The LawFuel Lawyer Celebs List
It should come as no surprise that John Grisham holds a law degree. His criminal-justice background likely adds to his novels’ believability. The best-selling crime author earned his law degree from graduated from Mississippi State University and received a J.D. degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981. He practiced criminal law for about a decade and served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from January 1984 to September 1990.
He began practicing as a criminal defense and personal injury attorney. But a case inspired Grisham to write his first novel, A Time to Kill. Then, Grisham wrote The Firm, which sold more than seven million copies. The book was adapted into a 1993 feature film of the same name, starring Tom Cruise, and a 2012 TV series which continues the story ten years after the events of the film and novel. Eight of his other novels have also been adapted into films: The Chamber, The Client, A Painted House, The Pelican Brief, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, Skipping Christmas, and A Time to Kill.
In 2010, Grisham started writing a series of legal thrillers for children aged 9 to 12 years, which feature a 13 year old, Theodore Boone, who gives his classmates legal advice ranging from rescuing impounded dogs to helping their parents prevent their house from being repossessed. He said, “I’m hoping primarily to entertain and interest kids, but at the same time I’m quietly hoping that the books will inform them, in a subtle way, about law,” he says
- US Law Firms Double Down on Super Size London Takeover
US law firms have turned London into their most important international bridgehead, increasing their lawyer ranks in the City by nearly 60 percent over the past decade and reshaping the U.K. legal market in the process. The number of lawyers working in London offices of U.S.-headquartered firms rose from 4,889 in 2015 to 7,710 by the end of 2024, a 58 percent increase over ten years. In total, 84 U.S. firms now have a London presence, underlining the City’s role as the key European hub for U.S. practices. Please log in to read more . . - What The New Cadwalader Hogan Lovells Legal Giant Means
And a Warning for Clients in BigLaw Megamergers Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing writer Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader have agreed to merge… Read more: What The New Cadwalader Hogan Lovells Legal Giant Means - Top European Firms Are Letting Gen AI Draft First – And Partners Aren’t Complaining
European law firms have finally found something that can draft faster than a sleep‑deprived mid‑level – and it doesn’t ask for a bonus or threaten to lateral. New research from The Global Legal Post and LexisNexis shows leading firms in Germany, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands quietly handing first‑draft duty to generative AI tools, especially for contracts and complex commercial documents. The focus is not sci‑fi robot lawyers, but something far more radical for BigLaw, making use of the knowledge the firm already has. By plugging Gen AI into internal precedents, know‑how banks and document automation systems, these firms are generating “house style” drafts that reflect prior deals, client preferences and jurisdiction‑specific quirks rather than yet another generic template no one quite trusts. Senior partners say the attraction is simple providing better quality at lower cost, delivered with guardrails around confidentiality and auditability that won’t make the GC’s risk committee choke either. Log in to read more . . . - 3,100 Lawyers, One Story Get Big, Get Niche, or Get Bought
Cadwalader’s planned merger with Hogan Lovells is less a love story and more a rescue mission with excellent branding, creating a 3,100‑lawyer, US$3.6 billion outfit that will instantly sit in the global top five by revenue. For Hogan Lovells, it is scale and New York depth; for Cadwalader, it is survival with dignity and a new logo. The combined Hogan Lovells Cadwalader will have about 3,100 lawyers and more than US$3.6 billion in annual revenue based on 2024 figures, making it the world’s fifth‑largest firm by revenue and one of the largest law firm mergers ever attempted. – Register to read more . . . - LawFuel US Lawyer of the Year Sigrid McCawley
Sigrid McCawley: The Lawyer Who Made the Untouchables Touchable Why She’s Our 2025 Lawyer of the Year Sonia Hickey, LawFuel contributing… Read more: LawFuel US Lawyer of the Year Sigrid McCawley - Even an $8B LawTech Unicorn Like Harvey Can’t Eat the Entire Legal Market
Why CEO Weinberg Says “We Can’t Win It All” If you blinked in 2025, you probably missed a Harvey funding round. The legal… Read more: Even an $8B LawTech Unicorn Like Harvey Can’t Eat the Entire Legal Market - The Most Searched Top Lawyers and Law Firms of 2025
In 2025, high-profile trials, political firestorms, and blockbuster corporate battles didn’t just dominate courtrooms—they dominated Google, TikTok, and every search engine in between. From Alec Baldwin’s dismissed manslaughter case to Elon Musk’s regulatory battles, people weren’t just looking for “a lawyer near me.” After analyzing search volume data, media mentions, social engagement, and legal industry reports from BTI Consulting, Legal Brand Marketing, and The Lawyers Global, we’ve assembled the definitive ranking of 2025’s most-searched legal talent. The ranking blends raw search metrics (e.g., Google Trends spikes) with viral moments on platforms like X, Reddit, and Instagram. The common thread for the list being that scandal sells along with wins for controversial clients – including the all-time heavyweight on both counts: President Donald Trump. Log in to read the full summary . . .
