The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America

Ellen Holloman (Cadwalader), Vineet Bhatia (Susman Godfrey) and Reed Brodsky (Gibson Dunn)

We’re honored to introduce The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America.

The pride of Litigation Nation.

What we do better than anyone else in the world is litigate. And these are the advisors you want to send into battle.

This is Lawdragon’s 2nd edition assessing America’s top talent among those who represent, chiefly, corporations and other wealthy entities in epic battles involving antitrust; financial and securities litigation; intellectual property; commercial; real estate; M&A and Chancery; cybersecurity and data privacy; and, of course, white collar and investigations. And we have to say, the world’s power players have never been in better hands.

The array of talent in America’s great trial teams is staggering, really. Today’s courtroom commandos range from world-renowned advocates who’ve captivated the stage for decades, to those still in their second decade of practice, but who have proven themselves the inheritors of one of the greatest crafts of all. To take a cause, often unpopular, and turn it into an irresistible narrative.

We’ve written about and researched lists of lawyers for well over 50 years and noted a transcendence of sorts in the candidates for this guide. The archetype of a great litigator has, of course, moved with the times and now comes in all shapes, hues, backgrounds and sizes. But the persistent notion of the rainmaker as a singular powerbroker is yielding to a reality: Today’s litigation battles are small corporate wars that rely on heavily trained and specialized teams comprised of lawyers who are themselves stars. Those rainmakers are still en pointe, but when we think about what it is to be a great courtroom presence, the ability to amass and field a team of equal talent if not heretofore renown is ever more crucial.

The major players rack up big numbers here in part for that reason, and because of their

depth across the array of client needs. From the broad-geared corporate firms with footprints in many cities to those who confine their focus to litigation, it’s an embarrassment of all stars. Those honorees previously inducted in our Hall of Fame are denoted with an asterisk.

We selected this guide based on journalistic research, submissions and vetting. Lawdragon is an advocate of diversity and inclusion and this guide is 32 percent women and 19 percent inclusive.

We are grateful to Androvett marketing and public relations firm, Validity legal finance and longtime friends Cadwalader for backing our efforts.