Lawdragon Inducts 2022 Class of Hall of Fame Honorees
By Katrina Dewey | January 28, 2022 | Guides, News & Features
Photo of Cravath's Evan Chesler provided by the firm.
We are proud to introduce the 2022 class of the Lawdragon Hall of Fame.
Among them are the nation’s greatest corporate litigators, plaintiff powerhouses, innovators who established new areas of law practice and individuals whose dedication to a sometimes precarious legal system are unsurpassed.
We met Cravath partner Evan Chesler shortly after we founded Lawdragon in 2005. He was among a handful of lawyers in those early years who helped us define our aspirations of those we sought to write about, whose careers and achievements could inspire others. His tenacity and intelligence leading corporations through their toughest battles is the best a lawyer can be. Wachtell’s Ted Mirvis is another corporate litigation guru whose thoughtfulness and ability to untangle the most complicated shareholder battle are a joy to watch.
Also captured in this group of inductees is Supreme Court Justice Steven Breyer’s 27 years of thoughtful gravity, along with Merrick Garland’s storied determination that deprived him of a Supreme Court seat but rewarded him as the Attorney General for these times. Ken Doran reinvented Gibson Dunn, and pulled it to the ranks of America’s elite law firms, while Ora Fisher, now retired, showed the strength of a woman leading Latham and in Silicon Valley dealmaking. Steve Berman of Hagens Berman is tops in plaintiffs’ class actions, while Joe Power of Chicago shows the power of caring about your community and committing your entire career to helping your neighbors. Stuart Grant was among the most impactful plaintiff financial lawyers ever, at Grant & Eisenhofer, before founding Bench Walk Advisors, a litigation finance firm. And Bobbie McMorrow represents our outstanding consultants; she created an astounding number of law firms in her storied career, while providing warm mentorship and inspiration to women and so many others.
We founded our Hall of Fame in 2015, and you can view all those inducted here. As it evolves, we’ve decided to make selection of new members an annual event, just before we announce the year’s Lawdragon 500. In this winter of our malcontent, it’s important to remember the grit and dedication that are our best qualities – and which these professionals embody every day. It’s a great honor to write about them and have the opportunity to simply say thank you for all you’ve done.
You inspire us and so many others.
| First | Last | Organization | Location | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosemary | Alito | K&L Gates | Newark | Litigators |
| Kim | Askew | DLA Piper | Dallas | Leadership |
| Theodore 'Ted' | Babbitt | Searcy Denney | West Palm Beach | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Jan | Baisch | Law Office of Jan Baisch | Portland, Ore. | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Lee | Balefsky | Kline Specter | Philadelphia | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| George "Gar" | Bason | Davis Polk | New York | Dealmakers |
| Steve | Berman | Hagens Berman | Seattle | Litigators |
| Stephen | Breyer | U.S. Supreme Court | Washington, D.C. | Judges |
| Brad | Brian | Munger Tolles | Los Angeles | Litigators |
| Michael | Burrage | Whitten Burrage | Oklahoma City | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Evan | Chesler | Cravath | New York | Power Brokers |
| Mary Louise | Cohen | Phillips & Cohen | Washington, D.C. | Innovators |
| Dean | Colson | Colson Hicks | Coral Gables | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Mark | Decof | Decof Barry | Providence | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Mike | Delikat | Orrick | New York | Litigators |
| Dennis | Donnelly | The Donnelly Law Firm | Summit, N.J. | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Ken | Doran | Gibson Dunn | Los Angeles | Leadership |
| Ora | Fisher | Latham | Menlo Park | Leadership |
| James | Fitzgerald | Fitzgerald Law Firm | Cheyenne, Wyo. | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Aaron | Freiwald | Freiwald Law | Philadelphia | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Richard H. | Friedman | Friedman Rubin | Seattle | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Anthony | Gair | Gair Gair | New York | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Sergio | Galvis | Sullivan & Cromwell | New York | Dealmakers |
| Merrick | Garland | U.S. Department of Justice | Washington, D.C. | Leadership |
| Willie | Gary | Gary Williams Parenti | Stuart, Fla. | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| James L. | Gilbert | The Gilbert Law Group | Arvada, Colo. | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Daniel | Golden | Akin Gump | New York | Dealmakers |
| Marcia | Goldstein | Weil | New York | Litigators |
| Stuart | Grant | Bench Walk Advisors | Wilmington | Innovators |
| William 'Andy' | Haggard | The Haggard Law Firm | Coral Gables | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Thomas R. | Harkness | Whitehurst Harkness | Austin | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Bruce | Hennes | Hennes Communications | Cleveland | Crisis Communication |
| Frank | Herrera Jr. | The Herrera Law Firm | San Antonio | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Lynn R. | Johnson | Shamberg Johnson | Kansas City | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Allan | Kanner | Kanner Whiteley | New Orleans | Litigators |
| David | Kirby | Edwards Kirby | Raleigh | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Jeff | Klein | Clarick Gueron | New York | Litigators |
| Sandra | Leung | Bristol-Myers Squibb | New York | Leadership |
| Richard S. | Lewis | Hausfeld | Washington, D.C. | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Stuart | Liner | DLA | Los Angeles | Innovators |
| David | McClain | Kazan McClain | Oakland | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Craig | McClellan | McClellan Law Firm | San Diego | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Bobbie | McMorrow | McMorrow Consulting | Santa Ynez, Calif. | Consultant |
| Ron | Mercaldo | Mercaldo Law Firm | Tucson | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Robert R. | Michael | Shadoan Michael | Rockville, Md. | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Ted | Mirvis | Wachtell | New York | Litigators |
| Ann | Oldfather | Oldfather Law Firm | Louisville | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Isaac | Pachulski | Pachulski Stang | Los Angeles | Dealmakers |
| Joe | Power | Power Rogers | Chicago | Litigators |
| Harry | Reasoner | Vinson & Elkins | Houston | Litigators |
| Ron | Safer | Riley Safer | Chicago | Compassion |
| Dick | Sayles | Bradley Arant | Dallas | Litigators |
| Frederick | Schenk | Casey Gerry | San Diego | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Todd | Smith | Smith LaCien | Chicago | Litigators |
| Robert | Spohrer | Spohrer Dodd | Jacksonville | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Neil | Sugarman | Sugarman | Boston | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Fred | Thompson III | Motley Rice | Mt. Pleasant, S.C. | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
| Charles W. | Whetstone Jr. | Whetstone Perkins | Columbia, S.C. | Plaintiff Trial Lawyers |
