Neel Chatterjee of King & Spalding was named The American Lawyer's Attorney of the Year on Thursday evening at the eighth annual American Lawyer Industry Awards. And for the first time, a group of firms jointly received the Law Firm of the Year honor, for their collective role in challenging White House executive orders aimed at the legal industry earlier this year. The law firm award went to Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, and Susman Godfrey—as the subjects of those executive orders, who litigated against them—and Williams & Connolly, Cooley, Clement & Murphy, and Munger, Tolles & Olson—as counsel to the litigating firms. Chatterjee, for his part, was honored for facilitating open dialogue, maintaining a very visible presence and, most critically, opening forums and pathways for members of the profession to share thoughts, ideas and concerns in what proved to be a pivotal and tumultuous period for Big Law in 2025. He founded Law Firm Partners United. Also on Thursday, the winners of the biennial Litigation Departments of the Year were announced, as well as the honorees for many other awards. Taking home the general Litigation Department of the Year honor was Williams & Connolly. The event, with some 700 attendees, was held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York to honor law firms, and their leaders and lawyers, and in-house counsel, who have left their mark on the legal industry, the profession and society. Attendees heard remarks from Lifetime Achievement honorees, among others. Congratulations to the winners and finalists: Attorney of the Year Winner: Neel Chatterjee of King & Spalding Finalists: Laurie Carr Mims of Keker, Van Nest & Peters; Michael Buchanan of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler and Muhammad Faridi, Linklaters; William Burck of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan Lifetime Achievement Honorees Judge Shelley Chapman, Willkie Farr & Gallagher; Judge Allyson Duncan, JAMS; Irving Picard, BakerHostetler; Judge David Tatel, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr; Dean William Treanor, Georgetown Law; Michael Mukasey, Debevoise & Plimpton Law Firm of the Year Winner: Joint Nomination (Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, Susman Godfrey, Williams & Connolly, Cooley, Clement & Murphy, Munger, Tolles & Olson) Finalists: Covington & Burling; Reed Smith; Akin; Cleary Gottlieb; Ropes & Gray; Sidley Austin; McDermott Will & Schulte U.S. Impact Law Firm of the Year Winner: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Finalists: Clifford Chance; Freshfields; Kennedys; Linklaters Law Firm Distinguished Leader Seth Zachary, Paul Hastings Managing Partner of the Year Winner: Randy Mehrberg, Jenner & Block Finalists: Douglas Clark, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Lorie Almon, Seyfarth Shaw; Donna Wilson, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips; Anjan Sahni, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr; Julie Jones, Ropes & Gray; Stephen Zubiago, Nixon Peabody; Hailyn Chen and Malcolm Heinicke, Munger Tolles & Olson The Media Advocacy Award Winner: Ballard Spahr Finalists: Covington & Burling; Greenberg Traurig; Reed Smith; Wiley Rein; Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr Litigation Departments of the Year, General Winner: Williams & Connolly Finalists: Cooley; Covington & Burling; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan; Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr Litigation Departments, Specialty (Intellectual Property) Winner: Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Finalists: Cooley; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Williams & Connolly; Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr Litigation Departments, Specialty (Products Liability) Winner: Covington & Burling Finalists: DLA Piper; King & Spalding; Weil, Gotshal & Manges Litigation Departments, Specialty (Financial Services) Winner: Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Finalists: Sullivan & Cromwell; Williams & Connolly; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Litigator of the Year Winner: Josh Rosenkranz, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Finalists: Dane Butswinkas of Williams & Connolly; Jessica Ellsworth of Hogan Lovells; Lindsay Harrison of Jenner & Block; Moez Kaba of Hueston Hennigan; Jeffrey Kessler of Winston & Strawn; Jeffrey Wall of Sullivan & Cromwell; Ned Weinberger of Labaton Keller Sucharow National Boutique / Specialty Litigation Department of the Year Winner: Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann Finalists: Bird, Marella, Rhow, Lincenberg, Drooks, & Nessim; Desmarais; Keker Van Nest & Peters; Kobre & Kim; McKool Smith; Susman Godfrey; Wilkinson Stekloff Young Lawyer of the Year - Beyond Practice Winner: Jesse-Justin Cuevas, Susman Godfrey Finalists: Mark Goldstein, Reed Smith; Alla Digilova, Haynes Boone; John Drosick, Winston & Strawn; Jenna Cutler, Barclay Damon; Katie Harrington, Foley & Lardner; Melodie Khosrovani, Shutts & Bowen; Kasey Koballa, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton Young Lawyer of the Year - Litigation Winner: Katie Wellington, Hogan Lovells Finalists: Pravin Patel, Weil, Gotshal & Manges; Lee Crain, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Lauren Hartz, Jenner & Block; Roxana Guidero, Wilkinson Stekloff; Michael Huston, Perkins Coie; Allyson Julien, Goldman Ismail; Brittany L. Sukiennik, Cravath, Swaine & Moore Young Lawyer of the Year - Corporate Winner: Steven R. Green, Wachtell Finalists: Mark Schenkel, Sullivan & Cromwell; Brittany Sakowitz, Kirkland & Ellis; Ann Marie Brodarick, McDermott Will & Schulte; Nitya Kumar Goyal, Dechert; Joseph F. Rosati, White & Case; Dan Gibbons, Davis Polk; Dotun Obadina, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Best Business Team Winner: Benesch Finalists: A&O Shearman; Ballard Spahr; Cahill Gordon; Frost Brown Todd; Norton Rose Fulbright; Reed Smith; Troutman Pepper Best Client-Law Firm Team Winner: Williams & Connolly-CVS Finalists: DLA Piper; Fenwick; Jenner & Block; Latham & Watkins; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Sullivan & Cromwell; Troutman Pepper Locke Best Mentor - Law Firm Winner: Mark Plotkin, Covington & Burling Finalists: Omar Alaniz, Reed Smith; Monica Call, Foley & Lardner; David Fish, Romano Law; Timothy Flaherty, Clark Hill; Alicia Grant, Norton Rose Fulbright; Kate Mueting, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight; Rahul Patel, King & Spalding Best Provider Collaboration Winner: Morgan Lewis/Thomson Reuters Finalists: DLA Piper; Hogan Lovells; McDermott Will & Schulte; Paul Hastings/Dashboard Legal by Bloomberg Law; Polsinelli/UnitedLex; Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan; Wilmer Pickering Hale and Dorr Best Professional Development Initiative Winner: Morgan Lewis & Bockius Finalists: Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer; Cahill Gordon & Reindel; Dechert; Eversheds Sutherland; Husch Blackwell; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Ropes & Gray; Stradley Most Promising Newcomer Winner: Pearl Dzifa Mansu, Reed Smith Finalists: Reid Carroll, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr; Dinis Cheian, Susman Godfrey; Danielle Izzo, Labaton Keller Sucharow; Lauren Lummus, Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check; Andrew Santana, Jenner & Block; Bethany Thomas, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr; Julia Zasso, Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum Best Use of Technology Winner: Labaton Keller Sucharow Finalists: Frost Brown Todd; Honigman; McDermott Will & Schulte; Morgan Lewis; Munger Tolles & Olson; Seyfarth Shaw; Weil, Gotshal & Manges Corporate Culture & Wellbeing Winner: Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp Finalists: Covington & Burling; O'Melveny & Myers; McGuireWoods; Morrison Foerster; Weil, Gotshal & Manges Legal Services Innovation Award Winner: Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan Finalists: Dechert; Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian; Irell & Manella; Labaton Sucharow; McDermott Will & Schulte; Munger Tolles & Olson; Schulman Rogers