The legal profession is at the heart of many of the most critical issues impacting the world today, and the work done by its members on a daily basis is often deserving of high praise. But every year, there are those that take that charge a step further. They go beyond their day jobs or the core of what their institutions do on a routine basis and make a bigger difference for their organizations, their clients, their communities and the profession as a whole. It is those individuals and those institutions which we look to honor with our Attorney of the Year and Law Firm of the Year awards.

Below are the finalists for each of those awards. The winners will be announced at The American Lawyer Industry Awards on Dec. 4 in New York. We congratulate all the finalists on the work they do to elevate the legal profession.

Law Firm of the Year Finalists

  • Covington & Burling
  • Cravath, Swaine & Moore
  • Latham & Watkins
  • Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
  • Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison
  • Reed Smith

Attorney of the Year Finalists

Theodore Boutrous Jr., partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Ted Boutrous has spent the last two years as a tireless advocate for the rule of law. His victories in the court of law and in the court of public opinion have come on behalf of the press, Dreamers, #MeToo victims and more. This was on top of his work for more traditional clients, like Chevron, Walmart and Uber. Boutrous successfully reinstated CNN reporter Jim Acosta's White House press credentials, is representing Ashley Judd in her suit against Harvey Weinstein, and stopped the Trump administration's push to suspend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Michelle Fang, general counsel at Turo

Michelle Fang became the face of a revived movement by general counsel to encourage law firms to diversify their talent pools. Fang was one of the lead authors on a letter ultimately signed by more than 200 general counsel promising to direct work to those firms that show a true commitment to diversity and inclusion. And over the last year, Fang has embodied the spirit behind that pledge through involvement in initiatives like a summer internship program for diverse students who split time between law firms and law departments.

Joanna Litt, advocate for mental health and well-being in the legal profession

Joanna Litt, an attorney-turned-real estate agent, took the brave step to pen a powerful piece about mental health in the legal profession in the wake of her husband's death by suicide. Her open letter changed the conversation on the well-being of lawyers and staff in Big Law and she has continued to be an advocate for improving wellness across the industry.