The 2022 Lawdragon Legends of the 500

I’ll tell you a secret.

Doesn’t that sound delectable and fun?

And we all need a little actual fun – the exuberance of discovery, of celebration, of the view beyond.

A jump in the sea.

One of our favorite moments of each year is this one, when we say: We are delighted to announce the 2022 Lawdragon Legends.

These remarkable lawyers have all been recognized repeatedly among the 500 leading lawyers, typically 10 times. And they are lawyers who fascinate, motivate and challenge us. They set the bar high for themselves and in doing so remind us of the magic of the law in the hands of a great lawyer.

The 20 lawyers recognized this year have inspired us in some cases for decades. We’ve watched Chris Meade ascend from WilmerHale partner to general counsel of the U.S. Treasury Department and now BlackRock. And Elaine Golin soar from the dazzling upcoming litigation star at Wachtell to one of its foremost partners. We first met Debra Katz for her tenacious work as an employment lawyer representing plaintiffs ages before she became the #MeToo go-to counsel in the highest of high-profile situations. Debra Wong Yang was a young U.S. Attorney leading the Los Angeles office ages before she emerged as Gibson Dunn’s powerhouse insider consigliere.

Here's another secret. The first trial I ever covered, long ago and far away as a baby reporter, featured two remarkable lawyers. In one corner, the best litigator in Orange County, Calif., Thomas R. Malcolm, then of Jones Day and a member of our Hall of Fame. And in the other, John C. Taylor, now of his own firm, Taylor & Ring.

And the list goes on ... As do we all.

We’ve known and loved these lawyers for ages. We hope you do, too. You can see the full list of Legends here. 

First	Last	Firm	Location
Michael	Aiello	Weil	New York
Frank	Aquila	Sullivan & Cromwell	New York
Sean	Berkowitz	Latham	Chicago
Ray	Boucher	Boucher LLP	Los Angeles
E. Leon	Carter	Carter Arnett	Dallas
Apalla	Chopra	O'Melveny	Los Angeles
Steven	Fineman	Lieff Cabraser	New York
Katherine B.	Forrest	Paul Weiss	New York
Kenneth	Gallo	Paul Weiss	Washington, D.C.
Elaine	Golin	Wachtell	New York
Jeh Charles	Johnson	Paul Weiss	New York
Debra	Katz	Katz Marshall	Washington, D.C.
Paul	Lancaster Adams	Ogletree Deakins	Philadelphia
Colette	Matzzie	Phillips & Cohen	Washington, D.C.
Christopher	Meade	BlackRock	New York
Patrick	Quinn	Cadwalader	New York
Grace	Speights	Morgan Lewis	Washington, D.C.
John C.	Taylor	Taylor & Ring	Los Angeles
Shawn	Williams	Robbins Geller	San Diego
Debra Wong	Yang	Gibson Dunn	Los Angeles