The Most Influential Lawyers in the World: Attorneys on the Time 100
Earlier this week, Time magazine released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Lawyers represent over 10 percent of the list. Which legal eagles soared into the Time 100 this year?
Justice Kennedy, 75, is possibly “the most influential person in American life today,” in the words of his Time 100 profile writer, legendary litigator Ted Olson. Olson, who’s counting on AMK to strike down Proposition 8 should Perry v. Brown reach the Supreme Court, skillfully butters up the HLS-educated justice in his blurb: “In the nearly 25 years since his appointment, over the course of five presidencies, Justice Kennedy’s convictions and unique sense of liberty, equality and justice have placed an indelible and enduring stamp on American life and institutions.” (Hint hint: please use your “unique sense of liberty, equality and justice” to vindicate the rights of gay Americans.)
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The fabulously stylish Lagarde, 56, is the managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Before that, she served as France’s Finance Minister. But she’s not just an economics whiz: she received a law degree from the Paris West University Nanterre La Défense and served as chairman of Baker & McKenzie (where she made partner after just six years).
The youthful Navalny, who’s only 35, is a prominent member of the Russian opposition movement, an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin. He completed his legal studies at the wonderfully named Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.
9. Barack Obama
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Obama, 50, is the 44th and current President of the United States. That might sound impressive, but remember: he’s also a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. Do you know how freaking hard it is to graduate magna from HLS? It makes running the free world look like a piece of cake.
10. Mitt Romney
A former governor of Massachuetts, Mitt Romney — who’s 65, but looks much younger — is running to replace President Obama in the White House. He also got his law degree at Harvard, cum laude, along with an MBA. He was admitted to the Michigan bar but never practiced law.
11. Marco Rubio
A rising star of the Republican Party, at the tender age of 40, Senator Rubio is lauded by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush as “an eloquent voice for limited government, entrepreneurial capitalism and a robust foreign policy.” He graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996.
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Finally, here’s a bonus law-related honoree. Although Samira Ibrahim is not a lawyer herself, she is listed on the Time 100 as “Plaintiff,” due to her ongoing litigation to vindicate human rights in Egypt.
Did we miss any lawyers or law-related honorees on the Time 100? If so, please let us know by email or in the comments.
Congratulations to all the lawyers who made the Time 100. These worthy attorneys stand as living proof that you truly can do anything with a law degree.
The 100 Most Influential People in the World [Time]
TIME 100 Includes Contributions From Obama, Jeb Bush [TPM Livewire]
