We are proud to recognize the 2025 recipients of the National Law Journal Awards for Professional Excellence. The selected law firms and attorneys have not only gone the extra mile for their clients, but have proven successful implementation of innovative approaches to litigation and legal advisory work. They have delivered outstanding results in their field from ESG compliance to appellate practice and litigation. It is also our distinct honor to recognize three attorneys with the NLJ Lifetime Achievement Award.
2025 National Law Journal Legal Awards Winners and Finalists
The National Law Journal announced its 2025 Legal Awards on November 5, 2025, during a gala in Washington, D.C., recognizing excellence in litigation, appellate work, and community impact across the legal profession. Below is a complete list of winners (bolded) and finalists, organized by category.
Lifetime Achievement Winners
- Max Berger, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann
- Jamie Gorelick, WilmerHale
- Gene Locks, Locks Law Firm
- Carter Phillips, Sidley Austin
D.C. Attorney of the Year
- Ian Gershengorn, Jenner & Block (Winner)
- Neal Katyal, Milbank
- Eugene Scalia, Gibson Dunn
Law Firm of the Year
- Covington & Burling
- Gibson Dunn
- WilmerHale
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges
- Williams & Connolly (Winner)
Appellate Hot List
- Arnold & Porter
- Clement & Murphy (Winner)
- Dechert
- Gibson Dunn
- Greenberg Traurig
- Gupta Wessler
- Hogan Lovells
- Holwell Shuster & Goldberg
- Hunton Andrews Kurth
- Jenner & Block
- Jones Day
- Latham & Watkins
- O’Melveny & Myers
- Paul Weiss
- Sidley Austin
- Sullivan & Cromwell
- Williams & Connolly
- WilmerHale
- Winston & Strawn
- Wilson Sonsini
Winning Litigators – Defense
- Adam Alper and Michael DeVries, Kirkland & Ellis
- Carol Pitzel Cruz, Knobbe Martens
- Phyllis Jones, Covington & Burling
- Moez Kaba, Hueston Hennigan
- Lionel Lavenue, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
- Michael McKeon, Fish & Richardson
- William Michael, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
- Mike Morin, Latham & Watkins
- Brian Rosenthal, Gibson Dunn (Winner)
- Beth Wilkinson and Brian Stekloff, Wilkinson Stekloff
Winning Litigators – Plaintiffs
- Thomas D’Amore, D’Amore Law Group
- Brendon DeMay and Priyanka Timblo, Holwell Shuster & Goldberg
- David DeRubertis, The deRubertis Law Firm
- Jessica Falk, Weil, Gotshal & Manges
- Tor Hoerman and Jake Plattenberger, TorHoerman Law
- Douglass Kreis, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz
- Jeroen van Kwawegen, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann
- Pete Marketos and Josh Russ, Reese Marketos (Winner)
- Matthew McNicholas, McNicholas & McNicholas
- Megan Meier and Daniel Watkins, Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch
Appellate Attorney of the Year
- Shay Dvoretzky, Skadden
- Noel Francisco, Jones Day
- Greg Garre, Latham & Watkins
- Deepak Gupta, Gupta Wessler
- Allyson Ho, Gibson Dunn
- Nicole Saharsky, Mayer Brown
- Kannon Shanmugam, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
- Jeffrey Wall, Sullivan & Cromwell (Winner)
Litigation Departments of the Year: General Litigation
- Covington & Burling
- King & Spalding
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Latham & Watkins
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges
- Wiley Rein
- Williams & Connolly (Winner)
- WilmerHale
Litigation Departments of the Year: Antitrust
- Covington & Burling
- Gibson Dunn
- Latham & Watkins
- Simpson Thacher
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges (Winner)
- WilmerHale
Litigation Departments of the Year: Intellectual Property
- Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner
- Gibson Dunn
- Kirkland & Ellis (Winner)
- Latham & Watkins
- Williams & Connolly
- WilmerHale
Litigation Departments of the Year: White Collar
- Covington & Burling (Winner)
- Gibson Dunn
- King & Spalding
- Latham & Watkins
- Paul Hastings
- Wiggin and Dana
- WilmerHale
Litigation Departments of the Year: Products Liability
- Covington & Burling
- Gibson Dunn
- Sidley Austin (Winner)
- Skadden
- Weil, Gotshal & Manges
- Williams & Connolly
Litigation Departments of the Year: Labor and Employment
- Gibson Dunn (Winner)
Community Impact Leaders
- Covington & Burling
- Dechert (Winner)
- Duane Morris
- Everytown Law
- Munger Tolles
- WilmerHale
Crisis Management and Government Oversight
- Cahill Gordon
- Covington & Burling
- Kirkland & Ellis
- Latham & Watkins
- Morrison Foerster
- Paul Hastings
- Paul Weiss
- Sullivan & Cromwell (Winner)
Government Relations/Lobbying
- Akin Gump
- Arnold & Porter
- Covington & Burling (Winner)
- Dentons
- Hogan Lovells
- King & Spalding
D.C. Managing Partner of the Year
- Jeny Maier, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider
- Luca Salvi, Sheppard Mullin
- Joel S. Green, WilmerHale (Winner)
- Priscilla Muhlenkamp, Fragomen
- Mandy Reeves, Latham & Watkins
- Kristin Koehler, Sidley Austin
- Maurice Bellan, Baker McKenzie
GC Impact
- Brad Blackwell, Churchill Downs Incorporated
- Sujit Raman, TRM Labs (Winner)
- Heather McAllister, Topgolf Callaway Brands Corporation
Washington D.C. Rising Stars Winners
- Adam Adler, Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg
- Ilene Albala, Goodwin
- Brendan Benedict, Benedict Law Group
- Grant Bermann, Milbank
- Nicholas Brechbill, Clare Locke
- Robyn Burrows, Blank Rome
- Kevin Chu, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan
- Tore DeBella, Faegre Drinker
- Stephanie Fishman, Hogan Lovells
- Melissa Gohlke, Cooley
- Benjamin W. Graham, Williams & Connolly
- Lauren Hartz, Jenner & Block
- Amy Hoang, Seyfarth Shaw
- Steven Horn, WilmerHale
- Patrick Jaicomo, Institute for Justice
- Michelle Kallen, Steptoe
- Rachel Levick, Gibson Dunn
- Jaclyn Phillips, White & Case
- Amanda Reed, Caplin & Drysdale
- Derrick Rowe, Wilson Sonsini
- Mike Wagner, Covington & Burling
- Max Warren, Wilkinson Stekloff
These awards highlight standout performances in 2024 cases and initiatives. For more details on nominations or the gala, visit the official event page.