Members of The Lawyer Hot 100 have just two things in common.
The first is excellence. Every year, our Hot 100 covers an incredibly diverse mix of legal professionals: scrappers from the rough and tumble of criminal law; sharp-suited corporate dealmakers; intellectuals and silver-tongued advocates from barristers’ profession; the in-house counsel with the ear of their CEOs; associates rising to greatness; and yes, even the occasional professional with no legal qualifications at all who is nevertheless showing the industry how to better itself. But whatever world they come from, they are all doing amazing work.
The second is relevance. In The Hot 100, talented young guns rub shoulders with eminent lawyers who have years of success behind them. What links those seasoned veterans with those at the start of their careers is that they are all of the present moment. The work they are doing is important NOW.
The 2022 list, as always, features those who are instructed on the major issues of the day. As you browse this year’s list you’ll no doubt spot themes. The pandemic, of course. The energy crisis. Climate change. The issues at play aren’t always simple or easy; that’s why the lawyers who grapple with them are in the list.
Likewise, leadership isn’t easy. In this year’s list you’ll find a group of senior figures who have taken their businesses through Covid and (nearly, we hope) out the other side. Most commercial law firms have actually had quite a good pandemic financially but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been huge challenges. These leaders have attacked them head-on to do the best by their people and their business.
Every single one of our Hot 100 is worthy of celebration. We congratulate them all.
