by
Kayla
Bartkowski/Getty
Images)
The
competition
for
2025
Lawyer
of
the
Year
honors
was
not
a
close
one,
not
even
one
little
bit. In
fact,
our
top
candidate
took
home
more
than
80%
of
the
vote.
Before
we
announce
which
of
the
two
prevailed,
let’s
review
Above
the
Law’s
past
Lawyers
of
the
Year:
In
a
year
where
the
legal
profession
faced
unprecedented
challenges
from
the
United
States
government,
where
some
firms
bowed
to
unconstitutional
threats
and
others
bravely
fought
it
out
in
court,
it
makes
sense
that
a
lawyer
who
defied
the
powers
that
be
and
stood
up
for
the
rule
of
law
is
taking
home
our
Lawyer
of
the
Year
title.
Rachel
Cohen,
the
former
Skadden
associate
who publicly
condemned
Trump’s
threat
to
the
rule
of
law before
many
others
found
the
strength
to
join
her,
took
the
majority
of
the
votes
in
our
annual
competition.
Cohen
found
the
courage
and
resolve
to
stand
up
and
do
what
was
right,
regardless
of
the
fact
that
she
may
have
been
standing
alone
in
her
quest
to
protect
the
legal
profession
from
harm.
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.
We’d
like
to
over
a
very
special
congratulations
to
our
2025
Lawyer
of
the
Year,
Rachel
Cohen.
She
offered
a
new
hope
for
members
of
the
legal
profession
to
stand
up
for
democracy
and
the
rule
of
law,
and
she
deserves
a
huge
thank
you
from
every
attorney
in
America.
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
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.