One of the best decisions we ever made at Lawdragon was launching “The Legends” guide in 2015, our 10th year anniversary. Each year, when making our final selections, it is painfully obvious how hard it is to make the Lawdragon 500 – which represents far less than one percent of all U.S. lawyers.
What, then, to say about the lawyers who have made our guide 10 times? The challenge is highlighted by this year’s tight-knit group. After 50 attorneys to initially make the inaugural guide, we added 41 last year and just 17 for this year. Whatever the size, it’s an astonishing group that represents the very best of the profession.
Scott Barshay
Paul Weiss – New York (Photo provided by the firm)
The global head of Paul Weiss’ M&A practice has worked on an incredible array of multibillion-dollar deals over his career, including Anheuser-Busch InBev’s $107B acquisition of SABMiller.
Scott Edelman
Milbank – New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
Many corporations and individuals trust their biggest cases to the steady Edelman, who wins case after case while also chairing his firm.
Jay Eisenhofer
Grant & Eisenhofer – New York (Photo by Hugh Williams)
It’s hard to find a more sought after plaintiffs’ litigator for complex securities and corporate governance matters. Over the years, Eisenhofer has brought in many billions in recoveries for his clients.
Patricia Glaser
Glaser Weil – Los Angeles (Photo by Amy Cantrell)
Quite simply the go-to litigator in Los Angeles for business litigation and other high-profile cases for clients like Kirk Kerkorian, Paula Deen, Miley Cyrus, Conan O’Brien and many more.
Jamie Gorelick
WilmerHale – Washington, D.C. (Photo by Eli Meir Kaplan)
Jared Kushner was merely the latest in a long line of prominent clients to turn to one of Washington’s most admired litigators, who is a former Pentagon General Counsel and long-serving Deputy Attorney General.
Mark Greene
Cravath – New York (Photo provided by the firm)
The head of Cravath’s corporate department and international practice has taken the lead on many deals of the firm's elite client roster, long since earning the reputation as one of his generation’s best transactional attorneys.
Nina Gussack
Pepper Hamilton – Philadelphia (Photo provided by the firm)
Since Lawdragon opened its doors in 2005, no attorney has been better than Gussack at defending pharmaceutical and medical device companies in complex litigation.
Kenton King
Skadden – Palo Alto (Photo provided by the firm)
When people think of the world’s most powerful law firm and the Silicon Valley, they think of Kenton King – master dealmaker in the technology and semiconductor worlds.
Colleen Mahoney
Skadden – Washington, D.C. (Photo provided by the firm)
Individuals and company boards make Mahoney their first call for investigations by the SEC, where she spent 15 years, and for handling internal investigations.
Pat McGroder
Gallagher & Kennedy – Phoenix (Photo by Eric Cassee)
In the Southwest, McGroder’s name is synonymous with passion, justice and integrity. The fierce litigator has well over 100 verdicts and settlements worth in excess of $1M.
Mark Morton
Potter Anderson – Wilmington (Photo by Hugh Williams)
Morton is an institution in his state, among the nation’s very top experts and most trusted counselors for advice on Delaware Corporation Law.
Brian Panish
Panish Shea – Los Angeles (Photo by Hugh Williams)
His skills as a trial lawyer and advocate for the injured are rare, much revered and get better with age. Panish has netted hundreds of millions of dollars for clients in the past several years alone.
Christian Searcy
Searcy Denny – Miami (Photo by Josh Ritchie)
The veteran plaintiffs’ attorney has earned every accolade in his 43-year career. Searcy won his first $1M verdict at age 29 and never slowed down.
Joseph Shenker
Sullivan & Cromwell – New York (Photo provided by the firm)
A nimble dealmaker with a diverse range of transactions under his belt, Shenker is also a much admired leader providing a steady force atop one of the world’s most influential firms.
Diane Sullivan
Weil – Princeton, N.J. (Photo by Laura Barisonzi)
The trial lawyer’s trial lawyer is as good in court and arbitrations for corporate clients in mass tort and other complex cases as any advocate in the country.
Jonathan Turley
GWU Law School – Washington, D.C. (Photo by Sean McCormick)
Scholar, advocate, teacher, expert witness, commentator, Turley has done a bit of everything during his acclaimed career, boasting one of the sharpest legal minds on any issue he trains his eyes on.
Leigh Walton
Bass Berry – Nashville (Photo by Hugh Williams)
Walton has remained steadfast as one of the region’s best dealmakers and drawn national acclaim for building one of the best healthcare practices.
