Who Are The Most Influential Lawyers In The World?

Lawyers represent 11 percent of this list. Which legal eagles soared into the Time 100?

Yesterday, Time magazine released the Time 100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. While there are fewer lawyers present on this year’s list, it seems that the powers that be at Time may have chosen to go with quality over quantity, as almost all of the law lovers featured this time around range from cultural icons to major players on the world stage.

Although lawyers represent 11 percent of this list, only a handful were recognized for their work in the legal profession. Lawyers on this list are pursuing such “alternative careers” as leaders of the free world, politicians on both sides of the aisle, and basketball CEOs.

So which legal eagles soared into the Time 100, and were there any repeat honorees?

Here are the 11 lawyers we noticed, in alphabetical order. We took a broad definition of the term “lawyer,” which Black’s Law Dictionary defines as “a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law.” We picked out any person who holds a law degree, without regard to current or past bar admissions or whether they actually practice law (or ever did practice).

Each honoree’s name is linked to their Time 100 write-up. If we happened to miss anyone, please don’t hesitate to let us know (in the comments below or via email).

1. Hillary Clinton: From First Lady to Secretary of State to Grandma, this repeat honoree has held many titles in her day. Will her next one be that of President? Much of America is Ready for Hillary, and right now, she’s the lone Democrat in the field. Sure, she may have had that email gaffe recently, but as Laurene Powell Jobs notes, she’s also “one of America’s greatest modern creations,” and she may have Yale Law to thank for it.

2. Ruth Bader Ginsburg: If 2014 was the Year of R.B.G., then 2015 will no doubt be even bigger for America’s favorite justice. From t-shirts, to memes, to wedding invitations, to books inspired by Tumblrs, even Justice Scalia knows that there’s no truth without Ruth. After all, he says his opera buddy “is a source of collegiality and good judgment in all [the Supreme Court’s] work.” We love you, Justice Ginsburg, please don’t ever retire!

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3. Xi Jinping: A repeat honoree, Jinping is the president of China. He is a graduate of Tsinghua University, where he received his LL.D. He’s also “likely to be China’s most powerful leader since Mao.” Oh my, that sure sounds a little… ominous.

4. Marine Le Pen: If you haven’t heard of her before, Le Pen is the president of National Front, the third-largest political party in France. She’s a lawyer and a powerful right-wing politician, which can be a dangerous combination. To defeat her, France’s leaders will need to “mount a more appealing revolution of their own.”

5. Mitch McConnell: This Kentucky Law grad is the longest serving U.S. Senator in Kentucky history. As the Senate’s Majority Leader, McConnell has earned himself a reputation as a bit of a political villain, but luckily for him, Speaker of the House John Boehner thinks his bestie’s “mind is a marvelous machine.” Aww, too cute.

6. Barack Obama: The two-term POTUS is yet another repeat honoree on this list. He may be a lame duck, but that hasn’t stopped the Harvard Law grad from attempting to kick ass and take names in his own way. Plus, he thinks law school should be only two years long, and regardless of your political affiliation, who could disagree with that?

7. Samantha Power: As a lawyer, an advocate, a journalist, and a U.N. Ambassador, this repeat honoree seems to have it all. In fact, she even has a glowing recommendation from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Harvard Law sure knows how to pick ’em.

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8. Vladimir Putin: Putin, the President of Russia, graduated from Leningrad State University (now known as Saint Petersburg State University), the oldest law school in the country. He studied international law while there, and now bends those laws in his governance of Russia. Here’s an action figure of Putin riding a bear while shirtless.

9. Adam Silver: Wanna be a balla? Shot calla? He did. After graduating from U. Chi Law, Silver went on to serve time as a litigation associate at Cravath before joining the ranks of the NBA, where he’s served as commissioner since February 2014. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar refers to you as the “king of the court,” you know you’ve made it.

10. Bryan Stevenson: As the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson (who’s also an NYU Law prof) believes “every person is more than the worst thing they’ve ever done, which is a lesson to so many that forgiveness is a necessary means to achieving equality for all.” Three cheers for a man recognized for his legal work.

11. Elizabeth Warren: Hillary Clinton penned Sen. Warren’s write-up, calling her a “progressive champion.” Although the former Penn Law and Harvard Law professor has denied she’ll be running for president, she hasn’t said anything about running for vice-president. How ’bout it, Hillary? You could use a Native American on your ticket.

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 if you try hard enough.

The 100 Most Influential People [TIME]