Last
year
was,
for
better
or
worse,
a
big
year
in
legal
news.
So
it
should
come
as
no
surprise
to
see
big
names
dominating
our
list
of
finalists
for
2025
Lawyer
of
the
Year.
Thanks
to
everyone
who
responded
to
our
request
for
nominations
for
2025
Lawyer
of
the
Year.
We
narrowed
the
many
excellent
nominees
to
a
slate
of
six
(yes,
that’s
how
eventful
this
year
was)
lawyers
—
distinguished,
despicable,
or
debatable,
depending
on
your
point
of
view.
Here
are
the
nominees,
in
alphabetical
order,
with
a
brief
blurb
about
each:
Pam
Bondi:
The
former
Florida
AG
who
became
Trump’s
AG
and
turned
the
once
respected
Department
of
Justice
into
the
hottest
of
messes.
In
2025,
she
oversaw
the
mass
exodus
of
career
attorneys,
backed
several
legally
dubious
U.S.
Attorney
appointments,
and
generally
acted
like
her
office
was
the
legal
department
for
Trump’s
revenge
tour.
Bondi’s
DOJ
has
been
giving
ethics
scholars
nightmares
and
has
been
the
source
of
frequent
judicial
eye
rolls.
Thanks
to
her,
the
Justice
Department
is
now
Trump’s
personal
law
firm.
Rachel
Cohen:
In
2025,
this
former
Skadden
associate
did
what
very
few
Biglaw
associates
were
willing
to
do:
she
put
her
principles
ahead
of
her
paycheck.
She
became
a
flashpoint
in
the
legal
profession
by
challenging
her
firm
and
the
broader
Biglaw
establishment
over
their
shocking
responses
to
Trump’s
executive
orders.
She
organized
an
open
letter
signed
by
nearly
2,000
associates,
where
she
urged
firms
to
defend
the
rule
of
law.
Cohen’s
stand
drew
national
attention,
galvanizing
associates
across
the
industry
as
she
continued
advocating
for
legal
ethics
and
accountability,
and
earned
her
recognition
—
including
a
Civil
Courage
Award
—
for
her
willingness
to
sacrifice
a
lucrative
career
in
defense
of
her
principles.
Alina
Habba:
Trump’s
onetime
personal
lawyer
got
a
promotion
to
U.S.
Attorney
for
New
Jersey
in
2025…
and
then
multiple
courts
ruled
that
she
was
unlawfully
in
the
job.
Judges
said
her
appointment
wasn’t
legit,
leading
to
her
disqualification
and
eventual
resignation
from
a
role
she
wasn’t
technically
supposed
to
be
holding
in
the
first
place.
Not
to
worry,
because
shortly
after
quitting
a
job
she
never
really
had,
Habba
was
elevated
to
become
a
Senior
Advisor
to
the
Attorney
General
for
U.S.
Attorneys.
You
can
only
fail
upwards
in
the
Trump
administration!
Lindsey
Halligan:
Imagine
someone
with
more
pageant
titles
than
prosecutorial
experience
being
installed
as
a
U.S.
Attorney
so
the
president
could
chase
perceived
political
opponents
in
court.
That
was
Halligan
in
2025,
as
she
attempted
to
indict
longtime
Trump
opponents
like
James
Comey
and
Letitia
James
—
cases
that
no
other
lawyer
would
touch.
Just
like
what
happened
with
Alina
Habba,
Halligan’s
appointment
was
found
to
be
fraught
with
error,
leaving
the
process
so
ethically
and
legally
defective
that
both
cases
were
tossed.
Brad
Karp:
The
Biglaw
chairman
whose
most
notable
2025
legal
act
wasn’t
a
motion
or
brief
but
a
negotiated
capitulation.
Trump
targeted
his
firm
with
a
retaliatory
executive
order,
and
instead
of
fighting
it
out
in
court,
Karp
cut
a
deal
that
offered
up
$40
million
in
pro
bono
payola
aligned
with
the
administration’s
policies.
Karp’s
move
not
only
inspired
lawyers
to
cut
bait
and
leave
the
firm,
but
it
led
to
him
being
heckled
at
industry
award
events,
with
Paul,
Weiss
being
protested
in
the
streets
of
Manhattan.
The
firm’s
deal
opened
the
door
for
eight
other
firms
to
bend
a
knee
to
Trump,
leaving
an
ugly,
orange
stain
on
the
legal
profession.
Jeanine
Pirro:
Once
a
TV
judge
and
now
a
Trump-appointed
federal
prosecutor
for
D.C.,
Judge
Jeanine
spent
2025
egging
on
politically
charged
investigations,
and
wound
up
with
nothing
but
egg
on
her
face.
Much
like
driving
119
miles
per
hour
in
a
65,
her
attempts
at
“justice”
in
the
nation’s
capitol
have
been
a
little
lead
footed,
resulting
in
repeated
no
bills.
And
now,
the
moment
you’ve
all
been
waiting
for:
Who
should
be
named
Above
the
Law’s
Lawyer
of
the
Year
for
2025?
Cast
your
vote
below.
Polls
are
open
until SUNDAY,
JANUARY
11,
2026
at
11:30
p.m.
(EST).
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
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on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
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on
LinkedIn.