Best Lawyer

Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer and human-rights advocate whose work has focused on people vulnerable to abuse or exclusion within Iran. Her legal advocacy includes defending women's rights and supporting dissidents facing oppression. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, becoming the first...

Fred Gray's legal career is closely connected to the American Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. He represented Rosa Parks after her refusal to surrender her bus seat and represented Martin Luther King Jr. early in King's public career. As a Black lawyer challenging segregation, Gray helped turn the...

Thurgood Marshall's legal career connects civil rights advocacy with service on the United States Supreme Court. As a lawyer, he successfully argued cases before the Court challenging racial discrimination, most notably the school segregation at issue in Brown v. Board of Education. His work illustr...

As the fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, John Marshall served from 1801 until his death in 1835. His tenure helped define the judiciary's place within the federal government. In Marbury v. Madison, the Court confirmed its authority to set aside legislation that conflicts with...

Asma Jahangir, who lived from 1952 to 2018, was a Pakistani human-rights lawyer and activist involved in establishing the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in 1986. Her legal work defended women's rights and religious minorities, including people endangered by the application of blasphemy laws. Th...

In the legal and political life of ancient Rome, Marcus Tullius Cicero combined courtroom advocacy with public speaking and philosophical writing. Active during the first century BC, he used legal arguments and speeches to address questions of public duty and political power. His importance as a law...

Barry Scheck is an American attorney and legal scholar whose career connects criminal defense with the careful examination of forensic evidence. He co-founded the Innocence Project with Peter Neufeld in 1992, establishing an organization that uses DNA testing to help exonerate people who were wrongl...

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841-1935) brought a practical view of law to his work as an American lawyer and Supreme Court justice. He served on the Court from 1902 until his retirement in 1932. His approach emphasized experience and the operation of law in society, challenging the idea that legal de...

Peter Neufeld is an American attorney and civil rights advocate known for his work in forensic DNA. In 1992, he and his colleague Barry Scheck co-founded the Innocence Project at Yeshiva University's Cardozo School of Law. This nonprofit organization uses post-conviction DNA testing to exonerate wro...

Kimberlé Crenshaw is an American legal scholar and civil-rights advocate whose research centers on critical race theory and constitutional law. She teaches at Columbia Law School and UCLA School of Law, where her work examines how legal rules can overlook forms of discrimination. In 1989, she introd...

Charles Hamilton Houston was a prominent 20th-century lawyer and legal scholar instrumental in advancing civil rights within the United States. He served as NAACP counsel, pioneering litigation techniques focused on challenging segregation through direct action and constitutional interpretation. His...

Mary Bonauto is an American civil rights attorney recognized for her extensive legal advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. As a lawyer for the organization GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, she successfully argued Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, making Massachusetts the first US sta...

Jack Greenberg was an American attorney and legal scholar who played a significant role in the 20th-century civil rights movement. At age 27, he was one of the lawyers who argued the landmark 1954 desegregation case Brown v. Board of Education before the US Supreme Court. He succeeded Thurgood Marsh...

Learned Hand was a prominent American lawyer and judge serving on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals from 1924 until his retirement in 1961. He is notable for developing a sophisticated approach to statutory interpretation emphasizing practical consequences and fairness. His legal reasoning, partic...

Richard Posner is a prominent American legal scholar known for his application of economic principles to legal analysis. He has significantly influenced jurisprudence through his work in law and economics, particularly regarding contract law, intellectual property, and antitrust regulation. His care...

Louis Brandeis was a prominent American legal scholar and advocate known for his foundational work on privacy rights. He served as a Justice of the Supreme Court from 1916 to 1939, representing the first Jewish person in that role. Brandeis’s legal arguments significantly shaped early American under...

John Hart Ely (1938–2003) was a prominent American legal scholar recognized for his contributions to constitutional law. He served as the dean of Stanford Law School and later taught at Harvard University. Ely is best known for his influential 1980 book 'Democracy and Distrust,' which argues that th...

Robert L. Carter (1917–2012) was an American civil rights lawyer who served as a leading attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He helped develop the legal strategy for *Brown v. Board of Education* (1954) and argued companion cases before the U.S. Supreme Court that resulted in...

Constance Baker Motley was an American lawyer and jurist whose career significantly advanced civil rights. She gained prominence for her legal work defending Black voters challenging discriminatory practices during the mid-20th century. Notably, she achieved a landmark victory in *United States v. H...

Daniel Webster was an influential 19th-century American legal figure. He served as a U.S. Senator and delivered powerful arguments before the Supreme Court, shaping constitutional interpretation. His career involved significant contributions to national policy and he is particularly relevant for sch...

Benjamin Cardozo was a prominent American legal figure recognized for his thoughtful jurisprudence and significant contributions to American law. He began as a judge on the New York Court of Appeals and later served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1932 until his death in 1938. Cardozo’s legal writing...

Henry Clay was a prominent American attorney, statesman, and orator who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives during the early 19th century. He served multiple terms as Speaker of the House and was appointed Secretary of State under President John Quincy Adams. Ni...

Evan Wolfson is an American civil rights attorney and the founder of Freedom to Marry, a campaign organization established in 2003 to advocate for same-sex marriage in the United States. He wrote his 1983 Harvard Law School thesis on the legal arguments for marriage equality, laying the groundwork f...

Robert H. Jackson was a prominent American lawyer recognized for his pivotal role in prosecuting Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg Trials. His skillful cross-examination of Hermann Göring established a key legal precedent and demonstrated the international community’s commitment to justice aft...

Floyd Abrams is a prominent legal advocate specializing in constitutional law, particularly concerning freedom of expression. He has advised numerous U.S. administrations and represented clients in significant First Amendment cases including Citizens United v. FEC. His expertise makes him valuable t...

Clarence Darrow was a prominent American legal advocate known for his defense of individuals against powerful institutions. He achieved significant notoriety through the 1925 Scopes trial, arguing against the teaching of evolution. Primarily a trial lawyer, Darrow championed civil liberties and repr...

Archibald Cox Jr. (1912–2004) was an American legal scholar and prosecutor who taught at Harvard Law School, where he served on the faculty for decades and authored leading texts on labor and constitutional law. He was appointed U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy and later, in Ma...

Earl Warren served as the 14th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969. His tenure marked a significant shift in judicial interpretation, particularly regarding civil rights and liberties. He oversaw several landmark cases that redefined constitutional law, notably Brown v. Board of Edu...

Edward Bennett Williams was a highly influential legal figure known for his extensive experience in both courtroom litigation and high-profile business ventures. He established Williams & Connolly, a leading US law firm specializing in appellate advocacy, and previously held ownership stakes in the...