Litigation's Rising Stars

Fifty lawyers, 45 and under, who have made their marks already.

The American Lawyer
January 1, 2007

How do you make it as a young litigator? Splendid lawyering skills help, of course. So does having the right mentor, working for a firm unafraid of advancing its young lawyers, and possessing a taste and talent for office politics. But above all, the basic requirement seems to be a zeal for the work, a ferocious desire to succeed no matter the obstacle faced, time required, or millionth air mile traveled.

Over the last several months, we've been searching for litigators age 45 and under who have made their marks in a famously competitive practice area (one that's usually dominated by lawyers old enough to remember Watergate). With all the talk of risk-averse clients and disappearing trials, sometimes we thought we were hunting an endangered species. Our reporting team sifted through hundreds of names, talking to senior partners, firm managers, and government and public interest lawyers. Hoping to find a crop of fresh faces, we intentionally excluded outstanding litigators who made our 45 Under 45 list, which we published in January 2003.

In the end, we developed a list of lawyers who have not only transcended their status as prized protégés but who seem likely to lead the pack inside the courtroom, at the settlement table, and (for those at private firms) as business magnets, too. One of the choices was simple: Paul Clement, the 40-year-old who has skyrocketed to the top appellate job in the land: solicitor general of the United States. Selecting the lawyers to accompany him wasn't so easy. Eventually we narrowed the list to 50--a fabulous 50, in our estimation.