The
last
year
was,
for
better
or
worse,
a
big
year
in
legal
news.
So
it
should
come
as
no
surprise
to
see
big
names
dominating
our
list
of
finalists
for
2024
Lawyer
of
the
Year.
Thanks
to
everyone
who
responded
to
our
request
for
nominations
for
2024
Lawyer
of
the
Year.
We
narrowed
the
many
excellent
nominees
to
a
slate
of
seven
(yes,
that’s
how
eventful
this
year
was)
lawyers
—
distinguished,
despicable,
or
debatable,
depending
on
your
point
of
view.
Here
are
the
nominees,
in
alphabetical
order,
with
a
brief
blurb
about
each:
ChatGPT:
Okay,
fine,
we
know
ChatGPT
isn’t
a
lawyer…
but
so
many
actual
lawyers
are
still
treating
the
AI
chatbot
like
co-counsel
that
we
had
to
include
it
in
this
year’s
competition.
From
fake
cases
to
very
real
sanctions
threats,
ChatGPT
proved
to
be
a
useful
tool
that
made
some
lawyers
look
like
not-so
useful
tools.
Matt
Gaetz:
Life
moves
pretty
fast
when
you’ve
been
accused
of
sexual
misconduct
and
an
ethics
investigation
report
is
hanging
over
your
head.
From
would-be
US
Attorney
General
to
far-right
talk
show
host,
Gaetz
had
quite
the
year.
When
one
of
the
first
reactions
to
your
nomination
for
a
cabinet
position
is
“Are
you
shittin’
me?”,
that’s
when
you
know
you’ve
made
it
bigly.
Rudy
Giuliani:
America’s
mayor
has
fallen
from
such
great
heights
that
it’s
not
just
disappointing,
but
sad.
The
past
year
has
been
especially
unkind
to
Rudy’s
legal
career,
with
two
disbarments
now
under
his
belt.
From
courting
contempt
to
trying
to
dodge
defamation
collections
in
bankruptcy
court,
Giuliani
is
a
walking
legal
ethics
quandary.
Ryan
Protter:
There’s
nothing
we
love
more
than
a
joke
nomination,
and
this
New
Jersey
lawyer’s
self-nomination
made
us
chuckle.
Has
he
done
anything
notable?
“No.
Not
at
all.”
Why
did
he
nominate
himself
for
this
honor?
“Because
my
wife
(Geena)
and
small
dog
(Elle)
tell
me
I
have
a
winning
personality
and
a
good
sense
of
humor.
And
I
am
extraordinarily
modest.”
Is
he
completely
unqualified
for
this
award
(his
words,
not
ours)?
“Yes.
But
it’s
2024.
Far
less
qualified
people
have
won
far
more
important
elections
this
year.”
Aliza
Shatzman:
The
founder
and
president
of
the
Legal
Accountability
Project
achieved
a
great
deal
of
progress
for
federal
law
clerks
this
year
after
launching
the
Centralized
Clerkships
Database,
essentially
a
“Glassdoor
for
Judges,”
a
tool
that
will
empower
clerkship
applicants
with
much-needed
transparency
and
inside
information
from
former
clerks
about
judicial
work
environments.
Click
here
to
read
some
of
her
excellent
ATL
columns.
Jack
Smith:
The
special
counsel
appointed
to
oversee
the
federal
election
subversion
and
mishandling
of
classified
documents
cases
against
Donald
Trump
tried
his
damndest,
but
thanks
to
countless
delays,
an
absurd
dismissal
(plus
an
appeal),
and
a
SCOTUS
immunity
decision
gone
wild,
he
was
foiled
at
every
turn.
Now,
because
the
DOJ
won’t
prosecute
sitting
presidents,
he
asked
for
the
cases
to
be
dismissed,
writing,
“This
outcome
is
not
based
on
the
merits
or
strength
of
the
case
against
the
defendant.”
Brian
Steel:
This
lawyer
defined
zealous
advocacy
when
he
earned
himself
a
contempt
sentence
and
asked
to
serve
the
time
alongside
his
client,
Young
Thug,
so
that
they
could
work
on
the
case
together.
Not
only
did
Steel
get
manage
to
get
the
original
judge
on
the
RICO
case
removed
after
learning
about
a
secret
meeting
he
attended
with
prosecutors
and
a
witness,
but
he
managed
to
get
an
unexpected
plea
deal
sorted
out.
Now,
he’s
modeling
his
client’s
clothing
line.
And
now,
the
moment
you’ve
all
been
waiting
for:
Who
should
be
named
Above
the
Law’s
Lawyer
of
the
Year
for
2024?
Cast
your
vote
below.
Polls
are
open
until
TUESDAY,
DECEMBER
31,
2024
at
11:30
p.m.
(EST).
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
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with
her
on LinkedIn.