The 2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers

Hanna Chandoo (Hadsell Stormer), Andrés J. Gallegos (Hughes Socol Piers) and Erin Pulaski (Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff)

We’re honored to announce the 2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers.

These amazing lawyers make it their life’s work to stand up for others who are denied equal treatment, fired, harassed or marginalized in their jobs; shot and killed or subjected to lesser mistreatment by law enforcement or others in position of authority; and sexually abused and violated by those in positions of responsibility.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – ensuring those rights for others is their job, and these 500 lawyers do it exceedingly well.

This is our sixth edition of this guide, published first in 2018. Since then, the world has seen with its own eyes the vital work of civil rights lawyers bringing what justice could be had for George Floyd and others. The outstanding lawyers who stand up for workers have long been entwined with civil rights, a core value in workplace fairness. As Covid and work-from-home, technology and a new generation reshapes employment law, it seems right to acknowledge the important intersection of these practices. They uplift those who need it most.

We selected those recognized in this guide through our time-honed process combining independent journalistic research, vetting with peers and adversaries and robust submissions. We offer an incredibly easy submission process by which anyone can tell us about a great lawyer, some of whom are recognized here for the first time because of that process.

The guide is 49 percent female and 28 percent inclusive. Many of these firms put their money where their mouth is with an abundance of diverse talent on the forefront advocating for others.