The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers

We’re honored to introduce The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers.

This is our 9th edition of this guide to the courageous advocates who are there for victims of discrimination, sexual abuse, police misconduct, civil rights violations and other unconscionable behavior. And right now, we maybe should give them a hand. They continue to fight the fight in some very bleak times – at least for those of us who believe in equality, civility, opportunity and all that.

Cathy Harris is a partner at Correia & Puth and embodies the sense and sensibility of those we honor here. After starting her career as an assistant district attorney in New York City, she moved to Washington, D.C. and became a dedicated advocate for employees, including federal employees, in individual and class actions and chaired Kator Parks Weiss & Harris’ Sexual Harassment and LGBT practice sections. President Biden appointed her to a 7-year term as a member of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, which adjudicates appeals by federal workers. The Senate confirmed Harris and she was sworn in as a member of the Board on June 1, 2022. She was acting chairman until 2023 when the Senate confirmed her as Chairman. And then came 2025. On his first day in office, President Trump removed her from the chairman post and weeks later fired her without cause, effectively shutting down the ability of federal employees to challenge their mass terminations, layoffs and other indignities. Harris sued and won in federal court. That decision is on appeal and she cannot resume her duties until the litigation is final.

Earl S. Ward is a standout criminal defense and civil rights attorney at Emery Celli. Based in New York, he has dedicated himself to his practice and related volunteer efforts to improve the community. He began his career with the criminal defense unit of the Legal Aid Society then worked as a staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union, where he handled police abuse and First Amendment litigation. He worked at the Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem until he entered private practice in 1996. He practiced at his own firm – handling serious felony matters including homicide, death penalty and federal civil rights cases – before joining Emery Celli in 2012. There, he fights the fight for the wrongly accused, whether children or corporate executives.

Laura L. Ho of Oakland’s Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee has a similarly illustrious lineage of decades perfecting her employee, civil and consumer rights protection practice. From the Asian Law Caucus, she joined the ACLU Immigrants Rights Project, then became a partner at Goldstein Demchak/Goldstein Borgen before joining Dardarian Ho. She has recovered hundreds of millions for workers in California and nationwide from companies in the technology, home improvement, retail and gig sectors. She has represented tens of millions of consumers in successful class actions winning monetary judgment and significant reforms. Ho has also been instrumental in enforcing the California Voting Rights Act in cities including Anaheim, Palmdale, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.

The research for this guide in particular is always uplifting, but often hurtful to know that we recognize roughly 600 lawyers on this guide, and there are thousands more who fight on. That’s in a time when more than 95,000 Black women have lost their federal employment since 2025, as have vast numbers of others who had dedicated their careers to the government to advance a common good. Let’s hold on and believe gold plated busts are not forever, and some of that lucre can go to protecting the least among us.

We selected these lawyers through our time-honed process combining independent journalistic research with a wealth of submissions. Our submission process is growing, and we are grateful for everyone who took the time to share their thoughts on lawyers deserving recognition here. We also vet candidates with peers and clients. Those denoted with an asterisk are members of our esteemed Hall of Fame.