Famous American Lawyers

A self-educated lawyer, Abraham Lincoln rose from modest background to become one of the greatest presidents of America. The 16th president of the country, who is also known as Honest Abe and the Great Emancipator, played a crucial role in establishing a truly democratic government, abolished slavery, modernised economy and led the country during the American Civil War.

American politician Rudy Giuliani, who served as the Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, received major attention and praise for his handling of crisis in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in his city. He was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year in December 2001 for his efforts. However, there have also been allegations of corruption against him.

The second African-American justice to serve on the Supreme Court of America, the appointment of Clarence Thomas in 1991 was controversial. He was accused of sexual harassment by lawyer Anita Hill in public hearings, but was eventually cleared. He is on the conservative side of the court and has been criticised by liberals for opposing issues like gay marriage.

The first African-American member of the US Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall was an associate justice from 1967 to 1991. Earlier as an attorney, he fought for the abolishment of racial segregation in American public schools. He was also a strong proponent of individual rights. A symbol of black icon, there are numerous memorials in America to honour his legacy.

The sixth president of the United States of America John Quincy Adams played a key role in shaping America during its formative years. He helped develop the Monroe Doctrine, which eventually became a vital tenet of the U.S. foreign policy. He is also widely regarded as one of the greatest secretaries of state and diplomats in the American history.

One of the most famous American lawyers, Alan Dershowitz is known for handling high profile cases. In 1995, he was part of the Dream Team on the O. J. Simpson murder trial. He has also been part of the defense team for cases involving personalities like Donald Trump. He has written many books about law and politics.

The current governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis became the youngest incumbent governor of a US state at the age of 42. Also an attorney and naval officer, Ron DeSantis was honored with the Bronze Star Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his military service.

Jeff Sessions is an American lawyer and politician. An important member of the Republican Party, Sessions was the 84th US Attorney General, serving under President Donald Trump's administration. Throughout his political career, Jeff Sessions has played important roles, such as co-sponsoring the bill to award the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal to civil rights movement activist Rosa Parks.

Martin D. Ginsburg was one of the most successful tax attorneys and the husband of U.S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Apart from serving as a lawyer, Martin also taught at several prestigious law schools, such as New York University Law School, Columbia Law School, and Harvard Law School. After representing business magnate Ross Perot in a case, the two became good friends.

Marcia Clark is best known as the lead prosecutor of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. She has also written several books, including novels from the Rachel Knight series and the Samantha Brinkman series and a non-fiction about the Simpson case. She has also written crime articles for The Daily Beast.

Brett Kavanaugh started serving as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the US after being nominated by Donald Trump in 2018. Interestingly, Christine Blasey Ford accused him of sexually abusing her in the 1980s. Three other women also claimed that they were sexually assaulted by Brett, with one woman recanting her accusation later. Brett has denied all the accusations.

Judith Sheindlin is a prosecution lawyer, television personality, and author. Since 1996, she has been presiding over her own arbitration reality court show Judge Judy, which has won four Daytime Emmy Awards. The longest-serving judge in the history of the courtroom-themed program, Judith Sheindlin was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Emmy for her work.

Stephen Breyer is an American lawyer, legal scholar, and jurist. Since August 1994, Breyer has been serving as an associate justice of the US Supreme Court after being nominated by President Bill Clinton in May 1994. He is also credited with writing several influential textbooks while working as a lecturer and law professor at Harvard Law School in the 1960s. 

A lawyer, law professor, political analyst and a civil rights activist, Maya Harris’s list of achievements is huge. One of the youngest in the US to become a law school dean, Maya Harris has worked with Hillary Clinton and her own sister Kamala Harris in their respective presidential campaigns.

Eric Holder is an American lawyer. In 2008, Legal Times magazine described him as one of the visionaries and named him in its list of the Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Past 30 Years. In 2009, he became the first African American to serve as the Attorney General of the US, a position which he held until 2015. 

Mark Levin is an American lawyer and radio personality. He hosts popular shows, such as The Mark Levin Show and Life, Liberty & Levin. Since 2015, he has been contributing immensely as the editor-in-chief of the popular American website Conservative Review. Also a well-known author, Mark Levin has written seven New York Times best-selling books.

Lawyer and politician Kirsten Gillibrand is a member of the Democratic Party. Since 2009, she has served as the junior United States Senator from New York. An alumnus of the UCLA School of Law, she practiced law for a few years before entering politics. She is known for speaking against sexual harassment.

Thomas Girardi is an attorney. He is credited with co-founding the Los Angeles-based law firm, Girardi & Keese, which is famous for representing plaintiffs against well-known corporations; the firm's case against Pacific Gas & Electric inspired the 2000 legal drama film, Erin Brockovich. Girardi has also appeared in the popular television series, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Lawyer and social justice activist, Bryan Stevenson, is known for challenging bias against the poor and minorities in the criminal justice system. He advocates for the poor, fights for children’s rights, and condemns the death penalty. He is the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. He was honored with the Benjamin Franklin Award from the American Philosophical Society.

NBC News anchor and broadcast journalist Savannah Guthrie is best known for co-anchoring the show Today. She appeared in the series finale of 30 Rock. She has penned two children’s books, too. She is also a practicing lawyer and has worked with domestic abuse victims.

Lawyer Greta Van Susteren gained fame as an anchor for CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. She is best known for her 14-year stint on Fox News's On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren and for MSNBC’s For the Record with Greta. She was named one of Forbes's most powerful women.

Singer and actor, Paul Robeson, was as much known for his music and films as he was for his political activism. As a black man who had to endure great difficulties to establish himself, he was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement and other social justice campaigns. As a performer, he was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

American attorney and author Phyllis Schlafly was a major figure of paleoconservativism and was against feminism, LGBT rights, and abortion. She was also behind the STOP ERA campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment, and her life and times were portrayed in the series Mrs. America, which had Cate Blanchett playing her.