applying a remarkable intellect and passionate conservatism to his jurisprudence.
Brad Smith
Microsoft Corp. - Redmond, Wash. (Photo provided by Microsoft)
Want to know how Microsoft went from corporate pirate to mainstream power? Meet Mr. Smith, who's at the vanguard of leadership in tech and law.
Larry Sonsini
Wilson Sonsini - Palo Alto (Photo by Gregory Cowley)
The corporate wonderland now known as Silicon Valley owes much to this visionary lawyer, who's counseled HP, Apple and Google.
Myron Steele
Potter Anderson - Dover, Del. (Photo by Andrew Kahl)
The legendary Delaware Chief Justice is without peer in corporate governance ethics, penning 300+ opinions on business responsibilities.
Leo Strine
Delaware Supreme Court - Wilmington (Photo by Andrew Kahl)
Delaware's new Chief Justice earned his stripes with brilliant jurisprudence and teaching on the responsibilities of corporate governance.
Stephen Susman
Susman Godfrey - Houston (Photo by Greg Endries)
An iconic plaintiffs lawyer and founder of a hugely successful firm put the T in Texas with massive verdicts and a model of shared risk with clients.
John Tarantino
Adler Pollock - Providence (Photo provided by the firm)
Defining Rhode Island's motto of "Hope," Tarantino is on point for the state's most important issues, repping corporations as well as politicos and pro bono clients.
Seth Waxman
WilmerHale - Washington, D.C. (Photo by Hugh Williams)
An appellate impresario, Waxman served as Solicitor General and is top drawer for Scotus arguments for corporations and public interest.
Dan Webb
Winston & Strawn - Chicago (Photo by Hugh Williams)
Integrity is the middle name of this former prosecutor who gets the call when Corporate America is in turmoil or Ferguson, Mo. needs reform.
Ted Wells
Paul Weiss - New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
Gregarious and brilliant, Wells is tops for white-collar defense and financial litigation, and stands tall for the NFL in Deflategate.
John White
Cravath - New York (Photo by Laura Barisonzi)
The chair of the esteemed corporate governance group at Cravath knows his way around SEC regulations, having authored many of them.
Mary Jo White
SEC Chairwoman - Washington, D.C. (Photo by the SEC)
Brilliant and astute, White was the first female U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY, a noted Debevoise partner and now leads the SEC.
